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When you're diving into the online world, and you need a domain name, it's an exciting time. For a lot of people, a considerable amount of time is spent agonising over the perfect domain name for your online venture. It's like picking out the name for your very own digital shopfront. Getting a domain for the first time can also be a little tricky - nothing online is straight forward, is it?
When you're diving into the online world and need a domain name, it's an exciting time. For many people, a surprising amount of time is spent agonising over the perfect name for their online venture. It’s a bit like choosing the name for your very own digital shopfront.
Getting a domain for the first time can also feel a little daunting. Nothing online is ever completely straightforward, is it?
You might be thinking, “If that’s the case, why not just let my web designer or tech-savvy friend handle it?” It seems easier, but here’s why you might want to think twice.
When someone else registers your domain, it’s a bit like handing them the keys to your house. More often than not, the domain is registered in their name, meaning you don’t have direct access to the domain registrar.
If you ever need to move providers or make changes, you’re dependent on them to do it for you. That’s fine while the relationship is healthy, but we regularly see cases where things become awkward when a domain release is requested. In the most extreme example we’ve encountered, an unscrupulous developer attempted to charge an £800 domain release fee.
Sometimes it’s even worse. The domain holder may cease trading or disappear entirely, leaving you locked out of your own online presence.
On the flip side, owning your domain is like holding the deed to your online property. You’re in charge. You decide what happens without needing anyone else’s permission. Want to switch hosting providers? Easy. Ready to sell your digital space? You can do that too, and keep the profits.
Here are some of the key benefits of owning your domain:
Choosing a trusted registrar like Hipposerve means you get a fair deal from the start. You pay a transparent price, and the domain is yours. No conditions, no games.
At Hipposerve, the domain always belongs to you. Every domain includes free website and email forwarding, along with access to our advanced DNS system, complete with DNS backup.
For those unfamiliar, DNS controls where your domain sends website visitors and email, alongside several other critical functions that keep your online services running smoothly.
If managing DNS feels a bit technical, you can delegate access to your web developer or tech expert, or simply ask one of our Hippo Helpers for support. The key point is that ownership always remains with you.
We also offer a domain concierge service, where we hunt down great domain names for you, purchase them on your behalf, and ensure everything is set up correctly from day one.
The articles you’ll find here are part of Hipposerve’s growing archive, and some go back a little way. That means you may occasionally spot references to products we no longer offer, pricing that has since changed, or technologies and advice that reflected best practice at the time of writing but may not fully align with current thinking. We always aim to keep things accurate, but the web moves fast.
For the latest information on our services, features, pricing, and offers, please check the main pages of our website. And just to keep things clear — we’re unable to honour any prices or promotions mentioned in older blog posts. Thanks for reading, and happy browsing!
