Domain Hosting

Why You Shouldn’t Host Your Domains With Your Web Host

Domain owners in Germany do not know that they do not have to buy their domains together with the storage space. I explain why inclusive domains are a sham and what are the benefits of separating domain and webspace.

One buys a web hosting package from any provider, which then includes inclusive domains.

This may look like a bargain for smaller domain owners, but appearances are deceptive. Because these cheap offers come with contract terms of 1-2 years. But on the Internet, the offers change almost every week.

In most cases, domains that you can buy beyond their inclusive domains are too expensive. Prices range from low €0.99 to €4.00 per month.

The Costs in Web Hosting

The domains make little or no cost in hosting. The cost of hosting is disk space, memory, and bandwidth used. Thus, all limitations and package features are fictitious and limited for better advertising and to upsell packages.

The real cost of hosting is disk space, memory, and bandwidth used.

Whether I use one, two, or a hundred databases is no different, and it doesn’t matter whether I get offered this or that programming language.

But this is much more profitable for the web hosts: If the customer wants something more because the demands are growing, they have to switch to the next higher package. Greedy web hosts charge €4.99 per month for a second database (100 MB).

Switching to a New Web Host

It’s painful to notice that hosting domains at the web host is not a good idea if you want to change the web host.

You get confronted with an unsuspecting flood of technical terms, faxes, and forms, from time to time, hosts reject the provider change (ChProv) first, and you have to start another one.

1&1 has prepared a wonderful top performance of the chicane for its customers: One must cancel their domains in the customer center and prepare for the ChProv. Then you get a phone number, which you have to call. The telephone counselor tries to dissuade the termination when possible. Then they manually unlock the necessary forms, which you have to sign and fax to the host. And that, even though you had to identify yourself before by private questions, doubtlessly.

Host Externally

Host your domains externally. Web hosts are offering this service (search for domain hosting or domain robot).

  • This costs in most cases no basic fee.
  • You can buy domains for friends, relatives, or customers.
  • Manage your Handles yourself and are thus Admin-C, Tech-C, and Zone-C.
  • The price is cheap: A .de domain is available for about €0.30/month.
  • You never have to send any faxes again: ChProv, new orders, terminations of domains — all in one click in the browser.

The best thing is that the move of a domain by changing the DNS server completes within minutes.

But beware: You need your IP address, or the host must internally give the possibility to forward external requests to the right web hosting package.

Meanwhile, hosts such as 1&1 allow externally hosted domains.

This is easier to move away, but with tying contracts over two years this is irrelevant.

Look at Offers Abroad

In other countries, the support and service are ahead of the competition by light-years.

Contracts offer termination every month, abundant traffic and storage space, state-of-the-art technology, and brand-new programming languages. Outside Germany, web hosting is better, you are friendly with customers and let them move if they have found better deals.

Germany’s web hosts will learn it, but it’s well known that everything takes longer here.

The screencast on CSS-Tricks on how to deal with external domains, and DNS Servers.