Hosting & Domains
What is the difference between a domain and hosting?
A website relies on several different services that work together. Although they are often provided by the same company, they are not the same thing.
Domain
Your domain is your website's unique address, for example www.yourcompany.ch. It allows people to find and access your website online.
A domain is registered through a third party domain provider and is usually renewed annually. The recurring fee ensures that the domain remains registered to you and cannot be used by someone else.
If your domain is managed by Destinazio, we take care of the registration and renewal on your behalf and invoice the corresponding annual fee.
Website Hosting
Hosting is the infrastructure that makes your website available on the internet.
Your website, its images, files and data need to be stored on servers that are permanently connected to the internet. These servers provide the storage space, computing power and infrastructure needed to deliver your website whenever someone visits it.
Operating this infrastructure costs money, which is why website hosting is an ongoing service with recurring fees, usually charged annually.
Depending on the technology used for your website, Destinazio works with different professional third party hosting and cloud infrastructure providers. We manage the appropriate hosting environment for you and invoice the corresponding hosting fee.
Simply put: your domain is your website's address, while hosting is the space and infrastructure that keeps your website online.
Email hosting
Your email hosting is separate from your website hosting. It is the service that manages addresses such as hello@yourcompany.ch and the associated mailboxes.
Destinazio does not provide email hosting. In most cases, business email is managed directly through a dedicated email provider or your IT partner (Infomaniak etc.)
Who manages my domain and hosting?
The setup can vary depending on your website, when it was created and the services you have with Destinazio.
Domain
If your domain is managed through Destinazio, we take care of its registration, management and renewal with our infrastructure partners. The corresponding domain fees are invoiced directly by Destinazio.
Website hosting
Websites hosted through Destinazio run on professional managed cloud infrastructure. The specific hosting environment depends on the technology and requirements of your website.
Destinazio manages the hosting setup and the relationship with the relevant infrastructure providers, and the corresponding hosting fees are invoiced by us.
If you are unsure where your website is hosted or have a question about your hosting, simply contact our support team.
Email hosting
For most clients, email hosting is managed separately by their internal IT team or IT partner.
For some of our long-standing clients, Destinazio also manages email hosting through a third-party partner.
Received an email or invoice about your domain?
Fraudulent emails, fake renewal notices and misleading invoices related to domains and hosting are unfortunately very common.
If your domain is managed by Destinazio and you receive an unexpected email, invoice, renewal request or warning about your domain, please do not make a payment or click any links.
Forward the message to our support team. We will verify whether it is legitimate and let you know if any action is required.
Not sure who manages what?
If you are unsure who manages your domain, website hosting or email, simply contact our support team. We can check your setup and point you in the right direction.
How do hosting and domain renewals work?
Hosting and domain services managed by Destinazio are provided on an annual basis and are billed for the period from 1 January to 31 December.
Automatic renewal
Hosting and domain services automatically renew for another year unless they are cancelled in accordance with the agreed cancellation period.
If you wish to cancel a hosting or domain service managed by Destinazio, we require written notice at least 30 days before the end of the year.
Existing contracts with other providers
When Destinazio takes over a website, this does not automatically mean that existing contracts with previous agencies, hosting companies, domain registrars, email providers or other third parties are transferred to or managed by Destinazio.
Unless specifically agreed with us, the client remains responsible for cancelling or managing these existing contracts.
We therefore recommend checking any existing agreements when moving your website or digital services to Destinazio to avoid duplicate subscriptions or unnecessary renewals.
Not sure what you have with us?
If you are unsure whether your hosting or domain is managed by Destinazio, contact our support team. We can check which services are currently managed and invoiced by us.
