Buy Domain Name Separately From Hosting

Question: Hi,
I’m looking to register a new domain name for my website, the web-hosting company I have in mind is “ipage”
so is it better to get each separately? or together?

Answer:

iPage is a good web hosting company, but as much as I like them, I always recommend that people buy domain names separately from their own registrar.

If you accept the free domain name offer when you buy a hosting package, you may not be aware of it, but technically, the domain name won’t belong to you because you didn’t pay for it.  The hosting company had to pay for it and they let you “borrow it” when you bought a hosting plan from them.  Some companies let you use the name for the life of your hosting account and others give it to you free only for the 1st year.

If you intend to keep you domain name for longer than a year, then buy your own name from a registrar, NOT a web hosting company.  It will be so much cheaper.  I use NameCheap to buy all my names.  They also give you free privacy protection for the 1st year and it’s only $2.88/yr after that.

iPage is having a sale right now.  You can get a hosting plan for as little as $3.50/month.