Choosing a Registrar

Now that there are new registrars popping up everywhere to create that competitive market we all know and love, you can choose any number of companies to register or re-register your domain for you.  So who to pick? There are many factors to consider: 

• Price per year
• Ease of renewal and account changes 
• Support -- phone, email, turnaround, toll-free, courteous, etc.?
• Security -- I measure security against what kinds of documentation the organization required to make changes to the account. 
• Suffix you want (.com, .org, .gov, .cc, .tv -- etc.) -- Some registrars only have certain domains. 

Network Solutions was the company that was in charge of registering your domain name and "pointing" it at the host server your web site is located on. 

Verisign was the company that was in charge of supplying certificates of authenticity for folks with "shopping cart" service. They provided an online method for customers to check to see if the company they were buying from is *really* who they say they are....and not fraudulent.

Recently Network Solutions and Verisign merged and began building the company under the Verisign brand. These two entities together are the longest lasting, most secure (in my experience...I haven't tried them all but I have tried others that were NOT as secure), but the most costly alternative ($35/year vs. the lesser expensive opportunities at $15/yr or bulk prices).

When a registrar says that they are a Network Solutions Partner, it means that they work with the new Verisign to make a positive experience your you.

One way is that when the domain is registered, your registration information is collected and shared with other registrars. This means that if you successfully register a domain name with one registrar, the other registrar will also have it marked in their database as being "not available." 

In another way, the partnering registrar has priority access to Verisign customer support and special online tools. (These partners are oftentimes hosting or other Internet service providers.) 

Find out more about the partnerships at Verisign and Interlands partnership with Network Solutions (You'll need to scroll down the page to the paragraph on Verisign.)

Ask some of your associates about their re-registration experiences have been with what registrars. 

The standard pricing for domain registration today average on $10 each.

Footnote:

On behalf of one of my clients, I assisted them in transferring their domain to a new host. They did not require a signature, an ID, a listing as a contact on the registration -- just my word for it, which freaked me out!