Hi Folks
Stupid question, but I know I will get a straight answer
I want to register a domain name, but I want to make sure that I am getting it through a reputable provider, and that I won’t end up sorry due to some terms & conditions clause or some such. I also was told that some of the registrars only license your name, rather than sell it to you.
I’m a freshly minted freelancer, and I need a basic website, and looking for the smartest way to get one.
Thanks
Well, you can never really “own” a domain name, just license it for a term of a year to several years. Everyone rents their domain names from the internet regulatory agencies, who let registrars rent them out to people.
That said, almost any web host can get you a domain name, and it’s easier to just get it with the people who will be hosting your content. What kind of website do you want to make? What do you know about HTML and web design stuff?
If you know nothing, Squarespace.com is easy to use and you can get domain names through them. If you know HTML and such, I’d recommend Dreamhost.com for small to medium sites, and NearlyFreeSpeech.net for absolutely tiny sites with very few expected visitors.
This question gets asked pretty regularly. So some Googling our archives will get good results.
That said, the most common advice is to NEVER obtain your domain registration from the outfit that will be hosting your website. Getting both from one source pretty much guarantees you’ll be dealing with a mess later as your needs change while they try to lock you in.
IOW, the suggestion is to deal directly with a first-level DNS registrar, not some other outfit reselling first-level registration bundled with and other services.
As a counter-opinion, I’ve never heard this advice outside of the SDMB. In 15+ years of domain registrations I’ve never had this happen with any provider, but I suppose it’s a possibility if you choose a shitty/sketchy registrar or host. If this is not a fear, having the same provider for both can greatly simplify technical setup, billing, and customer support. So, OP, weigh that in your head, I suppose.
Edit: And not sure what you by “first-level registrar” unless you mean VeriSign, arguably one of the Internet’s historically worst companies in terms of customer-friendliness, and the consumer-focused ICANN registrars (which Dreamhost and many of the hybrid host-registrars are) will likely give you better service than VeriSign ever could.
I’ve maintained a long list of of domain registrations since pretty much the first year it was possible for mere individuals to do so, and the biggest mess I had was when a number of sites were registered and hosted by the same provider - it took me more than a year to sort out some domain ownership issues because the very provider of my key email address had disappeared. There were no alternate ways to prove identity and claim ownership at that time.
The second worst mess was when I got what I thought was a temporary site and took the “free” registration as part of the deal. Caused endless headaches before I simply stopped using the registration domain and let it lapse in favor of another one.
I strongly recommend using a good registrar for domain registration, and then choosing another host or hosts for actual site hosting. It’s rarely more expensive, sometimes cheaper, and keeps the control of your important online “home” split for safety.
I agree that generally one’s domain registration should be held elsewhere than with your hosts. The main reason being that one can just re-start the site elsewhere with other hosting if things go wrong — otherwise one would gave to chose a new domain. Plus of course they could charge you more for renewal and use the site as hostage until one paid inflated prices. Not all hosting/domain selling is scrupulous.
I use NameAlerts. Not the greatest for quick support, but with a simple enough panel and excellent service that it’s very rare one would need support. Plus they are very honest.
I have a hobby domain which I let my hosting service register on my behalf. I’ve been extremely happy with the hosting service.
If I enter the domain name at http://www.register.com/whois.rcmx a large amount of data is returned. It shows my name and details as Registrant and Admin. It shows my hosting service as Tech, and it shows TUCOWS, INC. as Registrar.
From this info, Amateur Barbarian, can you tell me if I’ve avoided the problems you speak of?
Dealing with ICANN is such fun that I fully support calls for it’s breaking up.