Is it common for hosting companies to offer free domain names? Should I offer free domain names with hosting? Right now I have domain names priced at $9.95 for the most common.

It is common enough from what I see, but more for yearly+ billing.

Why should you? Are you competing with the hosts that do? Are your customers requesting this?

I guess it can't hurt to test it. Offer it as some sort of special, see how sales go.

$9.95 is competitive. Like Dan said, possibly offer it with yearly web hosting.

Thanks for the feedback. That's what I've done with offering a free domain name by paying for a year or more of hosting.

Agreed...free with yearly is the majority of what is out there. It is a nice addition for a new client to see this and it brings 'comfort' to the table.

Most that I tend to see almost always have the yearly tied into the domain name and I have never really heard of this being a bad idea (unless I guess you priced things wrong and have no clients).

I guess it is a good idea to give the domains Free on the yearly billing plan, This will give a illusion to the customers of getting something beneficial and will be attracted towards you. This doesn't mean that you should increase the prices on the packages

I hope you might be absorbing the cost of the domain name somewhere but you should clarify what will happen to the domain name if a client discontinue to host with you?

If I were offered a free domain with a years hosting, I wouldn't take either deal. I prefer a monthly contract that is simple to get out of and that I can take my domain name with me, without fear of an unscrupulous holding my domain name to ransom.

I've always preferred paying monthly myself for hosting. However getting a free domain name and overall lower per month price, might entice me to pay for a year or two in advance.

We find charging for the domain, and giving 2 months free on Annual hosting is the most popular method

I'm with a host that gives three free domain names for yearly hosting, and they are free for life but only if you decide to stick with their hosting.

Few hosting companies offering free domain name usually keep the ownership with them, so read their TOS carefully before you sign up.

It's OK by me because I'm with that host for many years now and I'm very satisfied with all of their services. I always read TOS before signing up to anything.

Kinda weird when I first read this thread I thought you ment give away free domains, But I reread it and understand it, I think its common to offer domains with yearlly paid domains. Other than that you can be like justhost and those other host that are big and kinda not that good and offer a domain with monthly billed orders.