An add on domain is another feature in web hosting. Add on domains gives you the opportunity to create and possess more than one web site for web hosting, while maintaining your main domain which is the first account that you set up in your hosting account.

In order to have an add on domain, you will first have to register another domain name or direct the existing domain that you have already registered with the servers. You will then need to use the add on domain feature in your web hosting control panel to secure your web site and its features. This will cover your domain registration.

The control panel prompts you to create a user name and password when you add an add on domain. The user name will then be used to put up a directory within your own public html directory which will store all files relative to that domain. The password will give the independent ftp access to the said domain’s directory and files.

Now the nice part about this is that add on domains have the luxury of its very own URL, addondomain.com, and everyone wishing to visit the site can just put it the URL at their browsers and enjoy it like any other web site. An add on domain uses the space and bandwidth that is typical to your main domain in web hosting. Add on domains also have its own CGI and FTP access, its own email accounts and web statistics, which include the preferred AWStats package by clients, and sub-domains may even be created under these add on domains.

It is worthy to note however, that every add on domain does not have its own configured control panel. The viewing of statistics and the placing of add on domain configuration must be done at the control panel of your main domain. The add on domains also count as sub-domains, meaning that every time you add an add on domain in your web hosting process, you are deducted one sub-domain that is available to you.

Optimizing Your Web Hosting Space With Add On Domains

You wonder if it is possible to have two or more web sites with two or more domains using a single domain account. You ask if you can do all this without paying for another separate hosting account. Yes, this is possible by using add on domains.

Add on domains are new domains added and included over and above your main domain. It develops a sub-directory within your main web hosting directory but can interface a different or another web site. After your domain registration, the add on domain gathers the information from the sub-domain directory using the same space and bandwidth as your main account but cannot have its own separate control panel.

Benefits of Having an Add On Domain

1. You can create several domains and web sites using the same web hosting account.
   

2. You can save money using a single hosting account instead of several accounts.
   

3. The add on domain shares the same resources with your main site, like disk space, bandwidth, etc.
   

4. The add on domain has its own independent FTP manager, site statistics and storage bins which are automatically posted.
   

5. You can upload different postings, pages, images and forums to your add on domain directory.
   

6. You can access your add on domain using various web site addresses.
   

7. Several sites can be promoted with just a single hosting account using different sets of keywords.
   

Creating An Add On Domain

1. Register your new add on domain with a domain name registrar.
   

2. Direct the domain name server (DNS) information of your new add on domain to the same DNS of your web host.
   

3. Give an allowance of 1 to 2 days for the DNS to flourish over the Internet before uploading files or documents.
   

4. Log in to your control panel or web hosting manager and move to the add on domains.
   

5. You need to fill in three fields, namely: the new domain name, the user name, and a password.
   

6. Click the ‘Add Domain’ button, and wait for a couple of minutes for the system to set-up an add on domain name.
   

7. When completed, you can already start uploading your index pages, images, and other relative information.