Last updated: 1 September 2026
No. Your domain name and your website hosting do not have to be with the same company.
Many people assume that because they registered their domain with one company, they also have to host their website there. Fortunately, that's not the case.
Your domain name, website hosting and email hosting are all separate services that work together using DNS (Domain Name System).
Understanding how it all works
The easiest way to think about it is like this:
Your domain name is simply your address on the internet.
Your website hosting stores your website files.
Your email hosting stores your mailboxes and emails.
Your DNS records connect them all together.
There are two ways to connect your website
Option 1 – Change your nameservers
Your new hosting provider may ask you to change your domain's nameservers to theirs.
This transfers control of your DNS to that provider, meaning they will manage all of your DNS records, including your website and email settings.
This works perfectly well, but it also means you'll need to contact them whenever you want to make DNS changes.
Option 2 – Keep your DNS with Nutty About Hosting (Recommended)
In most cases, this is the better option.
Instead of changing your nameservers, we simply update the individual DNS records needed to point your website to its new hosting provider.
This means you can host your website anywhere while still benefiting from having your DNS managed by us.
Benefits of keeping your DNS with us✅ Your website can be hosted with any provider. ✅ Your email can stay exactly where it is. ✅ You continue to benefit from our competitive domain renewal prices. ✅ We can continue to help manage your DNS settings. ✅ Future website moves are usually much easier. ✅ There's less risk of accidentally disrupting your email when making changes. ✅ If you ever need support, we can often diagnose and resolve DNS issues much more quickly because we have direct control over the DNS. |
Most importantly, we give you full control over your DNS records through our control panel. If that sounds a little daunting, don't worry—just get in touch and we'll happily make the changes for you.
Which option should I choose?
For most customers, we recommend keeping your DNS with Nutty About Hosting and simply updating the required DNS records.
This gives you the flexibility to use any website hosting provider while allowing us to continue supporting your domain and DNS whenever you need help.
Of course, if you would prefer to move your DNS elsewhere, that's absolutely fine too. We're happy to help either way.
It's not true...
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❌ Myth: I have to host my website with the company I registered my domain with. ✅ Fact: Your domain registration, website hosting and email hosting are completely separate services. They can all be provided by different companies, with DNS connecting everything together. |
Need help?
If you're moving your website or changing hosting providers and you're not sure which option is best, just get in touch with our support team.
We'll happily make any changes for you if required.
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Related article Do I need to transfer my domain to my hosting company? Learn the difference between transferring a domain and simply pointing it to your website hosting. |