Web Hosting and Main Domain Name

When you conclude that you need a web hosting, the next steps are pretty straight forward. You check available offers and select a provider that is cheap and offers a plan that has everything you need. So far, so good. But when you will create an account you will also have to supply a domain. This will also be the address to access your control panel and to upload files to the web server. Many hosting providers offer also domain registration so you can choose and register your favorite website name in the process of creating a hosting account. However, at this moment you can make a big mistake with serious consequences. This doesn’t mean that you can have problems with hosting or websites, it only means that you may have problems later when you will want to change one of the basic account parameters.

The domain you will specify as your primary domain is directly connected with your hosting account. There is no easy way to change it. Many hosting providers offer plans with unlimited number of domains. So many people just pick one name and create the account. When they realize that this particular name is more than just a name it is usually too late. Of course, everything related to computers and software is not permanent and can be changed. The problem is the procedure that is needed to make such change.

In the beginning, there is usually no problem with the domain you have selected to be the primary name associated with the hosting account. But later you may come to the conclusion that it is no longer needed and you will not extend the registration period. If you do so you will loose access to the hosting control panel. If you are using only one domain then this wouldn’t be a problem because without it you need no hosting. Unfortunately, most cases are such that webmasters use the opportunity to host many websites with only one account. While this is not a bad decision, it might be a problem when you would like to change some basic parameter. With a little luck all the problems will last for less then one hour.

Since such situations where users have selected wrong main domain are common, the hosting companies are offering a possibility to change this name. This service may require to pay a fee, but the major problem for website owners are the steps needed to to make this change. You must remove all sub-domains and add-on domains from your hosting account. And when you do so, you and everybody else will loose access to all the websites that are hosted at this account. After you have “cleared” your account you can apply for the change. The change can be done in a matter of minutes, but can also take as long as one day or even more. It mainly depends on responsiveness of the hosting company. After the account is configured with new settings you can restore additional domains and all the websites will be back online. This is why the first domain is so important–it is very difficult to change it later when you have added other domains to the hosting account.

The best approach for selecting main domain is to use your personal website or a name that is not associated with some business so the registration extension will not be a question.