Domain name registrars are necessary but first you have to choose your domain name. A domain name can be compared to a storefront—it’s what you see from the street and what attracts you in a way that makes you want to go into the store and see what they have. A domain name does the same thing; it is your storefront attraction and also an address that is easy for people to remember.
Choosing a domain name before you start to compare domain name registrars can be difficult because so many of the best names have already been taken. You can handle this one of two ways. Let’s say you would like to name your domain “Ed’s music” only to find that the name is unavailable. You can use a variation of your original idea such as Ed’s Music and More or Ed’s Flats and Sharps. Adding numbers, the name of your hometown or other additional words can make the name unique enough to be available to you.
Another thing you can do if you check the most popular domain name registrars and find that the name you want is unavailable is to check the auctions. Domains are like houses in more than one way; if you don’t keep up the monthly charges and renewal fees, domain name registrars will “foreclose” on you. When a person loses their domain name through abandonment or nonpayment of fees the name belongs to the domain name registrars that registered it and maintained it. Just like foreclosed properties, these names will go up for auction and the highest bidder wins the property. This is another way you can get the domain name that you want.
Once you decide on a domain name you’ll need to compare domain name registrars and decide which one is best for you. The most popular domain name registrars might not offer the services you need while the cheapest domain name registrars may be exactly what you want! Price isn’t always the best indicator of quality. Many domain name registrars will try to sell you add-on services such as email and web hosting. That’s fine if you need those things but remember that you also have a choice in these services.
When you compare domain name registrars there are three main questions you need to have answered. Probably the most important is who controls your domain name; some domain name registrars reserve the right to the name after you decide to go elsewhere or close your business or blog. If you are planning to sell your domain name in the future or just want to keep your options open, be sure that your contract will allow you to do so.
Customer service is important, too. Ideally, you should be able to contact customer service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week although even some of the most popular domain name registrars have limited hours in their support department. Make sure that there are several ways to contact them; even many of the cheapest domain name registrars offer 24 hour contact via email, telephone or live chat.
Finally, review domain name registrars by doing a search on the internet to find out whether and how many disgruntled customers they have. Every company will have one or two dissatisfied clients but if you detect a pattern of steady abuse it’s best to cross that domain name registrar off your list even if it’s the cheapest domain name registrars you’ve found. Likewise, the most popular domain name registrars can have a lot of unhappy customers. It’s up to you to make the effort to get the best deal in every way.