Hey, this is for those who are new to getting their own domain name(s).
I’d like to preface that I’ve been a domain aficionado for the past 15+ years. I collect domain names that sound good or appropriate to me. Sometimes I sell them too. A few went for $250-$500. One went for $3,500. I have a few currently on sale. But I digress. The point here is, I have a lot of experience dealing with domain names and registering them. Below I share my experience with GoDaddy.
First, let me quickly cover what a domain is. Domain names or just domains, as I call them, are the website’s address. Like deafbluecats.com. To get one, you need to choose a registry to purchase your domain. You pay a certain amount of money per year. It’s actually a lot like a car registration!
That said, in the beginning stages of my becoming a web mechanic (developer), GoDaddy.com stood out because of their pervasive advertising about cheap domain registrations. I soon developed a very intimate relationship with GoDaddy. Like a sugar daddy, “he” was very helpful and generous with domain registrations. The prices were great for a greenhorn like me. I loved him for that and went as far as registering at least 20 domain names with him over ten or so years.
As time passed, our relationship gradually soured. GoDaddy had become greedy and demanding. He would hike up prices for domain renewals. On top of that, he’d also charge for WHOIS privacy* while most of the other domain registries didn’t. And there were a few times where he would charge me for a service I never signed up for. (To his credit, he did have the charges refunded when I confronted him.) So I dumped him like a hot potato and began looking for a new lover.
After doing a lot of research, I settled on NameSilo.com. He was honest and, on his bended knee, promised no hidden fees which I found to be true. Little by little, I transferred all of my domains over. I was so in love with him that I encouraged my clients to do the same. NameSilo’s registration and renewal prices can’t be beaten. Well, maybe they can be beaten, but by only a few cents. And their WHOIS Privacy is free! So I moved in with NameSilo and couldn’t be happier with him. We’ve been together for four years at the time of this writing.
Last year [2020] I read that GoDaddy finally buckled to the competition and made WHOIS Privacy free. He tried to entice me back. Too late, mister! Although I still work with him, cordially, through some of my clients who own domains or hosting plans with him.
I personally recommend, and can vouch for, NameSilo. In GoDaddy’s defense though, his customer service is decent, the knowledge base/FAQ is expansive, and he does offer various services, including hosting service plans.
If it’s your first time getting a domain, I know how overwhelmed you might be in choosing the right registry. Really, it all boils down to this: Research, research, research! As I was leaving GoDaddy, I did a chart of several domain registries that tickled my fancy. I wrote my criteria down on the left of the chart such as prices, how fast their customer service responded to my question, do they have an online chat, how good is their knowledge or FAQ page, how easy and accessible is it to edit the DNS settings, do they have domain marketplace, and so on. I also searched for reviews on the domain registries. Not just one review website but many different review websites because there’s always the chance that the reviewer could be biased. Pay particular attention to the negative comments and see if they’re similar across the different review websites. Then come to your own conclusion.
Good luck finding your dream domain registry! I hope you guys will be very happy together.
* All domain names are public information, such as domain owner’s name and contact information. Anyone can find them. This is not good as spammers and hackers harvest these information and harass or trick you with spam via postal mail and email. However, most if not all domain registries offer WHOIS Privacy which hides this information. Use it!
(Disclaimer: No, NameSilo did not ask me or pay me to write this post.)