Publishing Your Website: Fastiway Address, Own Domain or Static ZIP

Option 1: a Fastiway address

This is the quickest route. You press publish and the site goes live on an address provided by Fastiway, with nothing to configure and no separate hosting to buy.

Good for

• Trying the idea and showing the site to a few people.
• A first launch while you decide on a domain.
• Temporary campaigns and small projects that do not need their own brand name in the address.

Limits

The address carries Fastiway’s name, so it looks less established than a domain of your own. If you later move to your own domain, search engines will need time to learn the new address. On the free plan the published site also shows a Fastiway badge.

Option 2: your own domain

A domain such as yourbusiness.com is part of your brand. It goes on business cards, in e-mail addresses and in search results, and you can take it with you wherever you host. A custom domain is available from the Starter plan upward; see the pricing page for the plan details.

How connecting a domain works, in general terms

1. Buy a domain from a registrar. You own it and renew it yourself, usually once a year.
2. In the cabinet, add the domain to your site.
3. The cabinet tells you which DNS records to create. Records are instructions at your registrar that point the domain to the site.
4. Open the DNS settings at your registrar and enter exactly what the cabinet shows.
5. Wait for DNS changes to spread. This can take from minutes to a day.
6. Check the site on the domain, including the secure version of the address starting with https.

Tips before you buy

• Prefer short, easy to spell and say aloud.
• Avoid hyphens and numbers if you can.
• Choose an extension your customers recognise for your country or industry.
• Register the domain in your own name or your company’s, not in an intermediary’s, so you always control it.
• Turn on automatic renewal and keep a reminder.

Option 3: export as a static ZIP

Export gives you the site as a ZIP with ordinary HTML, CSS and image files. You can upload it to any hosting that serves static files, send it to a developer, or keep it as a backup. Export is available on the Pro and Agency plans.

Good for

• Teams that already have hosting and want the site there.
• Anyone who wants an offline archive of the finished site.
• Handing the result over to a developer or a studio for further work.
• Keeping full independence from any platform.

What to remember

Once you host the ZIP yourself, you are responsible for hosting, secure connection, uptime and updates. If you change the site in the cabinet, you will need to export and upload again.

A simple comparison

• Effort: Fastiway address is lowest, own domain is a short setup, ZIP requires your own hosting.
• Brand: Fastiway address is neutral, own domain is fully yours, ZIP depends on where you host.
• Control: Fastiway address and domain are managed for you, ZIP is entirely in your hands.
• Plan: Fastiway address works on every plan, domain from Starter, export on Pro and Agency.

Our suggested path

For most small businesses: publish on a Fastiway address as soon as the facts are right, so you can check it on a phone and show it to a colleague. Then buy your domain, connect it and use that address everywhere. Keep export for the day you want a backup or need to move.

Before the domain goes public, do a last pass over titles and descriptions; the checklist is in SEO basics for a new small-business site. If you are still at the drafting stage, start with the one-evening guide.

After you publish

• Open every page on a phone and on a computer.
• Test the phone link, the e-mail link and the contact form.
• Check that the page titles look right in the browser tab.
• Connect analytics so you can see visitors.
• Share the address and ask someone unfamiliar with the business to find your phone number in under ten seconds.

Questions to settle before launch

• Who in your company will own the domain account and its renewal?
• Which address will you print on cards and use in e-mails?
• Who will update the site when prices or hours change?
• Where will the backup of the finished site live?

Answering these before launch avoids the usual surprises: a domain registered by a former employee, a site no one dares to edit, or a business card with an address that later changes.

Moving between the options

Nothing here is permanent. You can start on a Fastiway address, add your own domain later and keep an export as a backup. The only thing to plan is the change of address: when you switch, tell customers, update your profiles and signatures, and keep the old address working for as long as you can so that existing links still lead somewhere.

Common problems and quick fixes

• The domain does not open: recheck the DNS records and wait for the change to spread.
• The secure version is missing: allow time for setup to finish and test the https address.
• An old version appears: clear the browser cache or open the page in a private window.
• The domain expired: turn on automatic renewal at the registrar.

If a problem persists, check the FAQ or contact support with the site address and a description of what you see.