The domain name of your site is how people remember your business. Established brands invested colossal amounts of money in branding and marketing strategies to make their names famous. In this context, losing your domain name is a complete nightmare. Luckily, most domain registrars are serious, and you won’t face any issue as long as you pay the subscription fee.
Basically, all domain registrars do the same thing – sell domain names. However, each domain registrar comes with particular offerings. Don’t know which one is most suitable for your project? Check out the following suggestions, and you will be able to make an educated decision in the future.
What Is a Domain Registrar?
A domain registrar is a business entity that intermediates the purchase and registration of a domain name. ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names) is the organization responsible for managing the domain names. It has accredited domain registrars to facilitate people to buy the desired domain name.
A domain name is a convention to simplify the lives of Internet users. If domain names didn’t exist, people would have to type the site’s IP address they want to visit into the browser. For instance, the IP address of a site you frequently visit may be 128.104.164.128. Remembering so many digits is impossible. However, remembering terms like “google.com,” “amazon.co.uk,” or “superbthemes.com” is easy. In simple terms, a domain name is a convention that associates an IP address with a convenient string of letters and numbers.
Nowadays, domain registrars don’t just sell domain names. Instead, clients may opt for hosting and privacy services, SSL certificates, and website builders.
Best Domain Registrars
While price is a determining factor in deciding on the right domain registrar, a few other factors should also be considered. The pricing plans slightly differ, but some offers may fit your budget and expectations better. The added benefits, such as an SSL certificate, can matter a lot when purchasing a domain name. A pricing plan that includes a free SSL certificate is more expensive than a simple domain name. However, purchasing a domain name and an SSL certificate separately may cost more. So, it’s better to purchase the more expensive plan!
The domain registrars below are the most serious partners, so we recommend looking at their offerings.
Bluehost
Bluehost is one of the most well-known sites hosting providers and one of the hosts recommended by WordPress. While selling domain names isn’t their main activity, you can purchase a domain from Bluehost.
You will probably set up a site after you purchase a domain name. Wouldn’t it make sense to buy the hosting services and the domain name from the same entity? Wouldn’t it be more profitable to get the domain name for free? It looks like a bargain, and this is possible thanks to Bluehost’s generous tender. Whenever you purchase hosting services from Bluehost – even the cheapest plan – you get a domain name for free for a year. I should also mention that, as long as you go with Bluehost hosting, you get a free SSL certificate. So, despite some rumors about the quality of their support, Bluehost remains a solid solution for hosting your sites. It’s a reliable domain registrar too. Besides the standard domain name selling, Bluehost offers a few useful services, such as:
- auto-renewal – in this way, you can rest assured that nobody can buy your domain name.
- Domain forwarding – you redirect the domain visitors to a particular URL.
- Domain privacy – your personal data stays safe with Bluehost.
- Extensive knowledge base – this contains everything you need to know about domain names.
Namecheap
Are you on a restrictive budget? Namecheap claims to be an inexpensive domain registrar, and its tender, and pricing plans support this idea. Their adjacent services, like the site and email hosting, privacy, and enhanced security, are quite affordable, too.
Similar to GoDaddy, Namecheap educates people about the new generic domains. In addition to a sparkle of creativity, you can find a memorable domain name. The Beast Mode is a powerful tool to lookup domain names. The filtering system is intuitive, and you can search for up to 500 domains.
Namecheap throws in a privacy protection service for free for any domain name you purchase from them. Other service upgrades worth mentioning are affordable site hosting, WordPress managed hosting, custom email (two-month free trial), domain transfer, and enhanced security and privacy through a Namecheap VPN.
Domain
Domain.com is the most suggestive name for a domain registrar. More than 1.2 billion hosted domains and 20+ years of activity say a lot about this company. Domain’s interface is user-friendly, and searching for the desired domain name is a breeze. Besides your chosen domain name, Domain generates a list of similar domain names. If your budget isn’t restrictive, purchasing a few similar domain names may be useful from the long-term perspective.
Purchasing a domain name comes with many potential upsells, such as privacy and protection, custom email address, basic hosting, SSL certificates, Sitelock – a website security service, and a powerful site builder.
While Bluehost is a hosting provider that sells domain names, Domain is a domain registrar that sells hosting. Both companies offer a large array of services. The overall prices of domain names are similar – they differ mostly due to the premium adds-on purchased together with the domain name.
GoDaddy
GoDaddy is the biggest domain name registrar, so you have the highest chance to find the coveted domain name here. However, the same as Bluehost, some customers aren’t delighted with GoDaddy’s customer service. Altogether, we used GoDaddy services in the past, and we were 101% satisfied with them.
Leaving aside the problem of customer support, GoDaddy is a reliable solution for acquiring your domain name. It comes with a few options and helpers that deserve mention. Its Domain Name Generator is priceless for web admins and online entrepreneurs. It suggests domain names based on your keywords. And, thankfully, the suggestions are pretty interesting and numerous.
Not everyone is familiarised with the new generic domain extensions. GoDaddy experts know this and have created a page to discover the fanciest and nicest sounding domains. Use the filtering system to find the domain name you want – it saves a lot of precious time.
Do you want to secure more domain names simultaneously? Use the Bulk Domain Search feature, which allows buying in bulk. Upload a CSV, XLS, or XLSX file containing your desired domain name, and GoDaddy will list the available ones.
The prices of the domains are affordable, but pay attention to purchasing these at a discounted price. In addition, you’d be better off securing them for many years – GoDaddy permits securing them for up to ten years.
Network Solutions
Do you want to register a domain for a lifetime? Thanks to Network Solutions, it’s possible to register a domain for 100 years. I am skeptical about buying a domain for such a period of time, but it’s nice to have this option. Unlike other registrars, Network Solutions allows users to secure a domain for 20 years – a more logical acquisition. Then, of course, you can purchase a domain for one, two, three, five, or ten years.
Network Solutions comes with all you need to create a good-looking website. It offers site and email hosting, site builders, custom email address, SSL certificates, and privacy. Unfortunately, by purchasing a domain name, you don’t get any free add-ons. However, the prices are reasonable for all budgets.
Namesilo
Namesilo impresses with low prices and a complete array of services needed to start a site. On top of that, you get discounts by buying domains in bulk. Namesilo’s search system is user-friendly, and you can find the proper domain name in no time. Don’t worry if it’s already taken – Namesilo puts you in contact with the owner of the domains to make them an offer.
A distinctive feature of Namesilo is that the renewal price is the same as the starter price of a domain. This applies to .com and .org domain names. It’s a sign that shows the honesty of the brand. The vast majority of the domain registrars ask for considerably higher renewal prices.
How to Choose The Proper Registrar
I hate, from the bottom of my heart, all the answers and explanations that start with “it depends on.” Despite that, choosing the best domain registrar does rely on many factors particular to your business. There is no general solution for this matter. However, we suggest you pay close attention to a few aspects such as:
- Renewal Prices
The price you pay for your domain name for the first time is discounted in most instances. The full price is an unpleasant surprise for less-experienced web admins. You don’t have any excuse to complain here because all domain registrars mention this aspect. Indeed, this mention is usually included in a small-size font in the page footer; but you should know that the important parts of a contract are usually in the footer and/or written in small print.
If possible, secure the domain name for more years to benefit from the discounted prices. For example, network Solutions lets you secure the domain for 100 years, which is more than most people need, but a five-year period is a good idea.
- Custom Email
A professional custom email address is a must-have for a serious business. A suggestive address name like [email protected] is a clear indicator of the sender. It looks way more professional than [email protected]. Some domain registrars include custom email hosting. Study this aspect carefully to make an educated decision.
- Complete Services
If you already have a favorite hosting, you can select any domain registrar. But, altogether, you should go with a registrar that provides the hosting services needed for your site. For instance, Bluehost gives you for free a domain name when you choose any hosting plan. In this way, you have a unique platform for managing your site and domain name.
- Add-Ons
Watch your shopping cart when purchasing the domain name. Some domain registrars include, by default, a few add-ons, and careless users may end up buying services they don’t want. It’s not quite fair, but aggressive upselling is frequently seen in this industry. You can save money by purchasing only the needed add-ons.
Over to You
A domain name matters a lot for your business. All of the above domain registrars are reliable partners. Millions of users have got their domain names by selecting one of these registrars. Study their plans and rates, compare them against your business needs, and make the right decision.
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