Domain registration and website hosting go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly. Sites that offer both domains and hosting offer it to consumers as a convenience - a way of keeping everything neatly organized under one roof. But what you may not know is that if that roof blows off - say the company goes out of business or implements unfriendly rules - there goes your domain as well.
Many people (especially newbies) don't always look at the complete picture when choosing hosting - they look for ways to save money. Finding a hosting company that's also in the business of registering domains can be an expensive and painful lesson if you're not careful.
Some companies have hosting contracts that most people don't read thoroughly in their excitement at setting up an online site. What they miss is that the contract allows the company to hold on to your domain for the length of the contract.
Let's say you're with a hosting company and don't like that their site is down more than it's up and the fact that their customer service is terrible. You decide that you now want your domain registration and website hosting separated.
So you get hosting with a new company and contact your old one wanting to do a domain transfer. You get told an emphatic no. When you try to fight back, you discover that thanks to the contract, they're holding your domain hostage for the remainder of the contract.
This means that you have to continue paying for their hosting and can't get your domain released until the contract is up. Another way that some hosting companies will hold your domain hostage is by offering you a free domain name that you don't get when you stop using their services.
What you don't know is that the company registers the domain in their name. You might think that when you sign up for a domain via web hosting company, you then own that domain and all the rights that go with it.
But even if it's your business, even if you're paying every month for hosting, they're the legal owners of that domain. You can't transfer it or move it unless you want to buy it from them and you can bet that'll cost you a pretty penny.
While they're not doing anything legally wrong, it is an outrage. You'll find that some web designers also offer to set up domains for customers. They do it in their names, technically becoming the legal owner. Never allow a company to register your domain for you. Always do it yourself.
The best reason to keep your domain registration and website hosting separate is that you want to be in control of the domain. You don't want to decide to change hosting and then find out that you have to turn around and pay extra money to get your domain released to you.
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Domain Registration and Website Hosting
