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5. "...but be careful switching
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If you are running an online business you cannot afford to have anything go wrong during the transfer process that might cause your customers, or potential customers, to be unable to locate you.
Unfortunately there are a number of techniques that web hosting companies use to discourage you from breaking off the relationship. One of the more problematic techniques is when the web host actually registers your domain in their name thereby preventing you from easily taking control of it and moving on.
You may be wondering how this can happen. Well, fortunately, it’s not too common these days but there are still situations in which a web host will control your domain name registration. This happens most often with a “free” web hosting plan.
Two bad choices
Aside from the indignity of having to submit to a barrage of unwanted ads being placed all over your web site, you may discover to your horror that the free web hosting company has registered your domain name under his own account. This leaves you with two options, neither of which is good.
The first option is that you may have to simply start the domain registration process all over again, try to reestablish your Internet presence, and recapture your lost client base.
The second is that you may be able to take control of your domain from the free host by paying a fee. These fees can be small and merely aggravating or they can be substantial and downright prohibitive.
Needless to say, it’s cheaper in the end to go with quality in the beginning. Don’t let yourself be seduced by dirt cheap or free hosting plans unless you read the terms of service carefully and are comfortable that you understand and can live with them. Most web hosts are reputable but some are just out for a quick buck and could care less about you and your business.
Our list of top web hosting companies contains only those web hosts we believe provide the most reliable and affordable web hosting services, whether for free, on the cheap, or full service.
Here you'll see which ones rank best for domain name registration and hosting with the right combination of price, performance, and reliability of all the affordable web hosts.
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