A domain is the title deed of your business online; hosting is the shop your site stands in. Both run quietly in the background, until one expires and the site goes dark, or the site slows down and customers leave. We keep track of all that for you.
What do we offer?
- Domain search and registration (.com, .com.tr, .net and others)
- Web hosting on fast SSD servers
- Free SSL certificate (the padlock in the address bar)
- Business email such as info@yourcompany.com
- Regular backups and security scans
- Migration of your existing site with no downtime
- Renewal reminders before anything expires
Whose name is the domain in?
Yours. This matters, because some agencies register the domain in their own name, which causes trouble when you want to leave. With us the domain is registered to you; we manage it, but you are always the owner.
My site is hosted elsewhere. Can you move it?
Yes. We move your site, email and database from your current provider to our servers, and the site stays up during the move. For details of our hosting plans you can also visit softio.net. On websites built by Softio, we take care of the domain and hosting setup for the first year.
What should you watch out for when choosing a domain?
- Keep it short and easy to say. When you say it once on the phone, the other person should be able to type it.
- Avoid Turkish characters and hyphens. Letters such as "ş", "ğ" and "ı", and hyphens, cause confusion both when typing and in email addresses.
- Choose the extension to suit your business. If you also work abroad, .com is a good choice; if you want to look established in Turkey, .com.tr is. It is also possible to register both and point one to the other.
- Do not include someone else's brand. A domain containing a registered trademark can be taken from you later.
- Consider registering for more than one year. That lowers the risk of missing the renewal date.
How does a migration work?
- Reviewing the current setup: We look at where your site is hosted, what software it runs on and how many email accounts there are.
- Copying: Site files, the database and emails are copied to the new server. Your old site stays live in the meantime.
- Testing: We check the copy on the new server before it goes live: pages, forms, the payment step.
- Switching over: If everything is in order, the domain is pointed to the new server and the SSL certificate is installed.
- Email settings: If needed, we update the email settings on your phone and computer together.
Who is it for?
Any business that does not want to keep track of renewal dates, backups and technical settings. A check-up is a good idea in particular for companies whose site often slows down, whose emails land in spam, or who do not know in whose name their domain is registered. Domain and hosting are the part of a website's total cost that recurs every year; we explained how this should appear in a quote in our article on how much a website costs.
On-site support on the European side
Most hosting and email issues are solved remotely, but for tasks like configuring mail on phones and computers we visit offices in Gaziosmanpaşa, Eyüpsultan, Sultangazi, Bayrampaşa and Esenler when needed. See our service area.
Frequently asked questions about domain and hosting
What does the price of a domain and hosting depend on?
For the domain, the extension (.com, .com.tr and so on) and the number of years; for hosting, the type of site, the amount of traffic, disk space and the number of email accounts. A small brochure site does not need the same as a busy e-commerce website. A written quote showing the first year and the renewal fee separately is free.
What happens if my domain expires?
The site does not open and the email addresses on that domain stop working. If it is renewed within a short time, everything comes back. If it is left unrenewed for long, the domain is released and can be registered by someone else. That is why we keep track of renewals and let you know before anything expires.
My domain is with another company. Can I transfer it to you?
Yes. If the domain is registered in your name, all you need to do is ask the current company for the transfer code, and we do the rest. If it is registered in someone else's name, ownership has to pass to you first; in that case we plan together how to proceed.
Can I use business email on my phone?
Yes. Addresses such as info@yourcompany.com can be added to the mail apps on your phone and computer. We go through the settings together during setup. Writing from your own domain rather than a Gmail or Hotmail address leaves a more serious impression on customers.
Want to know the price and timeline for Domain & Hosting?
