10 Best Domain Hosting and Registration Services (2020)

What’s in a domain? That which we call a site by any other name would smell as successful.

My self-proclaimed punny paraphrasing may have Shakespeare rolling in his grave, but I got your attention, did I not? While the famous quote is Juliet’s way of telling Romeo his family name doesn’t matter, the same cannot be said for your website’s domain name.

Your domain can determine your search engine rankings, your likelihood of being remembered by visitors, and your success as a brand in general. They say it all starts with a domain, but really, it all begins with a domain host — so let’s go over the best in the business.

Best Overall | Registrar | Free | Blogs | Email | WordPress
Personal Sites | SMB | Enterprise
Top Hosts By Region

First, let’s look at what makes a good domain name host. A free domain is a great start — free for life or free for a year with a reasonable renewal rate. The typical domain hosting customer also looks for other freebies such as unlimited email hosting and a website builder. Managing your domains and websites should be made simple as well, using a popular control panel like cPanel.

When we reviewed the best domain hosting companies, we expected providers to bring value (in the form of a free or cheap domain), ample resources (storage, domains, emails), and a hassle-free site-building and management experience. Our top-recommended domain host checks all of the above boxes:

The key to being an exemplary domain hosting provider is not just providing domain names but simplifying the registration and renewal process in general. These days, most shared hosts will offer a free domain to entice entry-level customers. Not every provider, however, carries a reputation as the largest domain name registrar — supporting 52 million domains at one point.

Yes, I’m talking about GoDaddy, a popular host with a flair for domain and email services. Get a complimentary domain registrar when you sign up for a year-long plan.

So far I’ve alluded to one of the hottest marketing tactics in the shared hosting realm today: the complimentary domain name registration at signup. Typically costing $10 to $15 per year, domains are a highly sought-after signup bonus. Many hosts add to this value by offering free email accounts hosted at your free domain, or offering to transfer your existing domain to your new host’s services free of charge. Below we introduce our favorite hosting provider for those looking for domain perks:

Hey, bloggers! I know y’all have specific features on your shopping list as you’re browsing domain hosts: blogging software such as WordPress, for example. We took your needs into consideration before declaring the best option for finding a forever home for your thoughts on the web. If you’re looking for easy-to-learn blogging tools, plenty of storage for your content and media elements, and, of course, a domain name, look no further.

Your website’s domain name not only functions as the label and point of reference to direct web browsers to your site, but it can also serve as the basis for email accounts. Whether for personal or professional use, having an email address hosted on your own custom domain bodes well for your brand identity.

Certain hosts specialize in domain and email hosting services with features such as spam filtering, auto-responders, the ability to host unlimited email accounts at a free domain, and a free control panel license for managing it all. If this particular domain hosting niche strikes your fancy, check out the best email hosting provider below.

If you’ve already decided a WordPress site is what you want, and you just need a domain host to help you launch it, you’ve reached your section. WordPress is a powerhouse platform trusted by the likes of TechCrunch, TED Talks, and the one-and-only Beyoncé. Heck, you’ll even see the HostingAdvice domain sits comfortably on WordPress!

We thoroughly vetted the web’s most popular hosting plans for WordPress and recommend you consider the #1 host to get started. Choose your domain, download and install the WordPress software with a single click, and you’re on your way.

We’ve noticed an interesting trend in the web hosting market: Prospective customers don’t just want shared server hosting, they want cheap (shared) hosting, and that’s what they’re typing into search engines. This is especially true of the individual interested in launching a website for their own personal brand, portfolio, or résumé.

Building your first site is exciting! You want to talk themes, color schemes, the content for your first blog post — not agonize over uptime rates and other server stats.

Just give me the most features for the least amount of money — the best value.

We hear you. After reviewing the most affordable hosts on the market, evaluating their price, support, and feature sets, we’ve determined the best hosting bang for your budgeted buck.

In case I didn’t drive the point home enough in my intro, the domain you choose matters! It can have a dramatic impact on your brand identity and business success. Small- to medium-sized business owners can’t afford to mess around, so read up on experts’ tips for choosing a domain, and sign up with the host we recommend for SMBs:

The enterprise-level website owner is no stranger to the significance of a domain name. Your hosting needs transcend the desire for a simple domain registration process and intuitive cPanel interface for managing accounts.

Your site’s page load times need to be nonexistent and your site being online is nonnegotiable. Perhaps you own multiple domains. The need for speed, power, and performance doesn’t diminish with more sites under your belt.

Whether you’re interested in a fast and flexible VPS or a robust, resource-intensive dedicated server, Liquid Web is ready to help you scale — because your domain is not just your brand name. It’s your business, your livelihood, and the livelihood of those you employ.

While the beauty of the modern web hosting landscape is that websites can be reached from anywhere in the world, hosts do specialize in serving certain regions more so than others. Your web host’s datacenter(s) could be housed anywhere from San Diego to Singapore.

Internet powerhouse Google has datacenter hubs scattered throughout the globe, while smaller providers may be limited to an East Coast and a West Coast datacenter in the US. Let’s go over the top domain hosts in the most popular datacenter regions.

10a. iPage Remains the Best Domain Hosting Company in the US

In case the pricing doesn’t give it away, iPage has claimed the best value status in the US-based shared hosting arena. All iPage servers are housed in Boston, MA, keeping data firmly rooted in the US.

10b. Across the Pond, GoDaddy Brings the Best UK Domain Hosting

GoDaddy boasts servers in nine datacenter locations around the world, with the Amsterdam location attracting UK and other European sites.

10c. Bluehost Offers the Best Domain Hosting in India

If you look up Bluehost’s datacenter locations, you’ll actually stumble onto the company’s India- and China-based facilities before the datacenters found in Provo and Orem, Utah. With a datacenter based in Mumbai, India, plus two in China, one in London, and two in the US, Bluehost is a world leader in hosting solutions.

10d. We Trust HostPapa for the Best Domain Hosting, Australia Edition

Though headquartered in Canada, HostPapa meets global demands with servers housed in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and even, you guessed it, Oceania! (Psst – Oceania is fancy speak for Australia and New Zealand; I hated geography, too.)

And thus, with a thousand words, my soliloquy dies.

Whether you came for the domain hosting advice or the corny references to romantic tragedy, I hope you enjoyed the show. In all seriousness, I hope you found the ideal hosting provider for your next project. Whether you’re looking to sell online or share your own literary witticisms, I urge you to head on over to our domain hosting page for further guidance and information.

Parting is such sweet sorrow…