If you have someone build a website for you they will often take care of the technical stuff like registering your domain name and buying hosting. While that is fine (heck, I do it for people all the time), I want to caution you to make sure the site gets registered in YOUR name. This prevents a lot of potential problems down the road as it protects you in the event that your web master disappears.
While you may not think this will happen to you, let me assure you it happens all the time. I've had several conversations with GoDaddy representatives about this and they say it causes more problems than just about anything else they come across. GoDaddy is the largest domain registrar in the world so if anyone would know they sure would!
So here's a typical scenario. Your web master registers your domain and hosting under his or her account. This is convenient for the web master who is probably managing lots of accounts. By registering it under their own account they can keep better tabs on when to renew, make changes, etc.
The down side to this is that you do not own the name. They do. So if the two of you have a falling out, the web master leaves town or dies (yes, it does happen), or for some other reason is unavailable, you're out of luck. The domain registrar won't release the login information to you because you don't own the name. And you can't have someone else update your site because you don't have the login information.
A real life story of domain name woes...
I actually had this happen with a client of mine not too long ago. She needed some minor updates on her website but didn't have the login codes. She tried to contact her old web designer but his phone had been disconnected, e-mails bounced, and when she went by his house it was vacant. We tried to get the login information from the registrar but they wouldn't give it to us because we didn't own the domain (if you think this is unfair consider that it also protects YOU from someone getting information on the domains you own).
At any rate, we were stuck. And to make matters worse her domain was expiring in less than a month! She wouldn't settle for buying another domain name because all her printing already had HER name on it so we just had to wait it out. I made a copy of the files on her site and we waited for the domain to expire so we could buy it back. Now here's the thing. When a domain expires (and if it isn't renewed) the site goes off line. That makes sense, right? But you can't just buy it back. The original owner has 30 days to reactivate the name, and then it takes another 30-60 days for it to become available again. All told her site was off line for about 75 days before we could re-purchase the name and get it back on-line. Fortunately her business doesn't rely on her website but if it had then she'd have been in really deep trouble!
So the moral of this story is: Always make sure domains and hosting are purchased in YOUR name!
When I work with a client I always do this. I may still set up the account, but I do it with their name, e-mail address and contact information. Then I print out their login information and tell them to keep it in a safe place. That way if anything happens to me I know they're covered. By the way, if you already have a domain name that belongs to someone else, you CAN have it transferred to you. The process is simple and once you explain why you want to do it your current webmaster should be happy to help you. If not then give me a call and let's talk :)
Oh and one more thing. If you're thinking about buying a domain name and/or hosting then please consider doing it through my GoDaddy reseller account. Yes, I get a little commission if you do so (seriously... it's like $2) and you save money because I have the prices discounted from their regular prices. Plus GoDaddy is the largest registrar in the world, they are very stable company, and personally I've had wonderful experiences with them. In fact they've gone over and above many times when I had to call for help.
However you decide to do it, get those domains transferred to you. It could save you A LOT of trouble in the future!
