You’re lying in bed one night when it hits you: the perfect name for your new business.* The next morning you’re up bright and early, registering your brilliant idea as a domain name...You don’t want someone else to snap it up, right?
Easy, tiger.
Like Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah’s couch, Romeo off-ing himself without checking Juliet’s pulse, or Mussolini trying to look tough by invading Greece (cos, hey, why not?), this is one impulsive decision that you might want to rethink. The better solution? Get your web company to do it for you. If you charge ahead and register the domain name yourself, it can cause you a few headaches later on. It’s certainly not unfixable—at Rocketspark, for instance, we can always transfer your pre-existing domain over to us—but it’s easier and better to get a web firm to do the dirty work right from the get-go. Here’s five reasons why:
1. It’s still your domain name
Your domain name is yours, not your web firm’s. According to the law, at least. Alas, there are a few web companies that’ll try to pull a fast one on you by making themselves the registrant (i.e., “owner” of the domain name). If your web company is involved in that sort of shady business, you could end up in a sticky situation. Make sure you ask your web company who they intend to make registrant.
Rocketspark will never hold your domain name hostage. We only ever put your business as the registrant (we list ourselves as the technical and billing contact only). That means that if, in the future, you decide to switch to a different web firm, you can take your domain name with you.
2. Your domain name won’t expire
Domain names have to be renewed. We could tell you domain horror stories where busy business owners have forgotten to renew their domain. And then what happens? Website goes bye-bye, offline until you remedy the situation.
And if you’re like most startups you’ve probably already got a to-do list the length of a complete roll of two-ply. Leave the registration process up to your web company—that’s one less important task you have to remember. Your domain will stay current and your site will stay online.
3. Email accounts are (sometimes) included in the service
If you register a domain name yourself, you’ll often be offered email accounts under the same domain—if you’re willing to shell out extra cash. Sweet deal, right? Not quite...
Firstly, lots of web firms offer email accounts as part of the package. At Rocketspark, we can provide your email accounts and connect your domain up correctly for email. Secondly, once you’ve decided on a web company, transferring your email accounts over is a messy process. It’s cleaner and cheaper to get your email accounts through your web firm.
4. You don’t need to manage the features
Registering your domain name involves some tricky business. You’ll need to set up name servers, IP records for A records, MX records, and maybe even CNAME records. Come again? Exactly.
They’re features that require some know-how and, quite frankly, who has the time? Unless you’re tech-savvy, save yourself the headache and let your web company manage the features for you. That lets you get back to doing what you do best: running the business.
5. It’s part of the package anyway
We can’t speak for all web firms, but at Rocketspark domain name registration is part of the service that you’re paying for. We don’t charge extra to register your domain but, by the same token, we don’t give a discount if you’ve already registered it.
If you’ve already paid for it, you might as well use it, right?
“But I’m still in a super-duper hurry to secure my domain name!”
No problem! At Rocketspark, we offer a pre-registration option.
You can secure your domain name while on trial, and still building your website. If you decide Rocketspark is the web firm for you, then you'll be ready to go live as soon as you are ready. If you decide to go with someone else, we’ll happily transfer your domain name across to your chosen web company. Just get in touch about it. Ya can’t lose.
Conclusion
So when the perfect name for your business comes to you in a flash of inspiration, resist the urge to register the domain name yourself. Provided your web company plays fair, there really are no drawbacks in getting them to do the hard yards for you. And if you haven’t decided on a web firm yet, just take the pre-registration approach. If you want to know how to register your domain through us, take a gander at our blog, “How to register a domain name with Rocketspark”.
Registering your domain name is something best left to the pros—sometimes it pays not to make a hasty decision. Just ask Tom.
*Or not. Deciding on a domain name can be tough. Check out our guide to choosing a domain name.
