Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hello,
I am ready to register a domain name and am a little unsure of how to go about choosing a host.  Does the place I select to secure a domain name need to be the same place that hosts the site? 
Also, once I`ve secured a domain name with one site, how do other hosting sites know that that name is not available anymore? 

Thanks in advance for any advice.

You can register a domain name with any official registrar, however you do not need to set up a hosting account at all for the domain, and if you, do you can have the hosting done with another company. A registrar simply registers the domain to you.

Many companies will do a free domain registration when you purchase a hosting package. There are things that deal with nameservers and so forth when registering domains with one company and setting up the site with another company, so you should check with the registrar how they handle this. It is generally the easiest to register the domain and set up hosting with the same company, but not necessary.

When a domain is registered, it is not available to anyone else; registrars check a database of registered domains, such as ICANN, for availability.



-------------------------

M Hall
Website Critique Community
International Society of Curmudgeons

Thank you!  - I have a much better understanding now.

It might be the easiest way, but could cause difficulties down the road. I have several clients who experienced lots of trouble getting their domain names unlocked when changing their hosting provider.

In my opinion, it`s worth the few extra minutes it takes to keep these two functions separate.

Good point. I wasn`t saying it should always be done that way, it`s just usually the easiest way to get a new site set up.


-------------------------

M Hall
Website Critique Community
International Society of Curmudgeons

I have been researching bluhost, godaddy and startlogic.  does anyone have any experience with these and which then would be the best to secure a domain name and then use as a host?

GoDaddy has decent pricing, but their control panel are leaves a bit to be desired.

I have used AdvancedNetworkHosts a few times, and they have been pretty reliable, although not the least expensive out there.



-------------------------

M Hall
Website Critique Community
International Society of Curmudgeons

HI - Bravenet is also good for newcomers. http://www.bravenet.com/webhosting/ - when I was completely new to this a few years ago they were my first contact with how the online world works and - it I could do it, anyone can!

Do you have some domain names in mind? Be sure to purchase as many as you think you will need - you will have a choice of .net, .com, .biz and more. Think ahead to where you see your business in a few years and what additional products you plan to offer. When I started mine only .biz was available for my business name - someone else owned .com. But, about 6 months later, I checked again and was able to buy .com. They expire and come up for renewal.

Hope this helps.

Kate LaFrance, Online Marketing Virtual Assistant
HELP Virtual Mktg+Admin


-------------------------

Kate LaFrance | HELP Virtual Mktg+Admin www.helpvirtual.com
Visit my blog: Your Marketing Mindset

it`s very helpful, thankyou!

i was able to secure a .com name this afternoon and will think about other options as well.
thankfully it was available but i will see if there are others that would make sense for me too.

thanks again!

We`ve used Aplus.net successfully for many years - their customer service is exceptional, as is their control panel....Plus they offer a service whereby you can host multiple sites under a single hosting package, saving some serious money.