You’ve done your research and found that great domain name for your site, now what? It’s time to find a registrar for it. What should you consider when looking for a registrar?

1. Are there any transfer limitations
2. Is the Domain name registered in your name
3. What is the cost.
4. What type of control do you have over the Domain name

First of all you will want to read the terms of service very carefully, some registrars don’t allow you to transfer the name. Others only allow you to transfer at renewal time, or you may loose some registration time when you transfer. The preference is to be able to transfer with no penalties, but you may have to settle for something less than that. I would rather be able to transfer at anytime and loose registration time than only being able to transfer at renewal. If something were to happen and the only resolution were to transfer the domain name, you don’t want to be held hostage by your registrar

You want to make sure that the domain will be registered in your name. Some companies register the name in their company name and own it. In this case your in the same situation as not being able to renew. So read the terms of service and ensure that the domain will be registered in your name.

Cost is a big consideration as many people start out online on a shoe string budget. There are a wide range of prices for domain names on the net. $35, $19, $14, I would stay away from these. You should be able to register your domain name for under $10 and close to $5 for multiple years. Don’t over pay when you don’t have to. A lot of hosting companies will register a domain name for free when you host with them. Once again you want to read the terms of service and ensure that you will be the registrant. If you already have a domain name you can check ownership by using whois.net.

When registering your domain name something else to consider is do you want a private domain. This means that all you information will not be visible through services like whois. It has an added cost but if you are concerned about privacy or spam it may be something to consider. You will be asked to either park your domain name or to point it at your name servers. If you don’t have a host yet you will want to park it. Once you have completed registration you will want to lock your domain, this should be available on your control panel.

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