In this article, I will share some of the best domain name registrars and compare them. It will give you a good idea of the features and pros & cons.
Since a good domain name is vital for your websites’ future ranking online, you need to be careful when choosing the right domain host.
You can easily optimize your website using services such as CloudInnovare whenever you want. But if your domain name is poor or if you go with the wrong domain name registrar, your entire business will suffer in the long run.
So, you need to be aware of all the aspects that could help you get the best possible domain name for your business or blog or e-commerce website.
Compare pricing with all top domain registrars.
There are different types of domain registrars today. Some will offer you a free domain if you purchase their web hosting plan, some will charge you a cheap fee for the first year, and the rest will have a regular price throughout the cycle.
So, it is essential to compare prices and packages before choosing the domain name registrar.
Although a free domain name might look attractive, you might get locked in, or you will have to pay a hefty fee to transfer your domain name to a new domain name registrar.
So, you can either go with a domain name registrar that will give you a discounted deal for the first year or some registrar that’ll have a uniform plan throughout the domain’s life.
I personally go with the latter option as the cheap first-year option is almost always followed by a hefty renewal fee.
Check the renewal rate.
As mentioned earlier, renewal rates are often ignored when choosing any digital services online.
If you ignore this critical aspect, you might have to pay a significant amount for renewals.
As a rule of thumb, you should always signup for a domain name registrar that will offer regular pricing even after renewal.
For this reason, I use Google domains as they don’t have any hidden “surprises”.
Consider ease of domain transfer.
You may have to move away from your current domain name registrar to a different one due to various reasons.
So, ease of domain transfer is an excellent factor to consider when comparing multiple services.
That said, many domain name registrars deliberately make it challenging for people to transfer their domain names out.
Check your support documentation to see if the process is simple and easy to follow.
Check for combo deals for web hosting.
If you are not hunting for brandable domain names, you might want to launch your own business website or a personal blog.
In that case, you will also need a web hosting plan.
To make things simpler, signup for a domain name registrar that will also offer a hosting web service.
Isn’t it tricky?
Yes, you might face problems when transferring the domain to a different vendor. But, launching a website and starting the publishing process becomes fast.
All you have to do after purchasing the domain name is; install WordPress.
Even that process is made simple by most web hosting companies across the internet.
You just have to click on a single “Install WordPress” button, and your website will be ready to go.
Please note:
Many professionals advise against using the domain registrar and web hosting from the same company. If you don’t plan on migrating to any other web hosting platform, you are safe.
Check your domain registrar’s customer support.
Domain registration and management related issues are common these days. With a growing number of websites, bugs and platform issues are standard.
To resolve such issues, you need a competent customer support team. Many domain name registrars in this list offer state-of-the-art customer support for free.
If you are not sure if your support is fast or qualified to handle technical issues, launch a support ticket or live chat session to see if they can answer your queries.
The best Domain Name Registrars
Domain Name Registrars: Namecheap
Looking at some historical data, you will see that Namecheap has been considered and recommended as one of the most reliable domain name registrars.
Even though it does not offer any discount, many professional bloggers still prefer using Namecheap for their domain hosting and management.
What makes Namecheap so special?
Well, to start with: Namecheap offers everything a business website owner need.
You will get a powerful domain registrar with web hosting plans and email hosting services.
That said, you don’t have to use web hosting services. Treat it as a domain management tool and point your domain to your server.
Namecheap also comes with live chat support and a customer support ticket system.
The only area where Namecheap might feel a tad bit boring is; Pricing.
Since it doesn’t have a considerable renewal charge, you get a uniform pricing structure. Whatever you pay in the first year is what you might spend the next time.
Who should use Namecheap?
I wouldn’t recommend Namecheap web hosting plans if you publish more than 10 articles each month. If you want to host a small online portfolio or a business website, you can go for the Namecheap web hosting plan along with the domain registration without thinking twice.
If you don’t want the web hosting deal, you can still go for the domain registration.
Anybody from a blogger to an enterprise-level business can use Namecheap.
Domain Name Registrars: Godaddy
A good idea might not be the most reliable domain name registrars on this list; they are definitely the most famous.
You can use GoDaddy as a website builder, host your domain names there, install WordPress websites, and even launch your e-commerce store with their web hosting plans.
This makes GoDaddy the most versatile domain registrar on this list.
It is also one of the few domain name registrars that offer the widest range of domain name extensions.
It is available in the local currency in more than 25 countries.
And if we talk about customer support, they offer both support tickets and live chat support. If you need telephone support, you can also do that.
The only problem that I face with GoDaddy is its pricing structure.
If you are a beginner, you’ll see that there are a lot of options to select. You might get a stellar deal when you sign up, but the renewal rates are more than double. This will confuse you, and you might end up paying for something that you don’t really need.
On top of that, GoDaddy also follows aggressive telephone marketing strategies. Even if you don’t want to renew a domain name, they will keep calling you to restore it, and there is no way to stop them from doing that.
For a domain registrar, GoDaddy truly is a powerful contender in this list.
Just install your blog software, find the most profitable niche and start blogging.
Domain Name Registrars: Name.com
Name.com offers a range of digital services and products. To name a few, at the time of writing, they provide the following services:
- Domain name registration
- Web hosting
- Cloud hosting
- WordPress hosting
- Business emails
- SSL certificates
- Premium domain names
They don’t have any hidden fees or charges. If you renew, you will end up paying the same amount as your last payment.
I would strongly recommend Name to anyone who’s looking for a rock-solid domain name registrar. You can also host your website with them and make the whole process of launching a website short and simple.
One interesting feature that might pick your brains is the expired domain list.
This search shows you a list of domain names that are going to expire in a few minutes or hours.
Most of the domain names are decent and aren’t blocked by search engines. If you find a domain name that receives a few visitors from Google and has a good reputation online, you can hunt the domain using this list.
For expired domain-hunters, Name.com’s dead domain name list is a boon.
Furthermore, if you are looking for a brandable domain name to build your business around, look no further.
Name.com’s premium domain list will show you hundreds of premium domains that are ready to be sold.
You have to click on the “Add to cart” button and complete the transaction.
Once you complete the transaction, you will point the domain name to your website and start building your next business venture.
Domain Name Registrars: Google Domains
Google domains is not a new domain registrar in the game. They have been around for quite a long time now. What sets Google domains apart from all the other domain registrars on this list is simply reliability.
Since all the domains you purchase on Google domains are hosted by Google, you don’t have to worry about uptime and other technical issues. Google domains also don’t give you a discounted cheap rate when you purchase the domain.
You will have to pay the same amount every year. For me, that’s a fantastic deal because I don’t have to worry about renewal charges. Google domains registration process is not different, but they do provide a more extensive selection of domaining extensions.
You can go to the website and enter your domain name; it’ll show many available recommendations. You can choose your favorite option and continue with the process.
Once you place the order, Google will automatically get the domain. Within the next 24 hours, your part will be ready to be pointed to your favorite website.
If you don’t want to use Gsuite and want just appointment scheduling feature, you can use Trinitio.
Are there any downsides?
The only downside to using Google domains at this point in time is; customer support. In the Name of customer support, you might have to deal with Google’s community forum. Here most common issues are actually addressed by many users and experts in these community forums. Still, if you face some particular technical problems, you will have to go through many Google searches to find the appropriate solution.
I’ve been using Google domains for the past four years, and I can tell you that I have never faced any problems related to domain hosting and domain transfers.
Google Domains is a domain registrar company which means that you will not get any web hosting deals or email hosting deals.
But it is essential to mention that if you want to use Google’s Gsuite, all you have to do is upgrade your account, and you’ll have all the goodies that premium customers get.
This includes business email, cloud storage, dedicated customer support and more.
I would recommend Google domains to anyone starting a new website or transferring a domain name from a registrar.
Domain Name Registrars: Bluehost
Bluehost is the most reliable web hosting company for WordPress hosting. Did you know that Bluehost can also be used as a domain name registrar?
Instead of going for the web hosting plan, you can just navigate to the “domains” section and buy your desired domain name.
Also, since you are not opting for a web hosting plan, you will get the domain name at an average price.
However, if you want the domain name for free, you should sign up for the hosting web service. You will get the domain name for free.
BuyDomains
BuyDomains is an old domain name registrar that offers many domain name extensions. It’s reliable and has been around for a while.
Domain Name Registrars: Dreamhost
Dreamhost is touted as one of the most reliable Bluehost alternatives. It has been awarded 5-star by all of its customers on Trustpilot. Just like Bluehost, Dreamhost also offers similar features such as:
- Domain name registration.
- Various web hosting packages.
- Free Domain name if you purchase any web hosting plan and more.
Conclusion: Best Domain Name Registrars.
In this article, I have shared with you the best domain name registrars and a tutorial guiding you on the process of proper domain name registrar selection.
Keep all the points highlighted in the article and start with your domain name selection.
Remember, a great domain name is essential to your website’s growth and exposure online.
In the comment section below, let us know which domain name registrar you liked the most and what type of website you are trying to launch.