Reviewers say the following about shopping for a domain name registrar:

  • Make sure the registrar is accredited by ICANN, or is an authorized reseller of an accredited registrar. Check the ICANN-accredited registrar official list at http://www.icann.org/registrars/accredited-list.html.
  • Find out the cost and procedures for transferring your domain name to another domain name registrar in case you become dissatisfied or find a lower price. Registrars in general have a terrible reputation for holding names hostage. Some charge exorbitant fees or create delays to avoid losing business.
  • Consider features, if you want them. Extra services offered by domain name registrars are generally oriented to domain name speculators or duplicative of what web hosting services provide. Those often include e-mail accounts, e-mail forwarding and domain forwarding.
  • Consider add-on services. Private registration hides your identity and your contact information from Whois searchers. However, it damages the credibility of a business website. Companies such as GoDaddy will lower the price of domain names with add-on services.
  • Consider support options. Registration should be simple, and a name is a name, which means most customers will never need tech support or other customer service. If you want -- or know you'll need -- more support/service, look for e-mail options, live chat and telephone options. Most registrars have limited phone support, if any, and it usually requires a toll call.
  • Make sure the domain is registered to you, as opposed to your web host or registrar. Some people claim that if you get a free or below-cost domain name, the registrar will control the name to make switching to a competitor difficult or impossible.
  • Think twice about using an alternative top-level domain. Reviewers point out that a high percentage of site searches are conducted by guessing a domain name, as opposed to using a search engine. Alternatives to .com can be cheaper, especially .info, but they can make your site hard to find and difficult to remember. Although use of .org is unrestricted, it's inappropriate for anything other than a non-profit organization.

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