Most web hosting plans offer a free domain name registration for new users. People usually take advantage of that feature since it enables them to save some money while keeping both the domain name and the hosting plan with the same company, which should make the site management more efficient.
Well, that is not quite true. In fact it is just the opposite, having your domain name registered with your hosting company might be a really bad idea. Over the years it is very likely that you will need or want to change your web host, you might find a more interesting plan somewhere else or you might need to switch to a dedicated server due to increasing traffic. If your hosting company is also managing your domain name they might give you a headache before performing the required changes on the nameservers (i.e. making the domain point to the new host).
The solution for this problem is to keep all your domains names registered with a reliable registrar (GoDaddy and eNom are good ones) while having a separated company to take care of the web hosting. Apart from avoiding trouble with nameserver changes and domain transfers this method will also be more efficient to manage your portfolio of domain names.
Hi All!
First of all thank you all for sharing such a valuable knowledge and information.
@Satish, Google is a registrar but they do not offer public registrations, so you can’t register your name with them. Doreo is not a registrar, they just work with a partner.
And one more question…..
Daniel, I wonder! Why no one is talking about the Big G here.
godaddy sucks, they upsell you things you dont want… I use hostbandit.com where they add in free private registration to all domains and offer every other product and service I could ever want.
aliaso,
If i’m not mistaken aren’t many hosting companies qualified domain registrars as well ?
hello anybody know about parking,
and is .info names any good at all.
thanks amos
I did not get a free name but really
want to use someone who I can trust
(sleep at night). please recomend someone
yahoo.
thanks again
TJ
TJ, in my experience 1&1 are perfectly adequate for domain registrations, and if you are happy with them there is no real reason to transfer to GoDaddy – unless you get the names cheaper at GD.
help, newbe here I have my domain
names at 1&1 are they good should I transfer them to go daddy
I’ve been buying domain names and running sites for just over 7 years now, and I did have them all over the place when I started for the reasons listed above, web hosts giving them out, buying from others who had eNom accounts, etc. Now I keep all my domains with GoDaddy, there is usually a coupon somewhere on the internet to get them for 6.95 ($2 off) and their customer service is really top notch. Lately though, they have been going a bit overboard with making sure you renew, check out GoDaddy really wants to keep my business.
Scott, the site you mentioned already has a registered domain right? If the register is a good one you just need to find a webhosting company for it.
Great post. I’ve consider combining my Domain registrar and hosting company under one roof thinking it would be easier to manage. Fortunately I never did anymore than think about it. I’m happy to read this post and all of the follow on comments. It helps confirm that I’ve done the right thing — minor victory that just makes my day. That being said GoDaddy is a crazy mess to navigate and I agree they are the kings of up-selling. However, if you stay focused, you can walk out getting just what you want without paying a lot of money. When I purchase domains from GoDaddy I’m usually chanting in my head “I just want one domain. I just want one domain. I just want one domain.”
I am currently updating our current website (www.unitedlinen.com) and need to move it over to a web hosting company. Are you suggesting I rester my domain name with a company like GoDaddy?
Vern, that is exactly why I argue that people should keep domains and hosting plans on separated companies :).
Godaddy…ugh. I love them and hate them. I’ve used them for about 6 years I think. They’re hosting plans are CHEAP and so far very good with minimal traffic (under 500 people per day). I have a terabyte of bandwidth for like 6 dollars a month. Plus a 100 gigs of server space for that amount. Not bad! BUT…godaddy has some issues with their STUPID auto-renew feature. They count your domain name and hosting that you provided as separate UNITS. If you cancel auto-renewing your domain that has NOTHING to do with your hosting -and it will be rebilled even after 3 months of notices saying that my domain will expire… I figured that meant EVERYTHING expires. Nope. They don’t even send 1 to mention they will auto-renew as the 1 year contract ends. 20 Emails to say you should renew the domain. Not one saying we WILL renew and charge your card again. Kind of sucks. In the past I’ve had SERIOUS issues with their cookie program that might auto log me in after 3 months of using their site. If you don’t log OUT you stay logged in, and so does anyone that turns on that computer and stumbles upon their site. Other than that Godaddy rocks and you gotta go somewhere, right?
GoDaddy seem obsessed with cross promotion and selling and their website is so cluttered so I avoid them. They also charge separately for domain name register privacy (a must in my opinion).
I have used BlueHost.com to both purchase domains with and without hosting. Although Bluehost are primarily a hosting company, I have had no problems at all in transferring domains without hosting, nameserver changing etc (all self administered from your own control panel) plus domain register privacy is included in the flat $10.
No problem – like I say, it’s there if you require and you’re free to edit as needed – I hope it’s of use to your readers.
Amos, that is good tip. By the way I did not forget about your post on “Managing Domain Names”, it will be featured on this Sunday “Reader Tips”, its quite a good piece of advice for newcomers to the domain arena!
Oh, and though I’m not one for tooting the horn of various registrars – most have their good and bad points – I would mention that if opting for the more popular ones, such as GoDaddy, do a google search for ‘godaddy coupons’ or check out their sales page as you will often get a discount coupon for a product you look to purchase.
Yeah I agree that GoDaddy is not perfect, but as far as domain names go they are reliable and cheap. There are better solutions but they cost more.
Very much agree. I have 4 names with one of my web-hosts simply as it was convenient and a couple of the names were free when I signed up.
Daniel, I forgot to mention that you make a very good point to not register your domain name through a web host company.
same comments as above. I mainly use Godaddy and Network Solutions and do not know of other “reliable” hosts. Never used another.
I agree, the host provided a free domain to my first site and then I thought that it does not give 101% control on the domain name, which is bad.
And we switch the host then …. !
I use GoDaddy, but agree with all the complaints above. Website is cluttered, etc… But they are very reliable and pretty cheap, so I manage to crawl through the clutter.
I would recommend Dynadot.
I must agree with moltar, GoDaddy has great marketing (with hot girls in ads and all) but they’re website is pretty crap. It’s chocked full of advertisements and garbage, I can barely find my way to the checkout.
I think GoDaddy sucks big time! They upsell like crazy and average joes end up buying 5 domains and a hosting plan by the time they check out. I’ve seen this with my own eyes twice!!! It’s nuts!