If you are completely new to the technicalities of a website or blog, you might have a few questions.
“Does it matter which domain registrar I use?”
“Which is the safest domain registrar out there?”
“What is the best domain registrar for a blog?”
Well, you’re not alone.
When I started with my blog, I was confused and scared about choosing the right domain from a safe registrar.
Some fledglings often asked, “how could I get a free domain?”
There is nothing wrong in asking this. But, if you’re choosing an anonymous domain registrar just for the sake of reducing the execution fee, then it’s a bad idea.
Here in this article, you will know about the best domain registrars for your blogging endeavour. Further, I’ll show you the comparison between them, what makes them the best, and how you could get a domain name for free or at a low price.
So, let’s jump into it!
What is a Domain Name Registrar?
Domain name registrars are those organizations who provide domain names to the registrants (a person like you and me).
They are accredited by a non-profit organization for domain name system management, namely ICANN. Domain registrars are certified (by domain name registry) to sell domain names but bound to the agreements of ICANN and domain name registries.
These businesses are responsible for the registration of the domain names as well as protecting their WHOIS data (a service to look up the data of a domain name such as IP addresses).
You need to understand that when you’re purchasing a domain name, you’re just doing the registration with the registrars. You don’t own a domain name.
The registry is those organizations that manage and maintain the data of TLDs (Top-level domains) such as .com, .org, .net.
Sometimes a middle party is involved between registrants and registrars. You know them as resellers. These businesses or organizations are bound with the agreements by registries and assign domain names from the registrars.
5 Best Domain Registrars
Now, as you know that registrars are the businesses that provide you with your desired domain names for registration, let’s consider the best options.
1. Domain.com
Domain.com is a trusted domain registrar working since 1998. Besides domain, they provide hosting, design, and email services and help website owners manage and protect their business.
Furthermore, they have integration with WordPress, website builders, site locks and various other services to provide you with a power pack solution. You will get 24/7 customer support for every bit of confusion.
Pricing:
Domain.com provides different top-level domains at a cheap price. You can avail of a
- .com domain name at the cost of $8.99/year.
- .net domain name at the cost of $12.99/year.
- .org domain name at the cost of $8.99/year.
- .tech domain name at the cost of $4.99/year.
- .me domain name at the cost of $2.99/year.
- .co domain name at the cost of $27.99/year.
If you want to protect your privacy, you have to pay an additional $8.99/year.
Along with domains, you can take the benefits of other services such as
- Sitelock website protection at a price starting from $3.99/month.
- Comodo SSL certificate at a starting price of $3.33/month.
- Powerful web hosting service with a beginning price of $1.99/month.
- Smart website builder with free SSL, unlimited storage, customizable layouts, 24/7 support, and more features at a $1.99/month starting cost.
- And a professional email address at the cost of $3.00/month with either google workspace or Microsoft 365.
2. BlueHost (free with hosting plan)
The second but most preferable option for newbies is Bluehost. The reason why it’s a top priority is because it provides you with a one-year free domain name if you purchase their hosting services.
They have been in the internet market since 2003 and helped to thrive two million-plus businesses.
Bluehost has a simple interface where you’ll find a huge search bar for finding your best-fit domain name. They have an extensive knowledge base, chat, and tutorials support in every stage of website building.
You’ll get;
- .com domain name at a starting price of $12.99/year
- .net with a price of $14.99/year
- .org at a starting cost of $9.99/year
- .tech at the expense of $4.99/year
- .website at the fee of $1.99/year
- .online with a price of $4.99/year
- .site with a price of $2.99/year
- .co with a starting cost of $27.99/year
And so on.
The benefits you’ll receive with your domain name are easy management of your domain, auto-renewal, easy redirect or forwarding, domain lock, and 24/7 customer support.
For privacy protection, you have to pay an annual fee of $11.88.
Some additional features include;
- starting your website for free with their free domain name and 30-days free trial for the shared hosting plan
- professional email with Microsoft 365 at a starting cost of $2.99/month.
You can check out their services here.
3. NameCheap
Namecheap is a great option if you have a tight budget and can’t invest a big amount in domain registration.
Starting from 2000, Namecheap has served more than 13 million businesses. They have 1700+ service centres in more than 18 countries.
It is trusted by top businesses such as Figma, Buffer, Imgur, and privacy and has a huge team for 24/7 support with its services.
Their top domain services include; domain name search, domain transfer, whois lookup and free DNS.
Besides domains, they also provide different hosting, security, and protection services. They further have some applications for additional benefits.
The basic pricing of top TLD registrations is
- $8.88/year for .com domain name
- $10.98/year for .net domain name
- $9.18/year for .org domain name
- $32.98/year for .io domain name
And much more.
All of their prices are affordable and competitive, along which you will get free privacy protection and expert support in every step.
The renewal price of domain names at Namecheap is reasonable, too.
You can check the complete pricing chart here.
The additional services you can add with your domain names are
- PremiumDNS at $4.88/year
- SSL certificate at an annual price of $4.98
- Free trial on VPN with a 30-days money-back guarantee
- EasyWP wordpress hosting with an annual price of $22.88.
- Professional email with a first two-month free trial.
- Web hosting with a $2.88/month price
If it feels great to you, go and grab your offer today.
4. Network Solutions
Network Solutions is the first-ever domain registrar working for 25 years now. With its major goal of supplying quality experience, network solutions are tried and trusted by several fortune 500 companies.
Their products involve domain names, website builders, hosting services, e-commerce website builders, professional emails, SSL certificates, Trademark protection, cyber security, WHOIS search and much more.
They have TLDs at different price ranges you can check from their official site.
They also provide one-month free domain protection that renews at $1.99/month along with domain names.
Other domain regarding services includes
- domain transfer
- domain forwarding
- private domain registration
- domain expiration protection
- WHOIS lookup
- domain trademark protection
- domain management
5. NameSilo
Again if you want to reduce the execution fee for your first-ever online business, you should consider NameSilo.
It does not just provide domain names at a cheap price but with additional bonuses.
Yes, you are listening right. There is a package of FREE stuff you will rarely find anywhere else.
Some of those includes,
- Free WhoIs privacy
- Free Email Forwarding
- Free Domain Defender Protection
- Free Custom WHOIS records
- Free DNS management
All of these with a reasonable price of $8.99 (for .com domain).
Further, they accept more than 150 payment options, so you don’t need to worry about credit cards.
And with their 24/7 customer support, you can follow the step-by-step domain set-up process without any hassle.
If you want any other extension, check out the registration, renewal and transfer prices here.
How to Choose the Right Domain Registrar?
If you’re confused between the available options and can’t decide how to choose the best domain registrar for your business, here we have a buying guide just for you.
Domain Transfers
A frequently asked question about domains is, “can I transfer my domain name without any fees?”.
Well, that’s a topic of thinking if you already purchased a domain somewhere but find a cheap alternative with small or no transfer fees.
Sometimes, domain name registrars provide additional features and discounts on transferring domains to their company.
So, if you already have a domain name but want to manage all of your domain names in one place, you can ask the support team of your domain providers for the criteria.
That’s why you should consider if a registrar has an easy domain transfer facility or not.
Pricing
Pricing is a huge point for taking into consideration before purchasing a domain name. If you could get additional benefits at a cheaper price, why don’t you go for it?
Check our recommendations or pick some popular registrars. Now compare the pricing and renewal fees of each one.
You can look out for the transfer fees, too.
Now check out what features they are providing with the initial price, and with that, you will get a clear idea of the best domain registrar for your business.
The registration period varies from 1 year to 10 years. So, keep that in mind. And if you are a newbie, choosing the one-year registration option is wiser for you. You can turn the auto-renewal on or transfer it if you don’t like the service.
Privacy
Almost all domain registrars recommended keeping the privacy protection option checked. That’s because if you can’t add this to your cart, everyone can see your personal information, such as your phone number and email address.
Last year, I purchased a domain name and removed the privacy protection as an add-on service.
Result?
I end up receiving service agency cold calls every single day.
So, don’t make the same mistake and choose a domain registrar who provides privacy protection for free, like Namecheap or at a cheaper price.
But, consider this as the main point before choosing.
Customer Support
From purchasing the domain names and web hosting services to building the website, you have to understand and handle a lot of technical stuff.
And if you’re not that tech-savvy or can’t understand the technical jargon, you need to have support 24/7.
However, sometimes we need support in the middle of some difficulties no matter whether or not we are techy.
So, it’s wiser to look out for the hosting service that provides support 24 hours daily.
If your domain registrar doesn’t provide quality customer care service, you need to change it or consider other providers.
Expiration Dates
Now expiration date is an enormous factor while choosing a domain registrar. Check the auto-renewal whenever possible.
If you’re not satisfied with the support service of your existing provider and decide to transfer or choose another one, you need to be careful about the expiry date.
For example, if your expiry date is 20th August 2020, how many days do you have post-expiry to renew your domain name.
If your domain name expired immediately after the date, it’s a huge pain. You need to spend sweat and money to get it back. So, consider this before purchasing.
Additional Services
You should also consider the add-on services a domain provider offers. We’ve mentioned the additional features and services you can purchase with our top choices above.
Most domain registrars supply additional services like hosting services, site builders, SSL certificates, domain protection, website security, professional email services, trademark protection, DNS lookup, etc.
Reviewing this can expand your experience about the provider you’re selecting so that you can expand it later on.
Brand Reputation
The final point to check out before picking a domain registrar is brand reputation. This is the most crucial factor to think about as it can make or break everything.
As I said earlier, if you consider an unknown brand for a cheap domain name, you can face many difficulties later.
You can’t get support with the transfer or technical set-up whenever required. And in this way, you’ll have to either close your business or change the domain name and start from the beginning again.
So, keep that in mind.
FAQ:
How can I get a free domain?
The best way to get a free domain is by purchasing a hosting web service that provides a free domain as a bonus.
You can try Bluehost (for a FREE domain name). Its hosting service is both affordable and allows you to build your website at a minimum cost.
How do I permanently buy a domain?
You can’t purchase a domain name permanently. You can register it on an annual basis.
However, consider registering a domain name for 5-10 years at a time if you don’t want to lose it.
What is the best domain registrar?
The definition of “best” varies according to the goal of a business. If you want a bonus and a cheap price, then Namesilo is the best option.
If you want to purchase hosting along with a domain name, then Bluehost is the best option.
If you want to get privacy protection for free, then Namecheap is the best option.
Choose what suits you best.
