Maybe I have written about this subject before, but today I run across a forum post at webhostingtalk.com talking exactly about this issue. Well, it’s not an issue as it’s more like a philosophy.
It’s all about : why it’s not a good idea to have your domain name registered with your hosting company. There are many opinions, but so far I think, that the majority thinks it’s never a good thing to make such a move. Many people like safety and thus I do not understand why would anyone want to expose himself to possible trouble.
The trouble is linked with the fact, that if your hosting company gets into trouble and you will not act quickly, or you will not even have the chance to act, than not only your web site hosted with that company gets into trouble, but you will not be even able to move your domain elsehewre! And this is a big security and service problem.
Basically when buying a domain name you have two options. You can register your domain name with a special domain name registrar like name.com, namecheap.com or godaddy.com , or you can register your domain name trough your hosting company. The first option gives you the feeling of of safety. It’s because your 
domain is independent and you can change your name servers at any time. The second option is less safe and it let’s you exposed if something bad happens to our hosting company.
It might look like a waste of time to register a domain name with company X and buy your hosting at company Y, but it pays back a lot as soon as you hit any possible trouble!
I like to have an option to manage my domain independently of my hosting as it gives me the chance to quickly move the domain if something bad happens. It is only a matter of 48hours [and less!] for the name servers to propagate and my web site is operational again.
Consider this:
- Name server propagation around the whole world less than 48hours [sometimes even much much less!]
- Back ups of your web site – you can instantly upload and pretend nothing happened
- A one month fee to a new host less $8…
On the other side: If you have a domain and hosting with the same company
- If the company is under an online attack – you are in trouble…
- If the company disappears – you are in trouble
- If there are long lasting technical problems – you are in trouble
- In all these cases you would have a hard time to quickly move to a new location!
I don’t say it’s a NO-NO, but it is a bad idea and it’s always more clever to divide the risk between two places 
Think about this the next time you buy a domain name from/trough your hosting company. Is it worth it the time you save? Wouldn’t it be more secure to do it the other way and divide the risk? Have a nice day and a great weekend!
Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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