| These days, almost all shared hosting providers | | | | Transferring your domain might turn out to be a |
| offers a "free domain name" or "free domain name | | | | major headache. Web hosts have been known to |
| for life" promotion on sign up. They both are referring | | | | impose a domain name transfer fee, should you |
| to the same thing. As long as you are paying for | | | | request to take the domain name with you to your |
| their web hosting services, they will waive the annual | | | | new hosting provider. Normally, this fee is reasonable |
| registration fee for a domain name through their | | | | (in the $20 dollar range), but there could be other |
| registrar, which can be a third party company. So | | | | fees on top of that. |
| theoretically, if you do pay for the web hosting | | | | If you really value your domain name, the smart thing |
| services for life, you indeed can get a "free domain | | | | to do would be to register with a respectable 3rd |
| name for life." | | | | party registrar. It is not expensive (GoDaddy does |
| When signing up for this free domain though, I would | | | | this for $10/year per domain). Use the free domain |
| not recommend registering your main domain this | | | | offer to register a domain you will not be devastated |
| way. It is not safe to assume the web host will be | | | | to lose. Also, stick with a well known and respectable |
| around forever, or that you will want to stick with | | | | hosting provider. The smaller ones are the one that |
| the same web host for a long period of time. | | | | are more likely to give you the headaches. |