Why you should keep your domain and website hosting separate

When you’re setting up your business, there’s a lot to think about. It can be overwhelming as well as exciting. If you can streamline processes, reduce suppliers, then do it, right? When you’re choosing website hosting, taking your domain name (your URL) from the same provider seems like the natural thing to do. 

Most website services e.g. Squarespace, WordPress and Wix all include the option of a custom domain (sometimes even for free as part of your hosting), but at Upsource we would very much recommend using different providers for your domain and website hosting and here are our six reasons why:

1. When you buy your hosting, as part of your package you receive certain bandwidth and storage provisions. If you’re including email within that, you’re reducing the resources for your website. Better to dedicate these solely to your website rather than spreading across both.
2. With specialist hosting providers, email support is often secondary to their hosting service and the email programme that comes as part of your deal can often be lacking in features and less easy to use. With a separate domain, you can choose the email provider that best suits your needs and experience, like Gmail or Microsoft. Much easier to use than some of the proprietary email services from domain providers!
3. Buy your domain and hosting together on the same day? Then they expire on the same date. One set of reminder emails are easier to miss than two. 
4. Buying a domain from a dedicated provider often means that you have more TLD – Top Level Domain options, so you’ll be able to find the right domain name and extension for you.
5. Should there be an issue with your combined hosting, as there occasionally might be, both your website and your emails will be affected. Hosting does sometimes go down, so much better (and less anxiety-inducing!) if only one of your main points of communication with your clients is affected and you always retain control 
6. Data breaches are more common amongst SMEs than you might think. If your hosting or domain are compromised, your hacker could access your other service, so potentially could take control of your website and your emails, even transferring  your domain name somewhere else. That means a lot of stress, lost hours and money trying to prove ownership.

We recommend that your domain name and your website hosting should always be kept separate. If you’re looking for some recommendations on providers for either, get in touch, we’re always happy to help! Or if you’d like a VA to help you set up your website and hosting, contact Caroline and she can match you with your ideal support.