In the world, today, having a website is necessary to advertise and promote your business. This is very important for the success and expansion of your business. When you create a website for your business, you must choose, purchase, and register a domain name.
A domain name reflects your brand and serves as the address of your website. It is what people will type in the search URL bar when they want to visit your website. As such, choosing a domain name should be done correctly.
Choosing and registering a domain name may seem complex to many people. This article will recommend some of the best domain registrars and help you understand all about domain registration.
What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is simply the unique address of your website. It is what people type in their browser URL bar when they want to visit your website. It consists of a name and a domain name extension.
What is Domain Registration?
Domain registration refers to purchasing a domain name from a domain name registrar for a particular period. When you register a domain name, you reserve the name on the internet for a temporary period. You can always renew a purchase to keep a domain name yours.
What Are Domain Name Registrars?
A domain registrar is a service provider that sells domain names. Some services domain registrars provide include domain name registration, hosting services, and website building tools. Most companies provide these services in exchange for subscription fees.
What Are the Most Popular and Reliable Domain Registration Platforms?
Searching for a suitable domain name registrar may be difficult. You need to compare and find the best offers and try to avoid falling for marketing trucks. This section below has compiled 10 of the best domain registrars to help you pick your business needs.
-
Domain.com
Domain.com is one of the biggest domain name registrars out there. Alongside domain names, it also provides other services such as web hosting services, professional email services, SSL certificates, and web design. However, selling domain names is its primary focus.
Domain.com boasts of bringing quality products and services at very affordable prices. It also offers excellent testing speeds and live chat support to help starters.
Pricing for .com domains has a minimum of one year and starts at $9.99 per year. Pricing for .co domains starts at $6.99, while pricing for .net starts at $12.99. Domain renewal prices are also available, with renewals for .com domains starting at $13.99 per year; you get privacy options as an add-on as well.
-
Bluehost
Bluehost is one of the best web hosting providers you can find. It is more concerned with selling hosting plans than just domain names. It is a good domain registrar if you are looking for your hosting and domain name in one place.
Purchasing a .com domain would cost $12.99 per year, while a .org domain would cost $9.99. Upon purchase, you will receive a free domain name for a year. This applies even if you purchase the cheapest hosting package, beginning at $2.75 per month.
With Bluehost, domain transfers cost $12.99. You also get add-on services such as Domain Privacy + Protection, website builder, website hosting, 24/7 domain support, domain lock, and auto-renewal for domains. Bluehost has an auto-renewal option which helps erase issues associated with renewing domains manually. Users can also access a search system that helps make choosing domains easier.
- IONOS
IONOS is a company responsible for offering domain registration services and various hosting plans. It provides a custom email, a free SSL certificate, and WHOIS privacy protection. Among companies that provide other services, IONOS is one of the best.
Regarding pricing, IONOS lists just $0.99 for domain registration for the first year. For instance, you can purchase domains like .com, .org, net, and .biz, for $1 for the first year. After this period, the yearly cost to renew a domain will increase.
For example, the renewal price for .com will increase to $15/year, while the renewal price for org, .net, and .biz will increase to $20/year. IONOS offers domain primacy, domain lock, domain transfers, pre-registration, and email. You also get a personal consultant if you need to call or chat to ask questions.
-
Network Solutions
Network Solutions is a unique and flexible domain registrar and hosting provider. One thing that makes Network Solutions stand out is its private registration. Registering a new domain name allows you to register privately to protect your personal information online.
Network Solutions is great for long-term domain ownership. It allows you to lock and secure your domain for up to 100 years. For the first month, the protection is free, but it eventually auto-renews for a fee of $1.99 per month. Note that you will still be required to pay upfront for the time you have locked your website.
Initial prices for domains and renewal pricing start at $9.99 per year. Domain transfer costs $9.99 with an added one-year extension. Other add-on services include domain management, website builder, online payments, web hosting, email, SEO marketing tools, SSL certifications, trusted site seal, and small business cyber security.
-
GoDaddy
GoDaddy is recognized as the world’s biggest domain registrar. Its domains are a bit more expensive than other domain registrar prices. Like some other providers, GoDaddy offers a combination of hosting and domain registration for those who want to purchase both from the same provider.
Pricing for .com domains begins at $11.99 for the first year. The second year is more expensive, with .com rising to $18.99. GoDaddy’s domain transfer begins with pricing at $7.99 for .com domains.
Three levels of domain protection are available, and the pricing depends on your domain. GoDaddy does not list its renewal cost on its site, but you can find it if you have a registered domain. Renewals are, however, one of the most expensive among the other registrars. Its add-on services include website security, domain extensions, privacy protection, website builder, email, and an online store builder.
-
Hover
Hover is another great domain registrar we recommend if you want to register a domain without stress. The website is simple and user-friendly; Hover has no upsells in its purchase process, and it also accepts different payment methods. Hover’s website has a domain pricing page that shows you registration costs. You can search and filter the available domains with their prices displayed.
Pricing begins at $12.99 for .com domains, $13.99 for .org domains, and $15.49 for .net domains. Domain transfers for Hover begin at $12.99 for .com domains. To transfer a domain to Hover, your domain must be newer than 60 days and not have been transferred within the past 60 days. Other services for Hover include domain extensions, domain privacy, transfer lock, and email.
-
DynadotÂ
Dynadot is another good domain name registrar with a unique experience. Its website provides Bulk and IDN search tools and advanced options which define which domain extensions to include in your present and future searches. It has a marketplace where you can bid on domains up for auction, browse domains and list your domain for sale, and many more.
Dynadot’s prices are reasonable and comparatively affordable. .com domains begin pricing at $7.99 for both initial prices and renewal. A .co.uk domain will cost $2.49 initially and $6.99 on renewal. Pricing for .org is $8.99 initially and $10.99 on renewal and pricings for .mobi domains are $5.99 initially and $17.99 on renewal.
Domain transfers begin at $8.99 for .com domains. Dynadot’s privacy options include WHOIS protection and two-factor authentication in all accounts. Additional services include a free website builder, a grace period for deletion, web hosting, SSL security, and email hosting.
-
Namecheap
As implied in its name, Namecheap offers affordable prices for people looking to register a domain name. Prices for .com domains are at $9.48 initially and $13.98 on renewal, while prices for .co.uk domains are at $2.98 initially and $9.48 on renewal. For .org, prices begin at $8.88 and renew at $14.98 while .mobi domains begin at $4.98 and renew at $19.98.
Namecheap provides WhoisGuard for your privacy, alongside other security features such as SSL certificates, a VPN, and PremiumDNS.
-
Google Domains
Google Domains is an even easier domain name registrar to use. It is a lightweight service provider with minimum upselling and a straightforward purchase process. It is also quite affordable for its quality when compared with other domain name registrars in the market.
The starting price of most domains on this platform is $12. Google Ads, email, and the website design are available for you to add to your purchase. For domain transfer, the cost depends on the domain you want to transfer.
All Google Domains plans have WHOIS protection for privacy, 24/7 customer support, email forwarding, Google two-step verification, Google Cloud DNS, and domain and subdomain forwarding.
-
 Shopify
Shopify is another domain registrar we recommend, especially for people who want to take their businesses online. It provides a bundle of domain registration, domain hosting, website design, email, and customer support. This package, although comparatively expensive, makes things easier for those looking to set up a store online.
Prices begin at $11 to $14 per year, with a fixed renewal pricing consistent with your first-year purchase price. Shopify includes WHOIS privacy protection on all its domains for security. To transfer a domain to or from Shopify, the domain must be eligible and must have been held for a minimum of 60 days.
Conclusion
Domain registration is a necessary aspect of website development. While many companies provide domain registration services, you may find it difficult to choose from the pool of options at your disposal. This article has narrowed the options to 10 of the best domain registrars to make your choice much easier.