Choosing A Domain Registrar

 
Since Network Solutions lost its monopoly over the domain name

registration business, a multitude of competing registrars and

thousands of resellers have popped up. Now a domain buyer may

choose between these various sites at various rates for basically

the same service.

So why does it matter where you buy your domain names?

No two registrars are the same. They vary in price, services

offered, ease of use, management system, etc. This is why which

registrar to go with is an important decision. If you register

your new domain name at one, and find you have overpaid compared

to other registrars or you're not happy with the service, you

either have to let the domain drop when the registration expires

or pay to register it again in order to transfer it to another

registrar.

The following are the main factors to consider when choosing

a registrar when buying a domain. Whether you are buying a new

domain or thinking of transferring an existing domain to a

different one, consider these before choosing:

 

1. PRICE

The price you pay for your standard .com, .net or .org domain

can vary greatly between registrars. While there are "free"

domain name services available, many of them either buy the

domain themselves and only permit you "use" of the name, or

force you to place large frames full of advertisements on your

site in exchange for the domain name.

The cheapest you can expect to pay for a domain name would be

between $12 and $15. At others you may expect to pay from $20 to

$35 a year for the same domain.

Remember that price is not the only factor. When comparing

prices, take into account the other services offered by the

registrar, their customer support, testimonies, etc.

 

2. SERVICES

Does the registrar you are looking at offer more than just

registration? Many will offer additional services with the

registration of your domain which may make up for additional

cost in price.

For example, Register.com offers site building tools, a domain

redirection services and email services for free with the

registration of a domain. If these services are useful to you,

they may make up for the $35 registration fee.

If you don't need any services, then Register.com may not be

the registrar of choice for you, as there are many other good

registrars that charge much less than $35 for a single domain.

 

3. MANAGEMENT

Another important factor to consider when choosing a registrar

is their method of domain management. In other words, once you

have registered the domain, how do you manage the information

associated with it? You may want to change contact information or

nameservers in the future.

Most registrars offer a control panel type interface for managing

your domains. This allows you to simply log in on the web and

change the information you want changed.

Others, however, have much more complicated systems. Network

Solutions was known for its inefficient and complicated system of

making simple changes. If, for example, you switched to a new

e-mail address, you might have had to fax in multiple forms of

identification in order to change simple information related to

your domain.

 

4. SUPPORT

When you need to know how to do something or you're having a

problem with your domain, customer support is important. Smaller

sites reselling domain registration may not be able to provide

the same level of support one of the main registrars could. Check

out the site's help section for its depth and check how easy it

is to find an email address or form to fill out for help.

 

Consider these factors when choosing where to register your

domain name to come up with the registrar offering the perfect

combination of price, service, management and support for you.

 

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Dan Grossman runs http://www.websitegoodies.com  where you can

find over 250 hand-picked resources, articles, and tools! Dan

also publishes the free weekly "WebDevPortal" newsletter for

website owners! Subscribe today and get articles like this every

week: mailto:subscribe@webdevportal.com?subject=article-subscribe 

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