Help - Who To Register Domain Name & Host With???

[moneymark]

Hello,

Thanks for taking the time to read my posting - I'm new round here and need some advice...

I want to register and build my own website and have been looking at the various options to register and host sites and there are just so many options.

I would like to register both .com and .co.uk and then look into hosting.

There are so many different companies out there who offer registration, but which ones are worth going with???

Is it best to register with a British company, or save money with one in the US?

Do I own the domain outright?

When I come to renew the domain will they charge me an extortionate amount to do so??

Freenetname looks like a great deal but does not do .com only .co.uk.

If anyone could advise or recommend some good deals it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again.

[vinyl-junkie]

Here are some things to consider, in no particular order of importance (except perhaps the first point).

Before you look for hosting, register the name yourself. I have heard a few horror stories about people who let their hosting company take care of registering the name for them, then have had to go through hell to gain control of the domain so they could move the domain to another hosting company and/or domain registrar. Register it yourself; then there is no question as to who owns/controls it.

Now, to individual questions you have posed:

When I come to renew the domain will they charge me an extortionate amount to do so??
Read what they say about pricing. I've never heard of any registrar who would hold you for ransom to renew your domain, unless possibly one you were foolish enough to let them register the domain for you (see above comment).

Is it best to register with a British company, or save money with one in the US?
I don't know that there is any particular advantage or disadvantage for who to go with based on their country of origin.

There are so many different companies out there who offer registration, but which ones are worth going with???
Get recommendations from lots of places, not just CF. My domains are registered with Network Solutions (http://www.networksolutions.com/). I have been with them for a number of years with no problems. Individual results may vary. That's why I say get recommendations from multiple sources.

One thing you didn't say anything about, but in my opinion you should consider it, is whether the registrar offers private domain registration. Basically, that is a service that hides your registration details behind a proxy service offered by the registrar. It's an extra charge but in my opinion, well worth looking into. I could tell you a horror story about getting an unwanted phone call at work a few years ago from someone that I'm almost certain got my phone number from my domain registration details. If I'd had private domain registration at the time, that never would have happened. Anyway, just something else to think about.

[Muhammad Haris]

There are so many different companies out there who offer registration, but which ones are worth going with???

I had tried many registers and it depends on what type of prices and features do you want! With my experience i can assure you that namecheap.com has been best for me to register & renew the domain in same price.

Is it best to register with a British company, or save money with one in the US?

The US based companies are cheaper then British Companies as far as i know but i may be completely wrong.

Do I own the domain outright?

When you register a domain you own the exclusive rights to the domain but after it expires you dont own the rights to domain anymore until you register it again.

When I come to renew the domain will they charge me an extortionate amount to do so??

NameCheap.com renew prices are same as registration prices so its easy for me to register/renew my domains but i had seen registrar which charges way more then registration fees.

To add more to my post, NameCheap.com currently supports almost every type of common domain name extensions including .co.uk