To be successful as a Domainer you will need to use both of those skills to identity, anticipate and, sometimes, even create a market. The trading of domains, which is very transactional, requires the registering and transferring of names through a domain name registrar.
As the interface that links you to your online investments a domain name registrar functions as both a briefcase and a canvas. Registrars support the day to day transaction and management needs of thousands of Domainers, developers and business owners across the world.
As an active domain trader or developer, expect to spend A LOT of time inside the control panel of your favourite registrar. Much of that time will be spent organizing your domain portfolio, transferring domain names or modifying DNS settings.
As a successful domainer, with a strong domain portfolio, you will have an almost intimate relationship with your domain registrar. So please choose your domain name registrar wisely.
Choose Wisely – Choose the best domain name registrar for you
When you buy, sell or develop domain names you are exposed to all kinds of different domain registrars. While most of them offer the same core services and functionality, their quality level, experience and product offering can vary. But even if you decide to register your domain names through multiple registrars, you will eventually come across, what you consider, a favourite domain registrar.
Choosing the right registrar can be difficult. Hundreds of qualified domain registrars are ‘out there’ asking for your business. However, asking for your business alone is not enough. When it comes to a registrar, you want to choose one that not only asks for your business but earns it too!
Here are some of the most important considerations to make when choosing a domain name registrar.Let’s start with the priority considerations that we call The Non Negotiables:
Non Negotiable Requirements in a Domain Registrar
- ICANN – Credentials. If you’re looking at a registrar and they are not ICANN accredited, walk away. ICANN means certified and when it comes to domain name ‘property’ certification is a must. Bottom line: When a registrar is ICANN accredited, you know it meets a certain level of standards.
- Reputation – A registrar with a bad reputation is a bad place to spend your money. This means that choosing a quality registrar will require you to eliminate ones with a poor service record or history of shadiness from consideration. If you have peers in the domaining world, ask for their opinions. An endorsement or negative review from a professional domainer or web developer can go a long way. Another way to learn about a registrars reputation is to check with the Better Business Bureau. Visit the BBB at www.bbb.org and see how each registrar measures up. If they are BBB accredited and they have a high rating, then they are less likely to scam you or offer poor service. If they are unknown to the BBB, then you might want to reconsider.
- Customer Support – It’s possible that the registrar you choose with will have terrible customer service. Don’t let that happen. Read and understand the service standards each registrar promises, search online for registrar reviews and ask other domainers in the community for their opinions. For the most personal touch ask your potential registrar about their services via an email or a pre-sales support ticket. The speed and quality of their response is often an excellent measure of the customer service you can expect.
- Security – Protecting your investment from thieves and scammers is important. Thankfully most of the larger domain registrars operate using the highest available security. If you consider going with a smaller or lesser known registrar, make sure you review their security standards, systems and track record. Before you risk losing personal information, money or an important domain name – ask the right questions!
The Want List
After you limit your considerations to include only registrars that meet your non negotiable standards, its time to look at your want list. The want list includes all the options that make your domaining experience easier and more fun. While they might be important to you, leaving them out shouldn’t be a deal breaker. Items such as a “pretty” GUI, available extended services, free extras and yes even price are included on our list of wants.
Comfort
Being comfortable in your workspace is important. Which is why you should try and find a registrar with a control panel and navigation system that you find easy to work with. Some domain registers have an awkward or cluttered control panel that can slow you down or make your navigation clumsy.
Here are few ways to find out if a registrars interface is right for you:
- Love at First Site – You can judge a registrar by its cover…or at least its front page. If you get a warm fuzzy feeling the first time you visit somedomainregistrar.com, then you can often expect the same reaction to their user interface. The opposite can be true as well. If you find the layout of a registrars home page cluttered or unattractive, then their systems might not be a good fit for you. Remember, a good registrar earns your business and a first impression can go a long way.
- Online Reviews – For most goods and services online reviews are very helpful but when it comes to registrar reviews available online, many of them are useless bullshit. Why? Because a multitude of registrar reviews are written through the lens of affiliate programs, Fanboys always try to push their favourite products or they’re just advertisements disguised as reviews. So how do you dig through all the garbage and find a real registrar review? You have to work for it! Search online to find credible sources such as large online publications, search web forums ( e.g. www.namepros.com), reach out to peers or respected websites and start asking important questions. Sometimes a little extra investigating can reveal affiliate or sponsor footprints. Bottom line: Unbiased registrar reviews exist but they can be hard to find.
- Test Drive – This might be the best way to get a real feel for a registrar. Once you find a registrar that you’re interested in, sign up for a membership and take it for a spin. Don’t register any domain names, just play around with their control panel, use their domain search and pretend to buy a domain name. If you register a new account, choose a domain name and go through their check out process, stopping before paying, you will get the best lesson possible – experience – at no cost.
- Word of Mouth – Yep, it still exists. The only catch is that you need to know someone who has bought a domain and has an understanding of the domain industry. Friends, business owners, your employer and especially online forums are all good sources for real opinions, recommendations and the genuine feedback.
Price
Price is always important when considering a purchase but when it comes to registering a domain name, it should never be the most important variable.With domain name registrars, sometimes the best price can come with the worst catch.
Before you jump at the cheapest price for domain names, consider the following:
- The Price of Customer Experience – You get what you pay for. That statements also applies to registering domain names. While there are plenty of affordable quality registrars, there are as many or more discount registrars that sacrifice their interface quality, security and customer service in exchange for lower prices.
- High Service Standards – The more expensive fish in the sea usually have the money available to meet or exceed their service guarantees. Examples include 24/7 support, guaranteed ‘up time’, excellent customer service and overall reliability. If you’re looking at a registrar that promises a lot, its wise to look at their pricing structure. If it seems like they’re giving away everything and promising the world, its probably too good to be true.
- Risk & Stability – For the difference of a few dollars you can protect your domain name or idea from the baggage that comes with a discount registrar. New or economy registrars come and go, so its wise to consider their operating time as well as their sales pitch. If a domain registrar has only been in business a short while, there is a greater chance they could fail. After all, an out of business registrar could cause you plenty of headaches.
Other Services & Extras
Other services offered by a domain registrar can often influence your decision. Especially if your plans go beyond registering and trading domain names.
If you have plans to develop or park your domain names, you might consider selecting a registrar that also offers domain hosting, parking and other web development services.
ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE: Some domainers and web developers prefer to keep their domain names registered at one location and host them at another. This can be strategy or just preference. One argument is this: If you have all your domains registered and hosted in the same place, what happens if that place goes out of business? That same logic is applied to the argument of spreading your domain portfolio amongst multiple registrars. We discuss this and more in our article How to Choose a Web Host.
- Discount Codes – Many online businesses offer coupon and discount codes, especially domain registrars. However, not all registrars offer promo codes and not all codes are worthwhile. It might not be a make or break factor in your decision but it is a feature worth looking into. Before you choose a registrar go ahead and check to see if they have coupon or discount codes readily available online.
- Domain Privacy – If you’re trading adult domain names, trying to keep your online and offline businesses separate or you just want to stay off the grid, using a privacy option for your domain names is a must! While you search for the right domain registrar, here is something else to consider: do they offer free private registration? If they don’t, how much will it cost you?
- Extension Variety – .com might be the most sought after domain extension but its still a small part of a bigger industry. If you are looking to work exclusively with one registrar, then you should review your plans. Do you want to build a strong domain portfolio? If so, you’ll need access to other extensions such as .net, .tv and country specific extensions such as Canada’s .ca. If you want to be flexible as a domainer and expand your portfolio, make sure your registrar(s) offer access to a variety of domain extensions.
A carefully chosen domain registrar should include everything from the non negotiable list and your most important wants from the want list. Take your time and consider what you need, what you want and what you’re going to do with it.
The Chosen One
So, did you choose wisely? Don’t worry if you didn’t. Buying and selling domain names is about trial and error. As a domainer you’re probably going to register a lot of domain names, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to make mistakes and learn from them. If you choose a brutal registrar – its ok. You can try another one and another one and another one, until you get it right!
