Keep your clients’ domains and email away from their hosting
One small separation that prevents a big outage: when the website has a bad day, the domain and the client’s inbox keep working.
See what I use →
One provider for everything is one point of failure
Many agencies buy hosting, the domain name and the professional email from the same company. It feels simple. Until something goes wrong.
The server goes down, and with it the client’s email. Orders, quotes and customer messages stop arriving, and nobody knows until a customer calls.
A billing problem or a locked account at one provider freezes the website, the domain and the inbox at the same time.
Moving to a better host becomes a risky project, because the domain and every mailbox have to move with it.
Separate them, and each layer can fail, renew or move on its own, without taking the others down.
Set it up right on the next client site. It takes minutes on day one, and hours to fix in the middle of a crisis.
The setup I recommend for every client site
- The domain name at a dedicated registrar, in an account you control for the client.
- Professional email at a dedicated email provider, connected to the same domain.
- The website on premium hosting built for WordPress, connected to the domain by DNS.
If the host has an outage, the email keeps working. If you change hosts, you only point the domain to the new server. The mailboxes don’t move.
See the hosting I recommend →Namecheap – domains and professional email
Why I use Namecheap for domains and email
A registrar should be boring in the best way: clear prices, a clean dashboard, and no surprises at renewal. That’s what I want for every client domain I manage.
Domain names
- ✓Free domain privacy on eligible domains, so the client’s personal details stay out of public records
- ✓Free DNS management and a simple dashboard to point a domain to any host in minutes
- ✓Two-factor authentication and domain lock to protect the account and stop unwanted transfers
- ✓Hundreds of extensions, from .com to local and industry domains
Professional email (Private Email)
- ✓Email on the client’s own domain, like hello@clientbusiness.com, on servers separate from the website
- ✓Webmail with calendar, contacts and tasks, plus anti-spam protection on every plan
- ✓Two-factor authentication on every plan
- ✓Plans from 1 to 5 mailboxes and more, with mobile sync on the higher plans
- ✓A free trial to test it before you pay
You can also bill it as part of your service: register the domain and the mailboxes for the client, manage them, and include them in your yearly care plan.
Find a domain at Namecheap →Some links on this page may be affiliate links: I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Offers and prices can change, check the current details on Namecheap’s site.
Common questions from agency owners
Who should own the domain, me or my client?
The client should be the legal owner of their domain. You can manage it for them, but write it in your agreement. It builds trust, and it protects you both if the relationship ends one day.
My client already has a domain at their host. Should I move it?
Not in a rush. Move it at a calm moment, for example at renewal or during a site update, and check the DNS records and the email before and after the transfer.
Isn’t free email from the host good enough?
It works until the host has a problem. Business email is how orders, quotes and invoices arrive. A dedicated email provider keeps it running even when the website doesn’t.
Does this make my work more complicated?
No. You set it up once per client: the domain, the mailboxes, then the DNS records that point to the host. After that, you rarely touch it.
Your client’s inbox should never depend on their website
Separate the domain, the email and the hosting on your next project. It’s one of the simplest ways to protect your clients and your reputation.
Some links on this page may be affiliate links: I may earn a commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you.