This is a great question! Especially since there are hundreds of domain registrars out there.

For the *most* part, most registrars offer pretty much the same basic service:

• Domain registration, obviously. This gives you your .com, .net, or other TLD (the domain ending). The standard choice is to renew annually, or you can also prepay multiple years. Most registrars offer an option to Auto-Renew, which is a major convenience so you do not lose your domain name.
• Enter public contact information called WHOIS, and most registrars have an option to make this private so the bots cannot scrape your information as easily.
• Choose your nameservers, which are where your DNS records will be hosted. DNS records are like an old phone book for your domain name (e.g. mail goes to this server, website traffic goes to that server, etc).

Those are some of the basic services most domain registration companies will provide. Since most provide this for around $20 per year, give or take a few dollars, it’s not critically important which company you choose.

 

That being said, these are some red flags to avoid when choosing a domain registrar:

• Annual renewal prices over $25 per year (unless you need a special domain ending, such as .build, .lawyer, .realtor, etc, which can cost more annually).
• A company with a poor reputation or one you have never heard of.
• An additional fee for private registration. This should be free, included in your renewal.

 

So what companies do I recommend?

Previously, I was very happy with Google Domains, but in 2024 they started transitioning their portfolio of customer domains to Squarespace. I do not feel registering a domain name through Squarespace is wise if you are not utilizing the Squarespace.com website builder and hosting services.

As of 2024, my current recommendations are these 2 companies:

1. Namecheap — Founded in 2000, they consider themselves “the world’s second-largest domain registrar.” Their domain services are honest and straightforward, and they have solid security practices to safeguard your account. Transfers to them were simple, and their prices are very competitive.
2. GoDaddy — They have been around since 1997, they are based in the USA, and they make creating an account and registering a domain name easy. However, their checkout is plagued with unnecessary up-charges, they have been accused of unethical marketing practices, and their economy hosting packages are very low quality to run a business on.

Should I switch my domain name?

In general, no. As mentioned above, if you are paying a decent price (under $25/year/domain) and have not experienced any terrible customer service, keep your domain(s) where it is. And I also advocate keeping all of your domains under the same roof, so you only have 1 place to check once or twice a year to review your billing and auto-renewals.

 

What if I do want to move my domain name?

Moving a domain name is actually easier than people think. ICANN (the domain authority) has standardized this process. Usually, you just need 2 things:

• The domain to be in an UNLOCKED state (usually achieved with 1 click).
• The AUTH Code (Authorization Code), which can typically be found within your domain dashboard.

That’s usually all you need to move a domain name from one registrar to another. Once the transfer is initiated, the domain owner’s email address (listed in the WHOIS record) will receive a transfer link to accept or reject the transfer. Once it is accepted, the transfer completes! Typically a pretty straightforward process!

 

🎯 Actionable Tip: Unhappy with your current domain registrar? Or looking to purchase a new domain name? Consider Namecheap! I am very happy with their services, and they have a solid reputation in the website design industry.

Image above created with Generative Artificial Intelligence by Adobe Firefly.