Domains are often a confusing topic and difficult to understand the specifics of. A critical point that's often missed is that you should insist on maintaining ownership of your own domain name. This means that the domain should be registered in your name, with your business and contact details - not the details of your website provider. The consequences of not being the 'registrant' of your own domain could be disastrous if something goes wrong, because it can be much harder to prove your rights to it with the industry ombudsman, Nominet (if it's not a .co.uk domain you're out of luck entirely, so I would strongly advise UK businesses use .co.uk domains to be protected by Nominet).
If you ever want to change website provider, or your existing provider packs in, or even if you fall out with them for whatever reason, having the domain name registered to you is essential to allowing you to move away without grief. We have first-hand experience with this, when former web hosts have done things like:
* Turn the domain name off abruptly, leaving you with no website.
* Replacing the website with inappropriate material or redirecting it somewhere you'd prefer they didn't.
* Erasing important data before it can be backed up.
* Not responded to transfer requests, leaving the domain in limbo for weeks on end.
* Make changes to your domain to cause it to be deindexed by Google.
If you're listed as the registrar for your domain you can prevent these kind of attacks on your business, should your existing provider turn out to be less than reputable.
If you do switch providers, we strongly advise getting your new website ready, exporting a copy of your business data, copying your content and images across, and ONLY THEN should you tell your old provider you wish to transfer the domain to your new host.
Domain transfers only take a matter of hours, not days, and in no circumstances should your domain be held back for any reason - you are the legal owner of the domain if it's registered to you, and any attempt to prevent you from doing what you like with it is known as 'Cyber Squatting', and you may have a legal case for damages if your business is affected by their actions.
Every customer domain name we register at Bouncy Castle Network (that's over 3,000 domains) is registered in in each business owner's name, for their protection and ours. If you ever had a dispute with us (unlikely as that is), the domain would be yours and there'd be nothing we could do about it - not that we would try.
Long story short - make sure your domain names are registered to you. It's your legal right and your prime business asset. Do not allow your business assets to be held to ransom by unscrupulous tech companies! Do not trust your web provider with your domain name just because they seem friendly enough - I have seen plenty of businesses screwed by tech companies they thought they could trust until they became an ex-customer.
If you're unsure whether your domain is registered to you, ask your provider. BCN customers - you've all got nothing to worry about :)
www.bouncycastlenetwork.com
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