Keep the website usable and the responsibilities clear.
Domain registration identifies the name; hosting makes the website available; a content management system provides editing capabilities. They may come from one supplier but remain different responsibilities. Confirm account access, renewal responsibility and export options instead of assuming an editing login covers everything.
A practical example
A fictional business can edit its opening hours but cannot access the account that renews its domain. The editing interface works, yet the handover is incomplete. A brief should record who manages both tasks and how the business regains access when a supplier changes.
Definitions in this topic
12 connected terms. Follow a comparison when two ideas are easy to confuse.
- Accessibility
The design and implementation of experiences that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate and use.
- Call to action
The invitation to take a clear next step.
- Content management system
Software that lets authorized people create and maintain website content through an editing interface.
Also called: CMS
- Domain name
A human-readable internet name used to identify a destination, separate from the service that hosts the website’s files or application.
- Redirect
A server response that sends a requested web address to another destination.
- Responsive design
An approach to layouts and content that adapts to the available viewport while preserving usable reading and interaction.
- Rollback plan
An agreed way to restore a working version if a launch causes a serious problem.
- URL mapping
A record that pairs an old web address with its intended new destination.
- Web hosting
The computing and delivery service that makes a website available, distinct from its domain registration and day-to-day content editing.
- Website brief
A record of the customer task, required content and functionality, constraints, responsibilities and acceptance needs for a website project.
- Website maintenance
The work needed to keep a website accurate, usable, secure and operational after its initial release.
- Website migration
A planned move or substantial change to a website’s platform, structure, hosting or addresses, with continuity checks for existing user paths.
Keep the distinctions clear
Responsive design adapts the layout to the available space. Accessibility considers whether people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate and use the experience. A page fitting a phone is useful evidence, but does not establish accessible keyboard or screen-reader operation.
Put the ideas to work
Use the repair/refresh/rebuild guide to choose the smallest justified change. Record the job, access and acceptance needs in the website brief.
- What to keep and check before a rebrand
Plan a rebrand around customer recognition, service continuity and website checks. Decide what to keep, what changes and who owns the handover.
- A website brief you can keep
A working worksheet for the task described in the guide.
- Repair, refresh or rebuild?
Choose the smallest website change the evidence supports.
Sources & scope
Still Matter’s working definitions connect these ideas to small-business marketing. The sources below support the named methods and technical distinctions; the examples are fictional. Practical planning descriptions are our editorial guidance.
For the applied explanations and their full source notes, use the guides above.