This is part 2 of a 4-part series explaining the importance of maintaining ownership of your various web properties and how to keep them under your control. This section will focus on your site files, databases, and hosting account.
Want to read from the beginning? Read the intro here.
What are these things that you speak of?
Site Files – These are the files and folders that make up your website. They can include templates for the structure of the site, images, stylesheets, possibly content (depending on how your site is set up), and many other types of files.
Databases – A database is sort of like a spreadsheet. It is a collection of data and content for your site. Not every site has a database, but if your site uses a content management system (CMS), such as WordPress or Joomla, than you can be sure that it does have one. Databases for these and other common CMSs are typically managed through MySQL and PHPmyadmin.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) or Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) – These are common methods of transferring files between your computer and a server hosted online. You can use your FTP login information in conjunction with an FTP client such as Filezilla to access the files on your site or add new files.
Hosting – Your hosting account is where your site is stored, like a lot where you build a house. Your domain name is pointed to your hosting account. It is usually relatively easy to move a site from one hosting account to another if necessary. There are many different companies that offer hosting, such as HostGator or BlueHost. Personally, I recommend choosing a hosting company that has cPanel installed, which is one of the main reasons why I do not recommend GoDaddy for hosting.
Email Hosting – This is where your email accounts are hosted. It is possible to host your website and your email on one account, but I don’t recommend it. We’ll talk more about this later.
