Published: · 4 min read
A domain and hosting are a website’s “address” and “home”. Both are cheap compared with the site itself, but both attract the most expensive mistakes: the domain is in someone else’s name and cannot be recovered, the hosting does not fit the site type and is slow, or the certificate expired and browsers show a “dangerous site” warning. This article exists so you do not repeat them.
Domain: .ge or .com
.ge is Georgia’s country domain. Under the NIC.GE regulations it is open to any individual or company worldwide, with no citizenship or residence restriction, and is registered through registrars accredited by the registry (Caucasus Online) — the registry itself no longer sells domains. Second-level zones also exist: .com.ge (commercial), .edu.ge (education), .org.ge and others.
Which to choose? If your customers are in Georgia, .ge is the logical choice — a local signal for users and for Google. .com is universal and better for an international audience; many register both and redirect one to the other so a competitor cannot take the brand. Keep the name short, pronounceable and easy to type in Latin letters — transliterated Georgian words are often spelled several ways.
The most important rule: the domain in your name
A domain is a business asset, like a name or a phone number. It must be registered in your name (company or owner), in your registrar account, linked to your email. A developer, agency or hosting company is given working access separately. Otherwise, when the collaboration ends, in a dispute or simply after losing contact, your site’s address stays in someone else’s hands.
- Check who the registrant is and which email is linked — renewal notices go there.
- Enable auto-renewal or note the expiry: an expired domain becomes free within weeks and can be taken by someone else.
- Protect the registrar account with a strong password and two-factor authentication.
Hosting types and which fits which site
| Type | For | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Static hosting / CDN platform | Landing pages, business-card sites, code-built company sites | Very fast and secure; some platforms have free plans (check commercial-use terms); no PHP/database |
| Shared hosting | WordPress, small stores | Cheap; many sites on one server; speed depends on the provider |
| VPS / virtual server | Busy WordPress, WooCommerce, business systems | Own resources, but administration (updates, security) is your or a specialist’s job |
| Managed WordPress hosting | WordPress owners who do not want administration | Updates, caching, backups by the provider; more expensive |
| Cloud server / app platform | App backends, custom systems | Pay by usage; easy to scale |
Georgian or foreign hosting? Both work. Server location affects loading time, but with a CDN the difference practically disappears. Support quality, backups and having the account in your name matter more.
SSL, DNS and email
SSL/HTTPS is mandatory: without it browsers show a warning and Google ranks the site lower. Most modern hosting issues and renews a free certificate automatically; if a provider offers a paid one, ask why.
DNS records connect the domain to the server. They are usually set up by the developer or host; moving a domain between hosts is a DNS change, not a rebuild.
Business email (info@yourdomain.ge) is a separate service — included in a hosting package or from an external provider. Free webmail lowers trust for a business; email on your own domain is easy to set up.
Annual costs
Domain and hosting are running costs and are not part of the website development price — they should appear as a separate line in the proposal. Exact amounts vary by registrar and provider, so we do not quote them here — check current rates on accredited registrars’ and hosting companies’ sites. As a general orientation, the annual cost (domain + hosting) for a simple site is several times lower than the one-off build price; a store or business system needs more for server and maintenance. More on price structure: how much a website costs.
Checklist before ordering
- Is the domain in my name and do I have access to the registrar account?
- Do I know when the domain and hosting expire and is auto-renewal on?
- Does the hosting type fit the site technology (static / WordPress / server)?
- Does the SSL certificate renew automatically?
- Who makes backups and where are they stored?
- Do we have business email on our own domain?
- Are domain and hosting listed separately in the proposal?
If you are moving an existing site or starting a new one and have questions on this list, write to us — we help with registration, DNS and hosting choice within the project, and maintenance covers what follows.