Internet domain names are an important part of any business on the
internet. Other than finding a product to sell, choosing a domain name
is one of the first steps in setting up an internet business.
Recognizing this, it has become common for web hosting companies
to offer a "free" domain name as part of their hosting plans to entice
potential web masters to use their hosting. If you have used one of
these free domain names for your business, be aware that many web
hosting companies will register "your" free domain name in their own
name, not in yours.
Domain names registered in the host's name are not your property or
the property of your business using the domain name, but the property of
the web hosting company. This is not a problem as long as you host your
web site with that web hosting company, but things become a bit sticky if for some
reason you wanted to move your web site to a different host. Since the
web host owns your domain name they can charge any amount to release
that domain name to you, or they may refuse altogether to release it.
They can use that domain name as leverage to keep you tied to their web
hosting.
Your domain name is a valuable asset. It represents your business. To
have it controlled by another party is unwise indeed. What if your web
host were to go bankrupt? How could you recover your domain name? Also,
domain
names become valuable when they are associated with a successful web
business with page rank and many incoming links. These domain names
often sell for thousands of dollars. If the hosting company owns the
domain name, that value accrues to the host, not you. If you were to
close or sell a business with a valuable domain name you could sell the
domain name if it were registered to you. You should not presume that a
hosting company would give up ownership of a valuable domain name.
The folly of this situation is not widely known among the publishers
of web sites. Your web host may be honest and release the domain name to
you when confronted, but don't count on it. When you pick a hosting
company for your web site, be sure that any free domain name is
registered in your name and not in the name of your web host. One
of the features of this web site is that registration ownership
information is provided for each web hosting company listed offering a free domain
name.
