Do I have to get my domain name from my hosting provider?

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First steps towards setting up a blog or e-commerce site are making decision about a domain name and purchasing that domain name through domain name registrar.
Here are the steps to acquiring domain name:

  1.  Choose hosting provider to host your website. Your hosting provider will lend you server space to which you will store all your files for your webpage. Choosing the best hosting provider depends on the service policy of the company and prices.
  2.  After deciding what hosting company to host your website. You will have to register to that company.
  3.  You will have to visit the company’s site and then register.
  4.  By signing in, you will be entering the domain name you want
  5.  The company has domain name availability checker which will automatically check the domain you chose if it is still available.
  6.  The hosting company will confirm its availability to the domain name registrar.
  7.  When the domain name isn’t available the hosting provider will recommend other domain name but other than that you can still decide on your own what name you want for your website.
  8.  The company notifies if the name is available.

Essentially, the hosting provider will take care of looking for the domain name for you. It has its availability checker that validates the name and it would recommend if the name already taken. You will be getting your domain name from your hosting provider. However, there are hosting providers that allow you to reserve domain name even if you are yet to decide which hosting provider you will choose to partner with in running your website.
These websites allow you to park the domain name you chose. As many as possible, you can park domain names. This means that the domain names you selected will not be taken by others even though you did not purchase the registration yet.

What are the advantages of hosting provider that offer parking services?

  •  When you register the domain name with these companies they will put your name on the parked page which will display when visitors type the domain name. The parked pages indicate that you are reserving the site.
  •  Less pressure. You will not be pushed to immediately buy package plans or buy the domain name from the hosting provider.

There are also websites that are designed to help people search if the domain name they want is in the domain name registrar. These sites are free. However, getting the domain name is different story.
When you decide to purchase the domain name it has to be bought from the hosting provider. The provider offers wide array of options for you. You can buy the domain name separately or you can buy the package deals they have. Usually when you buy the package deals the domain name is already free. You are just buying the server space rent service.
Choosing the right hosting provider depends also on the range of extensions they offer for domain names. There are companies that have a wide range of extensions such including the new extensions that are already available. Top-level domain extensions are .com., .org., .net., and many other extensions.
Now choosing the right extension depends also on what type of website you are running. If you are an organization wanting to create web presence you can choose .org. Again, choosing domain name must be relevant to the product, service or personality that your site represents.
In reality when you buy domain name, you don’t own it. Essentially you are just purchasing the right to use that domain name for a specific period of time. You can register the domain name from 1 year up to ten years. Most domain name registrars will give you option if you want to auto-renew your domain name term. This means when the term ends the hosting provider will automatically extend your term. That means the cost is automatically charged to the credit account you have set up with that account.
But before the term ends the registrar will send you notification that says it is time to renew. Usually it sends notification a month before the term ends. If you do not want to automatically renew you have to register to your account and then manually renew your domain name.
With this information about domain name and where to get it you now have an idea how to start launching your site. There is no other means to acquire domain name but through your hosting provider. The next thing you should decide is what hosting company will you register your domain name with. It pays to compare all the hosting sites so that you can adjust your budget so that you will get the best hosting service that is within your budgetary capacity.