Where should you register a domain name? I recommend registering it through a dedicated domain registrar rather than through your hosting company or website platform. Internet.bs, Namecheap, and Porkbun allow you to keep the domain separate while easily pointing it to your chosen host. Registering through your host may appear simpler initially, but keeping the two services separate gives you more control and can make changing hosting companies much easier later.
Why the Registrar You Choose Matters
A domain registrar is the company through which you register and manage your domain name.
Several registrars may offer the same available domain, but the experience of managing that domain can differ considerably. One of the most important differences for a beginner is how easily the registrar allows the domain to be connected to a separate web-hosting provider.
Most traditional registrars let you replace their default nameservers with the nameservers supplied by your hosting company. The process normally involves copying two or more nameserver addresses from the hosting account and pasting them into the domain’s settings.
Other registrars, most notably Cloudflare, require you to continue using their nameservers. Instead of changing the nameservers to those supplied by your host, you must add or change individual DNS records inside Cloudflare.
Both methods can connect a domain to a website. One is simply more familiar and often easier for a beginner.
Want to understand what a registrar actually does? Read my beginner’s guide to how domain registration works and how to choose a registrar.
What Does It Mean to Point a Domain to Hosting?
Your domain name and your website hosting are two different services.
The registrar keeps the domain registered in your name. The hosting provider stores the website and makes it available online. Before visitors can reach the website by entering your domain, the domain must be directed—or “pointed”—to the hosting provider.
A hosting company will normally give you one of two things:
- Nameservers that you enter at the domain registrar
- DNS records that you add to the domain’s existing DNS settings
Changing nameservers is often the simpler method for a beginner. The hosting company assumes responsibility for managing the website’s DNS records after the nameservers have been changed.
Entering individual DNS records can require more care. A record placed in the wrong field, an old record left in place, or an email-related record accidentally removed can prevent the website or domain-based email from working correctly.
This is why the ease of connecting a domain to hosting belongs near the top of the list when choosing where to register.
Domain Registrars Compared for Beginners
The following comparison is intentionally simple. It does not compare prices or attempt to cover every feature offered by each company. It focuses on the question that may matter most when building your first website: how difficult will it be to connect the domain to your hosting provider?
Disclosure: I do not receive compensation from Internet.bs or any other domain registrar mentioned in this article. These recommendations are based on my experience and my assessment of how approachable each service is for a beginner.
| Registrar | Ease of Connecting to Hosting | Beginner Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Internet.bs | Easy; enter the nameservers supplied by the hosting company | Easy |
| Namecheap | Easy; enter the nameservers supplied by the hosting company | Easy |
| Porkbun | Easy; enter the nameservers supplied by the hosting company | Easy |
| Squarespace Domains | Custom nameservers can be entered, but the process includes additional account and DNS steps | Easy to moderate |
| Cloudflare Registrar | More complicated because the domain must use Cloudflare nameservers and usually must be connected by entering the host’s DNS records | Moderate to difficult |
| Domain through your web host | Usually connected automatically when the domain and hosting are obtained through the same company | Easiest initially, but not recommended |
Internet.bs
Internet.bs is the registrar I know best through personal experience.
I have used Internet.bs almost exclusively to manage approximately 100 domains over 16 years. Although you may find mixed opinions about the company online, my own experience with its domain management and service has been excellent.
Connecting a domain registered with Internet.bs to a hosting company is generally straightforward. After receiving the nameservers from the host, you can open the domain settings in your Internet.bs account, replace the existing nameservers, and save the change.
That conventional process is one reason I consider it approachable for a beginner. You do not have to understand how to create individual DNS records merely to point the domain to ordinary web hosting.
Internet.bs also allows multiple domains to be managed from the same account. That may not matter when you own only one domain, but it becomes valuable if you eventually operate several websites.
My recommendation is based on my own long-term use of the service. It is not a paid recommendation, and it does not guarantee that every customer will have the same experience.
Namecheap
Namecheap is another conventional standalone registrar.
To connect a Namecheap domain to a separate hosting provider, you can normally open the domain’s settings, select custom DNS or hosting nameservers, and enter the nameservers supplied by the host.
That is the process many shared-hosting companies expect beginners to use. The host may even provide a tutorial showing exactly where its nameservers should be entered at Namecheap.
Namecheap offers many additional products beyond domain registration. A beginner should therefore pay attention during checkout and purchase only the services actually needed.
The number of options inside the account can initially look complicated, but changing the nameservers for a domain is generally a familiar and direct process.
Porkbun
Porkbun is a domain registrar with a relatively simple approach to domain management.
Like Internet.bs and Namecheap, Porkbun allows you to connect a domain to another hosting provider by entering custom nameservers. Once you receive the correct nameservers from the host, you can add them to the domain’s settings without being required to manage the website connection through Porkbun’s DNS.
Porkbun may be less familiar to beginners than some larger companies, but being less familiar does not make the domain-registration process more difficult.
Its knowledge base separates instructions into areas such as connecting domains, DNS, registration, transfers, and hosting. That can make it easier to locate instructions for the particular task you are trying to complete.
For someone who wants a traditional standalone registrar and a straightforward nameserver process, Porkbun is a reasonable option to consider.
Squarespace Domains
Squarespace Domains can be an obvious choice for someone building a website with Squarespace.
When the domain and website are both managed through Squarespace, much of the connection can be handled within the same system. That reduces the number of accounts and settings a beginner must manage.
A Squarespace domain can also be used with a different hosting company. Squarespace allows custom nameservers to be entered through the domain’s DNS settings.
The process, however, contains more steps than simply finding a nameserver box and pasting in the new information. You may need to reauthenticate your account and disable DNSSEC before entering custom nameservers.
None of that makes Squarespace Domains unsuitable for outside hosting. It simply means the experience may be less direct than using a traditional registrar whose primary function is registering and managing domains.
Squarespace Domains makes the most sense when you already use Squarespace or particularly like managing your services through its account system. Because I prefer keeping domain registration independent of a website platform, it would not be my first choice.
Cloudflare Registrar
Cloudflare Registrar is different from the other standalone registrars in this comparison.
A domain registered through Cloudflare Registrar must use Cloudflare’s nameservers. Cloudflare does not let you replace them with another DNS provider’s nameservers while the domain remains registered there.
That does not prevent you from using a different web-hosting company. It changes the way the connection must be made.
Instead of taking the nameservers provided by the host and entering them at Cloudflare, you generally keep Cloudflare’s nameservers and add the DNS records needed to direct the domain to the hosting account.
Those records might include an IP address, an A record, a CNAME record, or other information supplied by the host.
For someone comfortable working with DNS, this arrangement may not be a problem. Cloudflare provides powerful DNS management and security tools.
For a beginner, however, it can be confusing. The hosting company’s instructions may simply say, “Change your nameservers to these addresses.” A person using Cloudflare Registrar cannot follow that instruction in the usual way and must determine which DNS records should be entered instead.
Cloudflare can be an excellent service, but I would not call it the simplest registrar for someone registering and connecting a domain for the first time.
Why I Do Not Recommend Registering Through Your Web Host
I am personally adamantly against registering a domain name through a hosting company or website platform.
Almost every hosting company now tries to make its offer more attractive by including a free domain for the first year. I would rather pay for my domain separately through a dedicated domain registrar.
The reason is control.
When the domain is tied to the hosting account, changing hosts can sometimes turn into a tangled mess that would have been easier to avoid from the beginning. You may think you will never change hosting companies, but changing hosts is actually fairly common over the life of a website.
A hosting company may be a good choice when you first build the site but become a poor fit later. Its service, support, performance, policies, or management may change. Your website may also grow and require something different.
I prefer keeping my domain registration separate so I always know where it is, how to access it, and who controls it. If I decide to move my website to another host, I can leave the registration exactly where it is and simply point the domain to the new hosting provider.
I would also rather depend on a company whose primary business is domain registration for domain-related support. Hosting companies may offer domain registration as an additional service, but that is not necessarily what they specialize in.
For something as important as the domain name connected to my website, I would rather keep it with a dedicated registrar and maintain direct control over it.
Why Registering Through a Host Appears Easier
Registering the domain through your hosting company can appear to be the easiest option initially.
The host may connect the domain to the hosting account automatically. You may never need to enter nameservers or create DNS records yourself. You also have one account and one support department for both services.
That convenience is real, but it applies mainly at the beginning.
A domain may remain connected to the same website for years, while hosting arrangements can change several times. The small amount of work required to connect a separately registered domain at the beginning can prevent considerably more confusion later.
Entering nameservers usually involves copying the addresses provided by the host, opening the domain at the registrar, pasting the addresses into the nameserver fields, and saving the change. For most traditional registrars, this is not a difficult process once you know where the setting is located.
I do not believe the convenience of an automatic initial connection outweighs the long-term advantage of keeping the domain independent.
What Happens When You Change Hosting Companies?
When your domain and hosting are separate, moving the website does not require moving the domain registration.
You open an account with the new hosting provider, move the website, obtain the new nameservers or DNS records, and update the domain at the registrar.
The domain stays in the registrar account you already know and control.
When the domain was obtained through the old host, the situation may be more complicated. You must determine whether the host is also the registrar, whether it resold the domain through another company, whether the registration can remain after the hosting is cancelled, and where the domain will be managed afterward.
None of those problems is necessarily impossible to solve. They are simply problems I prefer to avoid.
Keeping the domain separate creates a clean division:
- The registrar controls the domain registration.
- The hosting provider stores and serves the website.
- You control the connection between them.
If the hosting provider changes, only the connection needs to change.
Which Registrar Is Easiest for a Beginner?
For a beginner using a separate hosting company, I would favor a conventional registrar that allows the host’s nameservers to be entered directly.
Based on my personal experience, Internet.bs is the first option I would consider. Namecheap and Porkbun also use the conventional nameserver process and are reasonable alternatives.
Squarespace Domains can work with outside hosting, although the process may involve a few additional steps. Because it is closely associated with a website platform, it would not be my preferred choice for keeping the domain independent.
I would place Cloudflare later on the list for a first-time domain owner. Its DNS system is capable, but requiring the domain to continue using Cloudflare’s nameservers can make a simple hosting connection more difficult to understand.
Registering through the hosting company may involve the fewest immediate steps, but that does not make it the arrangement I recommend. Ease during the first hour should not be the only consideration for a domain you may use for many years.
Keep Control of Your Domain From the Beginning
I recommend registering your domain through a dedicated registrar and keeping it separate from your hosting company and website platform.
That arrangement requires you to learn one small additional task: how to point the domain to your hosting provider. With Internet.bs, Namecheap, Porkbun, and many other traditional registrars, that usually means entering the nameservers supplied by the host.
Once the connection is made, you may not need to touch those settings again unless you change hosting companies.
The benefit is that your domain remains in a separate account whose purpose you understand. You know which company manages the registration, how to access it, and where to make changes.
If the website moves, the domain stays where it is.
Whichever registrar you choose, record where the domain is registered, protect the account login, keep the contact email current, and make sure the registration remains in your control.
This decision is one part of the larger process of choosing a domain name for your Christian website. Once you know where you will search, you can check whether your preferred name is available and decide what to do if it has already been registered.