You already have the furniture — but what about the house to put it in? Identifying the best web hosting for existing domains is an equally important endeavor.
Even if you don’t already have a website, getting a jump on registering a cool domain name will make shopping for web hosting much easier. That way, you won’t be as concerned with finding a plan that includes a free domain registration with hosting.
Maybe you’re looking for a web hosting service that will help you move in with free migration, or that won’t mind if you’re a domain hoarder and let you host unlimited domain names. With the number of domain name registrations reaching more than 664 million worldwide, you’re not alone in wanting to grow your online presence.
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Best Overall Web Hosting for Existing Domain Names
A free domain name — as well as ample disk space and blazing-fast processing speeds — is a great perk but not always necessary.
Website owners who have already registered their brand’s online space can still get great hosting deals. They may want to focus on overall cost, better customer support, or the ability to host, register, or park multiple domain names.
Here, we’ll be looking at the best web hosting service providers for those with existing domain names. From shared web hosting to managed WordPress solutions, our goal is to connect you with a one-stop shop for all your website needs.
 | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- Lowest domain prices in the industry
- FREE registration on most plans
- Host up to 100 domains on most plans
- Domain privacy protection safeguards your info
- 99.9% uptime guarantee and automatic backups
- Get started on Hostinger now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $2.49 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 days |
| Disk Space | 50 GB SSD – 200 GB SSD |
| Domain Name | FREE (1 year) |
| Domain Hosting Plans | www.hostinger.com/domain |
Don’t be turned off by Hostinger’s remarkably low prices. The company’s insanely low pricing model extends to domain name services, as well as its premium support and impressive list of features.
Go to full review »While many hosts strive to offer low-cost hosting, Hostinger goes above and beyond with amazing savings on website hosting and added features. The hosting provider’s prices — for everything from registration to domain privacy — are some of the cheapest you’ll find.
Millions of people rely on Hostinger as their web host of choice, signaling the platform is very user-friendly and easy to use when trying to set up a new website or migrate existing websites and domains.
- Number of domains: Up to 100 domains on most plans.
- Registration cost: $8.99, with renewals at $13.99 per year (or get a free domain with most hosting plans)
- Privacy: $5 per year
- Other features: Cloudflare DNS Firewall to protect nameservers from DDoS attacks, easy DNS management, SSD storage, and accelerated WordPress environments
Hostinger’s signature $2.49-per-month web hosting price tag extends to several domain extensions, including .ONLINE, .XYZ, or .TECH.
In addition to easy domain transfers, Hostinger offers a WHOIS lookup service for users to find useful information about a registered domain, including their own.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) maintains and updates WHOIS, the centralized database of domain contacts and registration information.
As an added benefit, Hostinger offers integrations with many modern-edge technologies, including Cloudflare, LiteSpeed, Google Cloud Platform, and Jetpack, that increase performance and reliability.
Best Cheap Hosting for Existing Domains
If you are unsure what shared hosting is, here’s a bit of a breakdown for you: Shared hosting simply involves multiple websites sharing the same server.
One machine can house hundreds or even thousands of shared hosting accounts, plus their domain names. You’ll generally be unaware of the other websites on the server or how many resources these other sites are pulling. However, that translates into fewer resources being available for your website.
Shared hosting is much cheaper than VPS hosting, making it the go-to choice for users on a budget. If you use a shared hosting option, you’re more likely to be restricted by how many server resources your site can use, or how many domains or websites you can have.
 | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- FREE domain included on all shared, cloud, and WordPress hosting plans
- Manage hosting and domains from one dashboard
- FREE domain locking and auto-renewals
- Easy transfers with helpful 24/7 support
- Unmetered bandwidth, storage, and databases
- Get started on HostGator now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $2.64 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 days |
| Disk Space | 10 GB SSD – 40 GB SSD |
| Domain Name | FREE (1 year) |
| Domain Hosting Plans | www.hostgator.com/domain |
Always getting high marks across the board, HostGator is an easy choice for a trustworthy domain registrar. HostGator makes the registration process easy while still helping you expand your online presence with more technical solutions.
Go to full review »HostGator is one of the oldest and most well-known web hosting options out there, appealing to both first-time site owners and experienced developers.
HostGator has all of the services one could expect when looking for a new web host and domain registrar. In addition to providing affordable shared hosting options and a proprietary website builder, HostGator also guarantees 99.9% uptime, a 45-day money-back guarantee, SiteLock security, and a plethora of other features.
- Number of domains: Cheapest plan restricts users to one domain, while other plans allow for unlimited websites
- Registration cost: $12.95 for the first year, with renewals costing $19.99 per year afterward (HostGator gives new customers a free domain with web hosting)
- Privacy: $14.95 per year
- Other features: Unmetered bandwidth and storage on all plans, plus easy DNS management, email and domain forwarding, auto-renewals, and domain locking
Thanks to a thorough checklist and informative knowledge base articles, HostGator ushers you through the domain transfer process — you may even get an additional discount for migrating your existing domain.
Even better, the hosting provider will even handle moving your website files from your previous host and getting everything set up on your WordPress or cPanel hosting account with HostGator.
As you can probably tell, customer service is at the forefront with HostGator, which provides 24/7 support via phone, live chat, and Twitter. High-quality hosting you can grow with is evident, with the company offering cloud services, managed WordPress, VPS, and dedicated hosting plans.
3. Bluehost.com
 | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- FREE domain registration and site-building tools
- Unlimited domains, emails, and bandwidth
- Up to $200 in offers with Google, Bing, and Yahoo!
- Top-ranked WordPress host with tons of perks
- 24/7 customer support and online tutorials
- Get started on Bluehost now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $1.99 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 days |
| Disk Space | 10 GB SSD – 100 GB SSD |
| Domain Name | FREE (1 year) |
| Domain Hosting Plans | www.bluehost.com/domain |
Bluehost offers all the freebies you need to get started with domain hosting. The company includes a free domain or transfer, plus unlimited bandwidth and storage. With 24/7 support and up to $200 in PPC credits, Bluehost offers excellent, reliable domain…
Go to full review »One of the most recognized and trusted brands in the hosting industry, Bluehost offers a lot of different features and alternatives when thinking about cheap web hosting.
We especially appreciate that Bluehost recently updated its infrastructure to include high-speed solid-state drives, ensuring that visitors get to your website even quicker. Similar to iPage, Bluehost also offers a free domain, free SSL, and a free content delivery network for its lower-tier plans.
- Number of domains: Lowest-tier plan maxes out at 5 domains and 25 subdomains, but all others are unlimited
- Registration cost: Initial registration is $12.99, with $19.99 annual renewal fees (Bluehost offers a free domain registration with hosting)
- Privacy: $15 per year (Available for free on the top two shared hosting plans)
- Other features: Free domain locking and auto-renewal, easy management via the streamlined control panel, and easy email integration with Microsoft 365
Domain registration is incredibly simple with Bluehost, which will also monitor your website’s availability around the clock.
You’ll get a discount on domain privacy at signup and have the option to enhance your hosting service by adding automated daily backups, one-click restores, extra security measures, and SEO tools.
Bluehost customers can also give their site a dedicated IP address and enhanced SSL certificate. A dedicated IP address gives your website a unique address and enhanced stability instead of sharing one with hundreds of other sites (some of which might cause trouble).
4. GoDaddy.com
 | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- World’s largest domain registrar with 17+ million domains under management
- FREE domain included with annual plans
- Manage your domains via cPanel or Plesk
- FREE email hosting at your domain
- 99.9% website uptime guaranteed
- Get started on GoDaddy now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $8.99 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 days |
| Disk Space | 25 GB – 100 GB |
| Domain Name | FREE (1 year) |
| Domain Hosting Plans | www.godaddy.com/domain |
We’d be remiss not to include GoDaddy on this list of the top domain name hosting providers. Perhaps the most well-known name in the domain space, GoDaddy is widely recognized as the world’s top registration services company, and the low-cost…
Go to full review »If we were just evaluating domain hosts, this would be at the top of the list. GoDaddy is the world’s most popular domain registrar — and it’s not even close.
The web host has more than 84 million domain names under management, thanks to brand recognition and aggressive marketing in the early days of the web. As you can imagine, domains remain a major part of GoDaddy’s business model.
- Number of domains: One domain on the introductory plan, but unlimited websites on all others
- Registration cost: $11.99, with renewals at $22.17 (GoDaddy gives new customers a free domain with annual shared hosting packages)
- Privacy: Basic privacy protection is included for free, but enhanced protections are available for $10 to $15 per domain per year
- Other features: Bulk domain searches and purchasing, domain backorders with daily availability monitoring, brokerage services, and three tiers of additional domain privacy services, plus domain auctions and other investing services
Perhaps the GoDaddy domain-related feature we most appreciate is the automatic, hands-free domain transfer. You can even get a 31% discount on the already reasonably priced service by transferring six or more domains.
GoDaddy falls to this spot, though, for being on the more expensive side when it comes to web hosting. Renewals are pricey, and we’d like to see better email hosting features and integrated tools for WordPress, SEO, or website design.
5. IONOS.com
 | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- Register domains for $1 (or FREE with hosting)
- FREE domain privacy to protect your information
- Easy setup with domain lock and 2GB email inbox
- 99.9% uptime, plus daily backups and recovery
- FREE SSL certificate for safer data transfers
- Get started on 1&1 IONOS now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $1.00 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 days |
| Disk Space | 10 GB – Unlimited |
| Domain Name | FREE (1 year) |
| Domain Hosting Plans |
While many popular hosts reserve free domain registrations for its higher-tie plans, 1&1 IONOS gives every customer the perk — along with free domain privacy, email inbox, and SSL certificate. Trust your site with a company that hosts more than 12…
Go to full review »Championing affordability and a user-friendly hosting service, IONOS offers a great array of features. Right off the bat, each customer receives unlimited disk space, databases, websites, and addon domain registrations — perfect for those with an established domain portfolio.
Other free web hosting perks include an SSL certificate, built-in security, a custom control panel, and a website builder.
- Number of domains: Unlimited on most plans
- Registration cost: Free domain with a web hosting plan, or $1.00 first-year registration with $17.00-per-year renewals
- Privacy: FREE for life of your account; Domain Guard add-on protects against third-party threats and DNS hijacking, costs $1/mo. for the first year, then $15.00 annually
- Other features: Free domain privacy to protect against unauthorized transfers, automatic domain renewals, unlimited websites and storage, plus free SSL certificate and email accounts
Even better, the 1&1 IONOS domain fees are lower than those of many other competitors. Customers get a free registration at signup, but additional domains are remarkably affordable. Sure, the renewal seems a bit steep, but we found that to be in line with others in the industry.
Best Domain Hosting for WordPress
Already have a domain and a WordPress website? Why not bring everything under one roof with a hosting provider that excels at both?
WordPress hosting is specifically designed with the world’s most popular content management system in mind.
WordPress-specific performance optimization and security enhancements are common perks, along with automatic platform updates. In the case of domain hosting with WordPress, what’s better than free site and domain transfers?
Take a look at our favorite hosts for domains and WordPress.
 | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- Up to 12x faster WordPress hosting
- FREE SSL certificate and SSD storage
- Automatic WordPress plugin, theme, and core updates
- Features a FREE drag-and-drop WP page editor
- Premium themes and plugin subscriptions
- Get started on InMotion now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $2.99 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 90 days |
| Disk Space | 100 GB – Unlimited SSD |
| Domain Name | FREE (1 year) |
InMotion Hosting, long known for affordable and high-performance shared hosting options, entered the WordPress space with a solid option built upon the company’s reputation for great support and reliability. Build on an all-SSD infrastructure, InMotion’s inherently quick speeds make the infrastructure a perfect fit for delivering rapid WordPress page loads.
Go to full review »With cutting-edge technologies and high-speed hosting services, InMotion Hosting inherently lends itself to ideal WordPress hosting. The company offers unbeatable pricing and features for all your WordPress needs.
Customers start with blazing-fast SSD disk space, then continue with NGINX web servers, a free CDN, and automatic WordPress updates and security patches.
- Number of domains: Up to 6 (Unlimited domains reserved for VPS plans)
- Registration cost: $15.99 per year (or get a free domain with web hosting) and $19.99 renewal
- Privacy: $12.99 per year
- Other features: Shared, virtual, and dedicated server WordPress hosting options, plus domain locking and automatic renewals
There is a lot to love about InMotion Hosting, including its server migration, automatic security checks and patching, free SSD storage, hack and malware protection, as well as an assortment of other features.
But most plans are surprisingly limited in how many websites and domains can be supported. Despite having four shared hosting plans for WordPress, InMotion Hosting only scales up to six domains. You’ll need to upgrade to the managed VPS packages to unlock unlimited domains.
7. Bluehost.com
| | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- Recommended by WordPress.org since 2005
- Automatic WordPress updates and initial install
- FREE WordPress themes in the Bluehost Marketplace
- 24/7 support via live chat, phone, and email
- Get exclusive discounts on WordPress plans
- Get started on Bluehost now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $1.99 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 days |
| Disk Space | 10 GB SSD – 100 GB SSD |
| Domain Name | FREE (1 year) |
Bluehost’s WordPress hosting packages are aimed at first-time site owners and personal bloggers. These services come at a premium compared to the standard Bluehost web hosting (basic shared hosting) plans, but the WordPress optimization and platform-specific resources are arguably worth the cost.
Go to full review »Few web hosts are as synonymous with WordPress as Bluehost. Whenever you are looking for streamlined blog hosting or help running a high-traffic business website, Bluehost is at your service.
Bluehost, which the WordPress leadership team has recommended since 2005, even lists WordPress hosting before shared hosting on its website. Add in solid (if not spectacular) domain services, and Bluehost is a perfect choice.
- Number of domains: Most plans are unlimited, but the lowest-tier plan limits you to 5 domains and 25 subdomains
- Registration cost: $12.99, with $19.99 renewal fees (Or Bluehost includes a free domain with web hosting)
- Privacy: $15 per year (Included for free on the top two shared hosting plans)
- Other features: Free domain names and SSL on most hosting plans, multitiered security and backups, marketing suite, staging environment, and automatic malware detection and removal
The hosting provider offers affordable SSD-driven shared WordPress plans along with a high-end managed WordPress solution to enable growing businesses to seamlessly deal with traffic spikes.
Bluehost has also perfected a WooCommerce hosting option that gives you access to an online store and blog, email marketing, unlimited products, and pre-installed Woocommerce.
Regardless of which plan you choose, Bluehost gives site owners complete WordPress design freedom, with blog and store themes available if needed, alongside 24/7 support.
 | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- FREE Cloudflare CDN and 1-click WP installs
- Turbo Server, SSD speed, and optimized caching
- A2-optimized plugins for performance and security
- FREE SSL certificates and 24/7 support
- FREE HackScan and KernelCare
- Get started on A2 Hosting now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $2.99 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 days |
| Disk Space | 50 GB SSD – Unlimited SSD |
| Domain Name | New or Transfer |
As experts in performance optimization, A2 Hosting is a top choice for powering resource-heavy WordPress websites. The company offers shared or managed plans for the ultra-popular content management system, with the benefits extending to Joomla, Drupal, and other platforms.
Go to full review »A2 Hosting combines an insanely fast hosting platform, managed services, and strong support into one platform for a very reasonable price. As a WordPress host, A2 Hosting enjoys incredible popularity among more than 8 million people worldwide.
Although the company excels on the WordPress hosting front, the two biggest strikes against A2 Hosting come on the domain name side of things. The company does not include a free domain registration with annual hosting plans, and its renewal rates are higher than those of others we’ve seen.
- Number of domains: Most plans support unlimited domains, but the lowest-tier plan only allows for one website
- Registration cost: $14.95 for the first year, then renews at $19.99
- Privacy: $9.95 per year
- Other features: Free email forwarding and external DNS management for a performance boost, along with site staging, easy domain transfers, and free automatic backups
That being said, the web hosting advantages far outweigh any domain complications. We love A2 Hosting’s devotion to speed and technical advancements. Its Turbo Server configuration promises page loads up to 20 times faster than that of competitors.
Customer service at A2 Hosting is nothing to complain about, either. The company offers 24/7 chat, phone, and email assistance when needed, and you can always get a hold of someone if your website accidentally runs into an issue — domain, WordPress, or otherwise.
 | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- Officially endorsed by WordPress.org
- FREE migration plugin or automated installation
- Pre-installed Git, 3 caching levels, and FREE CDN
- FREE WP setup wizard, staging, and auto-updates
- Fast, 24/7 support via custom chat system
- Get started on SiteGround now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $2.99 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 days |
| Disk Space | 10 GB SSD – 40 GB SSD |
| Domain Name | New or Transfer |
Want a hassle-free, WordPress-optimized hosting service. SiteGround has thought of everything you need to get your site up and running.
Go to full review »With more than 2 million domains under management, SiteGround offers a plethora of trusted hosting options, including WordPress and WooCommerce options for your new site.
The hosting company relies on Google Cloud Platform infrastructure for inherent speed and scalability. Even better, it enables SiteGround to offer hosting plans with 100% renewable energy matches.
- Number of domains: Cheapest plan comes with just one website, but you can get unlimited domains on all others
- Registration cost: $15.95 per year
- Privacy: $12 per year and renews at $19.99 annually
- Other features: SG Site Scanner monitoring service that checks your site daily for malicious code, Google Cloud infrastructure, custom WordPress migrator plugin, or hands-free website transfers
We appreciate SiteGround immensely for the company’s hands-on, personal approach to support. The team has engineered all sorts of custom solutions to make your experience as pleasant as it can be.
WordPress site transfers can be accomplished with a simple plugin, or you can enlist the SiteGround team to move your files and domains themselves. If you run into any other issues, the support team is available at all hours and regularly delivers responses in just a few minutes.
As a registrar, SiteGround offers more than 50 domain extensions for sale. You may not find all the bells and whistles, but we can promise the user experience will be top of the line.
Best Web Hosting with a Free Domain
Everyone loves free stuff, right? Domains can be expensive to purchase and maintain — but they don’t have to be
These web hosts give customers a free domain name with a hosting package that lasts for a year or longer, and we found them to offer some of the best domain services out there.
Even if you transfer your existing domains to a new provider, who’s to say you won’t need another one? You’ll want to make sure your brand protection domain portfolio is on point to keep your edge.
10. Hostinger.com
| | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- Unlimited everything, from storage to databases
- FREE site builder & WP performance upgrades
- FREE daily or weekly backups
- Custom control panel and auto-installation scripts
- SSH access & unlimited FREE SSL certificates
- Get started on Hostinger now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $2.49 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 days |
| Disk Space | 50 GB SSD – 200 GB SSD |
| Domain Name | FREE (1 year) |
As the shared hosting market becomes increasingly saturated, unlimited storage, bandwidth, and email accounts have become surprisingly average. Hostinger, however, extends the routine, expected metrics to greater lengths — the number of websites, databases, FTP users, subdomains, and parked domains are all unrestricted for most customers.
Go to full review »Hostinger offers free premium domain registration for those who sign up for an annual Premium or Business plan. (Pro tip: Take advantage of Hostinger’s four-year package. The rate is so low it’ll likely be cheaper than a single year at many other web hosts).
Hostinger is a fantastic choice for shared, cloud, and WordPress hosting, offering top-notch features for a very low price.
- Number of domains: Lowest plan comes with just one domain, but most others support up to 100 domain names
- Registration cost: FREE with hosting plan, otherwise $8.99 per year with $13.99 annual renewal fees
- Privacy: $5 per year
- Other features: DDoS protection, CloudFlare-powered firewall, DNS management in easy custom control panel, automatic backups, and free marketing credits
Customers can choose from nine domain extensions, including .COM and .NET. You’ll need to pay for subsequent renewals, but Hostinger is one of the most affordable hosts in the industry.
To claim your free domain, simply sign up for the appropriate hosting plan and enter your desired domain name to see if it’s available. You then just add it to your cart and the discount should be applied automatically.
11. IONOS.com
| | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- $1/month for 12 months
- No hidden fees, pay just $12 at checkout
- Easy setup and 24/7 expert support
- FREE domain or transfer, plus FREE SSL certificate
- Unlimited storage and databases with most plans
- Get started on 1&1 IONOS now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $1.00 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 days |
| Disk Space | 10 GB – Unlimited |
| Domain Name | FREE (1 year) |
If budget is the main factor on your mind when searching for your next web host, search no more. 1&1 IONOS has an impressive range of robust web hosting and website building packages for what may be the best price we’ve ever seen in the world of hosting.
Go to full review »Giving Hostinger a solid run for its money in terms of cheap web hosting, IONOS also offers free domains and domain registration.
The sheer simplicity of only having one shared hosting plan to consider makes comparison shopping and signup easy.
- Number of domains: Unlimited
- Registration cost: Free on all plans, or $9.99 per year for each additional domain ($17 annual renewal fee)
- Privacy: $9.99 per year
- Other features: Free domain locking to protect against unauthorized transfers, automatic renewals, unlimited websites and storage, plus free SSL certificate and email accounts
Website owners have a whopping 15 gTLDs to choose from, including the most common extensions .COM, .NET, .BIZ, .INFO, and .ORG. If you choose to cancel your plan, though, you’ll be charged a $15 fee to maintain ownership of your domain.
We love that the host’s checkout process makes signing up for hosting and registering a domain incredibly easy. Just enter your desired domain name when prompted, and you’ll be well on your way.
12. GoDaddy.com
| | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- Manage your domain and hosting under one roof
- Choice of cPanel or Plesk control panels
- Up to unlimited bandwidth and storage
- Microsoft 365 inboxes included FREE for first year
- Get 51% OFF by signing up today
- Get started on GoDaddy now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $8.99 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 days |
| Disk Space | 25 GB – 100 GB |
| Domain Name | FREE (1 year) |
A major pull factor for GoDaddy’s hosting services is certainly the cost. It’s hard to beat web hosting for just a few dollars per month, especially when the company includes a free domain name, control panel, impressively fast load times, and unlimited websites with most plans.
Go to full review »I mean, what’s better than a free domain from the world’s largest registar? In addition to helping you transfer your existing domains, GoDaddy gives customers a free domain name registration with all shared and WordPress hosting packages.
With such a strong roster of domain services available, you can rest easy knowing your domain portfolio is with the industry leaders — there’s nothing they haven’t seen, no kinks they haven’t worked out.
- Number of domains: Unlimited domain on most plans, but the most affordable plan is limited to one website
- Registration cost: Free on all shared and WordPress plans, otherwise $11.99 with renewals at $22.17
- Privacy: Free, but upgrades available for $10 to $15 per domain per year
- Other features: One-click domain setup on GoDaddy’s management panel, domain auctions, bulk domain searches, brokerage services, and Microsoft 365 integration
GoDaddy is known for a remarkably affordable cost of entry, but beware of the company’s higher rates after your initial term expires. Domain costs are fine, but web hosting can get a bit more expensive than we’d like to see.
That being said, you’d be hard-pressed to find a service provider with such a diverse and established infrastructure for dealing with all aspects of domain registrations and hosting. If you’re serious about your domain portfolio, give GoDaddy a solid look.
13. HostGator.com
| | ★★★★★ /5.0 |
- Host up to unlimited websites on a single plan
- FREE SSL certificate included on all plans
- Unlimited bandwidth & email addresses
- 1-click WordPress installs & FREE blog tools
- Get 74% OFF by buying 36 months upfront
- Get started on HostGator now.
| Starting Price/Mo. | $2.64 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 days |
| Disk Space | 10 GB SSD – 40 GB SSD |
| Domain Name | FREE (1 year) |
HostGator is a great compromise between performance and price. The company offers unlimited emails, MySQL databases, disk space, and bandwidth, plus one-click installs of popular open-source projects, in addition to a 99.
Go to full review »We’ve named HostGator our favorite host to grow with because it is a perfect fit for website owners and small businesses looking to establish a domain portfolio and bring everything under one umbrella.
As you sign up for any shared, cloud, or WordPress hosting plan, HostGator enables you to register a free domain name. The service provider also promotes cheap initial registrations for any additional domains.
- Number of domains: One domain on a few lower-level plans, but most allow for unlimited domains and subdomains
- Registration cost: Free with shared, cloud, and WordPress hosting, or $12.95 annually with $19.99 renewals
- Privacy: $14.95 per year
- Other features: Unmetered storage and bandwidth, automatic renewals, domain locking for theft prevention, DNS management portal, and free site transfer for cPanel or WordPress users
HostGator will automatically apply your discount during the checkout process, and give you the choice of 15 domain extensions, including the regulars .COM, .BIZ, and .NET — along with fun gTLDs like .TECH, .SPACE, and others.
What is Domain Hosting?
Domain hosting refers to a platform that manages your domain name and helps you connect it to your website, email accounts, and other web services.
A domain host typically acts as a domain registrar to help you stake a claim on a domain. Your information is recorded on a registry, which is then managed by ICANN (which also maintains the WHOIS database).
Although you can get a web hosting plan for two or three years (or longer), domain registrations must be renewed each year so ICANN can maintain accurate ownership information.
Domain hosting refers to a domain seller (like GoDaddy, Bluehost, and others) that sells a web address and registers it to a customer for a yearly subscription.
Depending on which domain you want, registration can cost anywhere from a few dollars to $30 million for the most expensive domains.
What a domain does is direct visitors to a specific website, much like the address of a house. Every domain has a corresponding IP address that sets its location on the internet. When you buy a domain from a domain host, you gain ownership of that domain for as long as you pay the yearly fee.
Why Do I Need Domain Hosting?
Simply put, domain hosting enables visitors to access your website. Kind of important, right?
A domain name is similar to a street address. This address connects your website to the larger neighborhood of the web, and domain name hosting enables you to add other assorted features, including email, enhanced DNS, and privacy settings.
Without domain hosting, users will not have a memorable or easy way to find your website online. Without web hosting, there won’t be a website to access in the first place.
Domain hosts, which typically facilitate registrations, provide DNS (Domain Name System) services that help computers connect a human-friendly domain name with a server-friendly IP address.
In addition to helping visitors connect to your website, DNS also includes other functionalities summed up by these DNS records:
- MX: Directs incoming email messages
- CNAME: Connects alias domains, like www.example.com and example.com
- A: Matches a domain name with the physical IP address of the host server
- TXT: Provides additional information to verify domain ownership, increase email security, and other tasks
As you can tell, domain hosting is critical to your online brand’s survival — and goes beyond just the URL to your website. Because having a custom domain is one of the primary components of professional email addresses, you’ll definitely want to pick a top-notch domain host.
How Do I Choose the Best Web Hosting for Existing Domains?
You’ll have to determine what your website needs are before you can choose the web host that works best for you. Calculate how much traffic your website receives and what kind of server space (shared hosting, virtual private server, or a dedicated server) and other requirements you need so your website can run smoothly.
For websites hosting existing domains, be sure to check out domain renewal prices and the fees associated with transfers or privacy protection. Your management tools and interface will also guide your experience and overall satisfaction.
You may also want to take into account whether you require a website builder as well. Website builders are sometimes included in web hosting and help you build, design, and market your website to your audience.
Specific things to look for in a web host or website builder will vary depending on your needs, so use the list below to figure out what matters most to you.
- Price: In addition to the cost of signup, be sure to check for renewal rates and skim the fine print for any hidden fees or obligations.
- Technical needs: Are modern programming languages supported? What about a CDN, staging environment, WordPress optimization, security protections, and scalability?
- Ease of use: Think about who will be doing the bulk of the domain management or website oversight and content creation.
- Support: How important is it that someone is available 24/7? Are you comfortable with email, phone, and/or chat support?
We believe that whatever gives you the best bang for your buck is a good investment. Sometimes web hosts charge more for better quality servers, security, and hosting capabilities, so at the end of the day, paying more is not always a bad thing.
Ultimately, one of the most important things to look for in a potential new host is support and customer assistance. One of the most annoying things when looking for a new web host is not having the support you need and being unsure of how to proceed.
Can I Move My Domain Name to a Different Host?
To host an existing domain, you need to access your web hosting account through your web hosting provider and transfer your domain name to your current hosting plan.
Most web hosting providers can help you with this process and will ensure everything gets set up and running smoothly.
In a worst-case scenario, your web host will provide a detailed knowledge base article and 24/7 support if you get confused. Some hosts will handle everything for you.
Hosting an existing domain can sometimes lead to complications if your domain is not correctly pointing to the right server. You’ll need to access your DNS zone files and update your domain information there. Again, check with your web host to see the proper configurations.
Although the specific details and interfaces change from host to host, here’s how you transfer an existing domain:
- Disable domain security measures: Your current registrar likely has your domain locked to avoid theft and unauthorized transfers. Undo this.
- Get the authorization code: An EPP code will be generated and sent to the email address associated with the domain.
- Notify your new domain host: Verify which domain you want to move and supply the EPP or AuthCode.
- Wait (and possibly pay): Your new host should take care of the rest. Some ask you to renew the domain’s registration or pay for the transfer, but everything should be done within a few days.
Be aware that domains cannot be transferred within 60 days of initial registration or changes to the registrant’s (that’s you) information. Otherwise, a domain transfer can take up to 48 to 72 hours for the DNS to update.
Add a Strong Domain Name to Your Portfolio With 2024‘s Best Web Hosting
Managing multiple domains can be a daunting task, especially if your domains are scattered across various registrars with different renewal dates, prices, and associated websites.
Opinions are mixed on whether you should put all your domains and web hosting services under one roof, but we appreciate the simplicity of consolidation.
The professional and respected hosts on our list can help alleviate any concerns about account safety and domain ownership.
As the gateway to your business or blog, a domain name is a very important element in the success of your website. A domain name can put you on the fast track to business success, or be a stumbling block to reaching your goals.
Knowing what makes a good domain name matters. For starters, keep your domain name short and relevant to your business; a name that is easy to spell and type is a bonus.
For instance, if your business relates to cleaning windows, ensure you have the keywords cleaning and window in your domain because those are the words people will search when they need your service.
Whether spelled out or as digits, numbers can create confusion. Avoid forcing your customers into mental recount trying to remember your address. Bestwindowcleaning.com is way easier to remember and type than number1-windowcleaning4u.com.
For local businesses, include your city or state in your domain to help your customers find you faster. For example, seattlewindowcleaning.com is more targeted than bestwindowcleaning.com.
Now for the domain extension (that’s the part of the domain name following the dot). If you can get .COM, go for it! It’s the most widely used extension, but it’s also been around so long that getting a short, memorable name followed by .com can sometimes be a challenge.
Other popular extensions include .NET, .ORG, .INFO, and .BIZ. Plus, hundreds of fun new ones are now available, like .GURU, .SHOP, and .NINJA. These descriptive extensions allow you to perfectly represent your business and boost your brand.
Speaking of your brand, you can protect, and build it, by purchasing multiple or misspelled versions of your domain name so customers who get it wrong are still directed to your website.
It’s also a good idea to purchase your domain with various extensions so competitors cannot register your domain name with another extension.
Finally, be quick when buying a domain as domains sell out fast! Most are affordable, so get your favorite domain registered now with a domain registrar, before someone else does.
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