No you will not need to purchase your own SSL, as we will automatically set your site up on SSL as part of having a website with Website Services.

Yes. When taking your site live, we can set up additional domains on our end to be in use that will redirect visitors to your primary domain.

If you are unsure of who hosts your domain, use the following steps to locate the host:

1. Go to https://who.is/
2. Type in the URL of your domain and then hit the magnifying glass icon to search
3. The “Registrar Info” area will tell you the company (and their URL for contact) that provides registation for your domain.

A domain name is a way to identify and locate computers and resources connected to the Internet. No two organizations can have the same domain name.

Every company or organization that wants to be on the internet will register a domain name for use as their on-line identity or name that clients will use to access on-line services such as the organization's website or email system.
 
For example, GOLF-MI registered the domain name GOLF-MI.COM, so users on the internet can access their website at WWW.GOLF-MI.COM and send email to GOLF-MI employees at username@GOLF-MI.COM. Much like a company's name, logo, or 800 numbers, a domain name has marketing value when customers can easily remember and associate it with the organization. Since over 11 million domain names have already been registered world-wide, it can be difficult to find a good domain name.

Simply put, a domain name registrar is a service that allows you to officially register your desired website domain name so that it is unique to you, and no one else can own it. Originally, there was just one company that could register your domain name for you, but now there are literally hundreds.

Legitimate domain name registrars are accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). ICANN is a private (non-government), non-profit corporation that has been given the responsibility of allocating IP addresses and managing the Domain Name System. The Domain Name System is what allows you to reach a website by typing in its name, rather than its numerical IP address.

Nameservers are internet servers that store the DNS records for an organization's domain. A domain may or may not be using the nameservers that belong to it's registrar. The hierchy starts at the registrar. At the domain registrar, there is always an official record of what nameservers hold the DNS records for each domain. If the record at the domain registrar says the nameservers for the domain are ns1.worldsbestdns.com, then the DNS records for the domain would have to be set at "World's Best DNS." 

Some larger website hosts have their own nameservers. In that case, the record at the registrar would indicate that the nameservers which hold the DNS records for the domain are at the website host. Website Services does not have it's own nameservers. We typically recommend using the domain registrar's nameservers and then setting the DNS records on the registrar's nameservers.

DNS stands for Domain Name System. DNS records are the official records for where an organization's internet resources are stored or handled. These records stipulate the server that the organization's website content resides on, as well as what email server handles email addressed to "users" @your domain. These include but are not limited to the A record, CNAME, MX.

When you are ready for your website to go live at your domain complete the Go-Live Request form, and we will let you know the specific changes to make at your domain, including your A record and CNAME.

It all depends.

If the nameserver designation for a domain is changed, that will upset ALL DNS records including the MX records that determine which email server handles the domain's email. Changing the A-record alone will not impact email handling at all.

Website Services does not offer email handling.

If you are looking for an email program, a recommendation would be Google Workspace. Another helpful resource to check out would be Google Workspace for Education.