Should You Buy Your Website Domain from Your Web Host?

When you Google “Buy a website domain,” the results from the first page give you providers such as Hostgator, Bluehost, GoDaddy, and Namecheap, just to list a few. Once you’ve chosen a domain and purchased it, you then must go on and buy hosting. Have you ever considered buying a domain name from your hosting company, because, wouldn’t it be more convenient to have everything in one place? In this article, we’ll go through some pros and cons on why, and why you should not do so.

User “John Conde”, on the online forum StackExchange laid it out succinctly (https://webmasters.stackexchange.com/questions/10653/should-i-host-my-site-with-the-same-company-i-bought-a-domain-from). The pros of using different companies for your domain and hosting are firstly, if your web host goes out of business, or customer support becomes lacking, you will lose your domain name or web host, but not both. The same goes for if your web host gets compromised in a hack, your domain name will remain unscathed. Some hosts will simply make it difficult for you, or flat out refuse for you to transfer your domain name if you’ve purchased it from them. Buying your domain from a third party eliminates this possibility.

On the flip side, however, centralization is an aspect that cannot be overlooked if you have your domains through your web host. If you have many websites, it could be easier to keep track of them if they are all in the same place. If they are not centralized and say you wanted to change your email, you’d have to change it everywhere. If you are experiencing DNS issues, having bought your domain from your website will make it an easier issue to resolve as they have access to both your domain and hosting.

Keep all of these potential pitfalls in mind when you are starting out buying a domain and hosting.

Original Author: Adam Roecks