The web is complicated, and sometimes being online entails much more than just ‘having a website.’ In this article, we’ll look at some common terms and break them down:
- Domain name registration (and renewal)
- DNS records
- Web host and web server
- Website files
Mere is an all-in-one partner for your web presence. This means that everything you need to be online can run through Mere. We can help you manage the technical headache, and keep everything up to date as needed.
Let’s walk through each element of a website in order to help demystify your church website:
The first, and most important part of your website is the web host, who runs your web server. This is where the actual files of your site live: the text, images, code, and appearance that make up your site.
So now you have a pile of files. How are people supposed to know where to find them? The server is directly accessible at an IP address (a machine-readable address for that particular machine, like 192.168.0.1) but we don’t really want to tell visitors to type in an IP address to visit your website.
Thus, we need a domain name. A domain name is sort of like your home address. It shows everyone where to find you. Firstbaptistchurch.org is easily recognizable as your address. To claim this domain name, you register it with a domain registrar. Domain registrars work with ICANN to keep records of who owns what, and makes sure that each name is only associated with 1 owner.
So now you have a pile of files, and you have an address. You’d like to be able to do things with that address: receive emails, perhaps, at contact@firstbaptistchurch.org, or make your website files show up when visitors type in firstbaptistchurch.org. To do this, you need to set DNS records on your domain name.
DNS records can be configured directly at your domain registrar, or sometimes they can be configured via your web host if you delegate the responsibility to your host from your registrar. DNS records are usually A, CNAME, or TXT records, and they are a list of configuration instructions that tell web browsers and mail servers how to respond when they come across your domain name.
(Side note: email is a separate service, configured by adding DNS records to your domain name. We can help you configure your email service, but don’t offer an email service ourselves. Google Workspace is a great choice).
What does any of this have to do with me?
If we have anything to say about it, nothing. The only time you need to worry about these concepts is when you are getting set up with a new account through Mere. If you already have a domain name, we’ll help you transfer the registration (and existing configuration) over to our accounts. If you don’t yet have a domain name, we can help you register one when your site is ready to launch.
We'll provide help for your particular registrar so that you can unlock your domain and issue a transfer code, and then we will transfer the domain into our registrar. At this point, your domain name will be registered in Mere's name, and we'll make sure that it renews every year and other information stays up to date.
When you work with Mere, you don’t need to worry about who your web host is: just ask us, and we can take care of it. We also take care of your web server: keeping it up to date, updating the operating system that runs on the server, and making sure its healthy and secure. We keep your domain name registered and auto-renewing so that you don’t need to worry about losing your domain name when your card expires. Finally, we manage all of your DNS records so that you don’t have to figure out how to add TXT records or MX records: just ask us! Any time you are working with a product that requires new DNS records, just send them our way and we can get them set up.
Long story short, working with Mere takes care of your tech headache. After we have what we need, you’ll never need to worry about these concepts again.
