Email on the same domain
Addresses at your own domain, set up alongside the website so both run from one set of DNS records.
Hosting and domains · Kashmir and worldwide
Web hosting and domain registration in your own name
I register domains and set up web hosting for businesses in Kashmir and around the world, with the domain in the owner's name and the logins in the owner's hands. Plain HTML sites go on Cloudflare Pages, WordPress sites on a host built for PHP, and I set up DNS and HTTPS for both.
Who should own your domain
You should, on paper and in practice.
Your domain is your address online. The website, every email address on it and the link on your Google listing all depend on it. If a developer registers it in their own name or their own account, you can lose the lot when you fall out, or when they simply stop answering the phone.
So the domain should be registered in your name, with your email address on it and an account you can log in to. When I register one for a client, that is how it is done. If I need to make changes later, you add me to the account and can remove me just as easily.
If someone registered your domain years ago and you aren't sure whose name it is in, send it to me. I'll find out where it is registered and help you move it into an account of your own.
What I set up
Everything a small business website needs to stay online, in accounts you own.
Domain registration
A .com, .in or other ending registered in your name, with auto-renew on and renewal notices going to an inbox you actually read.
Hosting
Cloudflare Pages for plain HTML sites. WordPress needs PHP and a database, so it goes on a web host that provides both.
DNS records
The records that point your domain at the website, your mail at your mailbox and Google at its verification code.
HTTPS
A certificate so browsers show the padlock and never warn visitors that your site isn't secure. On Cloudflare it renews by itself.
DNS and HTTPS in plain words
DNS is a short list of records stored with your domain. When someone types your address, one record tells their phone which server holds the website. When someone emails you, another tells their mail server where your mailbox is. In my experience, when a site or an inbox stops working after a change, one wrong record is usually the cause.
HTTPS encrypts the connection between a visitor's phone and your site. Browsers mark pages without it as not secure, which puts people off filling in an enquiry form. On Cloudflare the certificate is issued and renewed for you, and I switch on the setting that sends every visitor to the secure version of each page.
Not sure whose name your domain is in?
Send me the domain. I'll find out where it is registered and hosted, and tell you what to change so it stays yours.
Which hosting suits which site
Cheap hosting is rarely the problem. The wrong kind of hosting is.
| Your site | Where it runs | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Plain HTML | Cloudflare Pages | Fast worldwide, HTTPS included, nothing to patch |
| WordPress | A PHP host with daily backups | WordPress needs PHP and a database on the server |
| Online store | A PHP host sized for the shop, or a hosted store platform | Carts, payments and stock need a server that can keep up |
| Any of these | Cloudflare in front | DNS, HTTPS and caching close to your visitors |
This website runs on Cloudflare Pages, the same setup I use for plain HTML client sites. For a site that is moving from one host to another, my website migration page explains how the switch happens without downtime.
Renewals, and changing developer
Domains are paid for a year or more at a time. If a renewal fails, the website and every email address on the domain stop working, and once the grace period runs out anyone can register the name. Auto-renew, a payment card that hasn't expired and renewal emails going to an inbox someone reads are the simple protection.
Because your domain and hosting accounts are in your name, changing developer doesn't need anything handed back to you. You give the new person access, they point the DNS at wherever they host the site, and as long as the email records are left alone, your inbox carries on as before.
Questions about hosting and domains
Can you transfer my domain from another registrar?
Yes, as long as the transfer lock on the domain is switched off and you can get the transfer code from the current registrar. If the domain is in someone else's name, that has to be sorted out with them or the registrar first. A transfer usually adds a year to the registration.
Do I need separate hosting for WordPress?
Yes. WordPress runs on PHP with a database, which Cloudflare Pages doesn't provide, so it needs a web host that offers both. A plain HTML site has no such needs and can be served straight from Cloudflare.
Who pays for the domain and hosting?
You do, directly, so the accounts and the receipts are in your name. I'll tell you what you need and what it costs before anything is bought.
Will my email stop working if I move my website?
It shouldn't, if the move only changes the records that point to the website. Email depends on the MX records, which stay as they are unless you are changing email provider at the same time. I check them before and after the move.
Want your domain and hosting in your own name?
Send me your current domain, or the name you'd like to register. I'll explain the set-up and give you the price before anything is bought.