Cheap domain registration

Mar 10th, 2005 | By Aisling D'Art | Category: Your website

Cheap domain registrations can be important if you’re working with a tight budget. But, it’s important to use a reliable registrar, too. These are points to consider:

Prices for domain names - how cheap is cheap?

Domain namesA domain name is like www.nameofyoursite.com.You don’t actually own that name when you register it.

You simply own the right to use it for however long you’ve paid for it.

In the old days, we paid $100 - $200 per year for each domain name. Today, you can find really cheap domain registration for around $3, and sometimes totally free domain registration.

You’re probably interested in totally free registrations. I’m not talking about the hosting services that offer you a free domain name if you sign a one-year contract with them. (If you leave their hosting service, are you certain that you can take your domain name with you? Ask!)

But, some companies offer totally free domain names, with no strings attached. That can be risky. If the company goes out of business, you may lose your domain name. Or, if you decide to transfer the domain registration to another company, the initial registrar may be difficult to work with.

The best way to find bargains is to watch the paid Google ads. They appear on some webpages (I sometimes include them at my websites) and at the Google search engine, at the very top of their page and on the right side.

See if anyone’s advertising a great registration deal.

Or, you can search at Google (or any search engine) for terms such as “cheap domain registrars.”

dot-com, dot-net, dot-info, etc.

Generally, you’ll want a .com domain name instead. Many people guess the domain name, and type it in with a dot-com extension. If that fails, most people search at Google or another search engine.

If you can’t get the dot-com version of the name that you want, almost any extension is fine, including the .info names. Ultimately, the content of your website is far more important than the domain name, if you want to rank well at search engines such as Google.

(Avoid names with more than one hyphen in them. They’re hard to remember, and many spammers use multiple-hypen names.)

Will you have to wait for your domain name?

Registrars work at different speeds. Most registrars–especially those accredited by ICANN, or working directly with one of them–register your domain name within minutes of when you order it.

Remember: There are spies watching domain name registrars. If they spot a good name that’s getting interest, they’ll buy it immediately and hope to sell it to someone at a profit.

In June 2006, when I heard that Ipower.com was selling domain names for just $2.95, I ordered one immediately.

They said that I’d receive my registration details in about a day.

I wasn’t interested in waiting, so I went to one of my favorite domain registrars, Namecheap.com and ordered the exact same domain from them.

Bargain hunter’s tip

Many domain registrars offer discounts with online coupons.

In June and July 2006, I entered the phrase “evenlower” (one word) at Namecheap.com’s order page, and the price dropped by $1.

Once you sign up with a registrar, they’ll email you when they’re offering a coupon deal.

Or, you can find current coupons listed at coupon websites, such as DNcoupons.com.

Within seconds, my Namecheap.com registration was confirmed. About ten minutes later, my new domain name was hosted at my favorite hosting service, and I was uploading files to it… before I even received the acknowledgement email from Ipower.com.

Cancelling my order with Ipower.com took two more days, and involved emails with glaring grammatical errors.

My conclusion? Ipower.com is probably good if you’d like a $3 domain name, but you won’t cry yourself to sleep if someone else buys it while you’re waiting.

I also wouldn’t rely on Ipower.com for customer service. However, if you follow my recommendations, you probably won’t need customer service from your domain registrar.

If you’re checking sites that register domains–such as the sites listed above–be sure that they say that your domain is registered quickly. (GoDaddy.com doesn’t say that, but I know from experience that they register immediately. Namecheap.com says “fast and automated,” and they are.)

Refunds and domain name registrars

Make certain that the registrar doesn’t charge your account until the domain is registered (Ipower.com does this) or that they’ll refund your fees immediately if the registration doesn’t go through (Namecheap.com does this).

Privacy!

When you register a domain name, all of your information–your full name, your complete address, and your phone number–are posted online for everyone to see, if someone does a “WhoIs” search.

However, some registrars–including GoDaddy.com and Namecheap.com–offer a service that conceals your personal information from prying eyes. Sometimes you’ll pay extra for this privacy. Other services offer it as a freebie, to encourage you to use their services.

Domain name locking

No matter where you purchase your domain name, make sure that they will lock your registration. This means that no one else can transfer the name, or otherwise alter its ownership records, without your approval.

If a cheap domain registrar doesn’t offer this service as a freebie, they’re too cheap!

There have been cases of domain name hijacking. If your registrar doesn’t automatically lock your domain registration, be sure to do this manually. That information should be easy to find at your registrar’s website.

Bells and whistles with cheap domain registrations

If you’re familiar with domain names and how they work, you may be interested in extra services. Even the cheapest domain name registrars often offer freebies.

For example, there’s URL forwarding. If someone types in “aislingdart.com” they are automatically sent to my main art website, Aisling.net. That’s a free service provided by most–but not all–domain registrars. You simply buy the extra domain name/s, and tell the registrar what URL to redirect visitors to.

There are additional services–such as offering your domain name for sale if you decide not to use it–that some registrars offer. (There are also companies that sell domains for a percentage of the sale price, rather than a monthly listing fee. Sedo.com is one of them.)