Hosting, Domains and Website Support Explained

A website needs more than its design and content to remain available online. Hosting, a domain name, security, email, and maintenance perform different jobs and may renew on different dates. Understanding those differences makes it easier to compare quotations and avoid unexpected costs.

What website hosting does

Website hosting is the server space and infrastructure that keeps your website available on the internet. When somebody visits your domain, the hosting server delivers the pages, images, forms, and other files required by the site.

TheWebKit website packages include 12 months of secure website hosting. Clients who prefer not to receive an annual hosting invoice can add $250 to extend the included hosting period to 48 months in total.

The 48-month hosting option includes:

• secure website hosting;
• an SSL certificate;
• routine server backups;
• basic uptime monitoring; and
• technical assistance for hosting-related issues.

The covered period begins when the website hosting account is activated. Before that period ends, we will communicate the available renewal options.

Hosting and a domain are not the same thing

Your domain is the address people type to reach your website, such as yourbusiness.co.zw or yourbusiness.com. Hosting is where the website itself runs.

A domain is registered and renewed separately. Its price depends on the extension and the registrar. Extensions such as .co.zw, .com, .org, and .tech can have different registration and renewal charges.

Unless your written quotation says otherwise, the website package covers domain connection and launch configuration, while domain registration and future renewals remain separate. We will confirm the selected domain, ownership details, and renewal price before registration.

What SSL does

SSL enables the secure https:// connection shown in a visitor's browser. It encrypts information sent between the visitor and the website and is an essential part of modern website security.

An SSL certificate is included while a website is hosted under the applicable TheWebKit hosting arrangement.

Is business email included?

Business email uses your domain, for example hello@yourbusiness.com. Email storage and delivery are separate services from website hosting, even when both are purchased from the same provider.

Business email setup or mailboxes are only included when they are specifically listed in your package or quotation. The quotation will state the number of mailboxes, storage allowance, initial term, and renewal cost.

Hosting is different from website maintenance

Hosting keeps the existing website online. Maintenance is the ongoing work required to update, improve, or change it.

The hosting fee does not automatically include:

• new pages or features;
• regular text and image changes;
• design revisions;
• search-engine optimisation campaigns;
• copywriting;
• software upgrades outside the agreed care scope; or
• repair work caused by unapproved third-party changes.

These services can be quoted individually or included in a separate care plan.

How backups work

Routine server backups provide a recovery point if a hosting-level problem affects the website. A backup is not a permanent archive of every version of every file, and recovery depends on the available backup schedule and retention period.

Important business records should also be kept in the systems designed to store them. If your website processes orders, member information, or other critical data, we will recommend an appropriate backup and continuity arrangement during project scoping.

Who owns the website and domain?

Ownership and access are confirmed in the written project agreement. Once the agreed project payments have been completed, the client receives the applicable website handover and access details described in the scope.

Where TheWebKit registers a domain on a client's behalf, the registrant information and management arrangement should be recorded clearly. Clients may also register their own domain and give TheWebKit the access required to connect it.

What happens after 12 or 48 months?

We will contact you before the covered hosting period ends with the renewal price and available options. You can renew the hosting, move to a suitable care plan, or request the information needed to transfer the website to another compatible provider, subject to the project agreement and any outstanding balances.

If hosting is allowed to expire, the website and its forms may stop working. Domain and email services can also stop independently if their own renewals are not completed.

Before your project begins

Your written quotation will confirm:

1. the website package and agreed scope;
2. the included hosting period;
3. the selected domain and who will register it;
4. any business email requirements;
5. post-launch support and maintenance boundaries;
6. payment stages; and
7. expected renewal dates and charges.

If you are unsure which arrangement is appropriate, tell us how the website will be used and how involved you want to be after launch. We will recommend a practical option without adding services your business does not need.