Registering a domain does not obligate you to host the domain. Many people purchase a domain because they think that sometime down the road they may want to build a site with that domain, or maybe they think that the domain has value, or maybe they just don't want anyone else to have it.

Web hosting is when you use space in a server that you own or that you've rented from a web hosting company to store the files that make up your website which will show up when you type your domain in the address bar of your browser.

Should you purchase your domain through your web host?

We're going to tell you what we wish we knew before we started purchasing domains and hosting them. When we got started online, we used to purchase all of our domains through the web host that was going to be used to host the domain. Our first mistake was not using multiple domain hosting, but that's another topic. Learn more about the advantages of multiple domain hosting.

The second mistake was registering the domain with the web host. All web hosts will register your domain for you and to convince you to register with them and to sell their hosting plans, many of them will even offer you free domain registration for the first year. This may sound like a good deal on the surface, but really it's not such a great deal.

Why isn't one year of free domain registration with my web host a good deal?

It's a very sensible question. Why should you turn something down that's free? Well, there are a few reasons. After the first year, it will cost you anywhere between $10 and $15 and as much as $20 to register a domain through a web host. They tend to have higher domain registration prices than do companies that specialize in domain registration. So after the first year it is not such a good deal at all.

Another good reason is that it makes it somewhat difficult to change web hosts. If for some reason you ever want to switch web hosts, it's a lot easier to do if your domain is hosted through a different company that handles all of your domains and specializes in domain registration.

It also makes it much easier to manage your domains if they are all in the same place. Ever since we started buying all of our domains through a domain registrar instead of through my hosting companies, we've found that our domains are easier and more convenient to manage.

Yet another good reason to keep your domains independent of your web host is that companies who specialize in domain registration can offer better tools to manage your domain. We never really realized this until we started using a domain registrar instead to purchase and manage domains as opposed to registering the domains with the web host.

You hear a lot now about free domains for life. What exactly does that mean and is it a good deal?

A free domain name for life really means a free domain name for as long as you stay with the web hosting company that's offering the free domain for life. If you stay with the same web host for a long time then a free domain for life is actually not a bad deal. Consider that if you bought the domain from a domain registrar like Godaddy you would be paying about $2 for the first year and about $8 per year after that. So after 3 years you would save a total of $18, and if you bought the domain from a hosting company rather than a domain registrar you would pay about $15 per year and over 3 years you would save about $45.

We still prefer not to accept web hosting company's offers of free domain names. For us, it's primarily a matter of convenience, but it's also a matter of privacy. Usually, when you get a domain through a web host you will not have the choice of making the domain registration private. If your domain registration is not private then anyone who is so inclined will be able to access information about you including your name, address, telephone number, and email address. This means that you may receive letters in the mail, phone calls, or emails from people that you're not associated with who simply visited your website and decided that they wanted to know more about you.

As we said, in some cases a free domain name for life can be beneficial, but we don't think that should be the main reason for choosing a particular web host. Overall satisfaction with a web  host is worth a lot more to most people than $8 to $20 per year.

Why you shouldn't let your domain registrar talk you into letting them be your web host

Our favorite domain registrar is godaddy.com. We always use them for domain registration and the management of domain names, but we never use them as our web host. For one, they are not one of the best web hosting companies. In addition, it is a lot more simple to keep your domain registration and web hosting separate in case you ever decide to change web hosts. Changing web hosts is a real pain, and it's even more of a pain if your web host and domain registrar are the same company.

Why do you use Godaddy for domain registration?

Godaddy is an excellent domain registrar with a solid reputation, great service, a user friendly interface, and they're a real presence in the marketplace so you know that they will be around for a while. Visit Godaddy and see what they can do for you.

Here is what we do when we need to register a domain for a new hosting account

First, we register the domain at Godaddy, and then go sign up for web hosting. It is very easy to login to a Godaddy.com account and make the appropriate changes so your domain will work with your web host. If you have any problems at all, Godaddy has a phone number that you can call where you will always find someone who will be able to help you.

Check out the web hosting reviews to see what web hosts will give you the most value and the best service.