How to Select a Domain Name Vendor

Until this past year, Network Solutions had a monopoly on domain name registration for .com, .net, and .org domain names. This is no longer true. So how should you select a domain name vendor? I've registered more than a dozen domain names and have seen some of the good and ugly sides of vendors. Incidently, a long list of domain name vendors can be found in Yahoo's "domain registration" category. Here is what I look for in a vendor:

Price

Currently Network Solutions http://networksolutions.com is the high price leader, at $35 per year. You can renew for up to 10 years, without any discount. However your will receive a personalized T-Shirt with your domain name on the back if you renew for 2 or more years. Register.com is $35 the first year, with a bit off for longer periods. Some domain registrars sell domain names at under $15 per year or less if you shop around. There is now a huge price differential, but does price reflect quality?

Changes Web Interface

Sometimes you may need to make changes in the administrative, billing, or technical contacts for our domain name, or the domain name server (DNS) if you switch Web hosting services. Or perhaps in the ownership of the domain name. Make sure that your domain name vendor has an easy-to-use web interface. Network Solutions at this writing does not offer one, but a complex series of screens designed to generate complex e-mails. I'm not a novice, but I've used the wrong forms several times by mistake. Much friendlier are web interface forms from companies such as 000domains.com that allow you to change any element of the registration quickly and easily.

Customer Service

Sometimes you need to contact your domain name service directly. I have spent many hours waiting on the phone for customer service at Network Solutions. When they finally answer they are always courteous, if not entirely helpful. Today I called Register.com to see how long it took to get a real person on the phone. After 15 minutes of waiting, I was unceremoniously disconnected. I declined to begin again. Even if you don't need customer service now, if you're serious about a domain name vendor, try calling customer service to see how fast a response you get.

Here's my horror story. I purchased a domain name from its previous owner in January 2000, but as of the end of September 2000, after the seller had notarized and faxed to Network Solutions two change forms (which they lost), I still am not the official registrant. After nine months of going through channels, I tried a new tack. Since I am the administrative contact, I transferred the domain to another domain name vendor who allowed me to make the change in registrant simply with a Web interface. In two days I accomplished what had taken Network Solutions nine months without success.

One danger signal, however. If you are not the administrative and billing contact for your own domain -- let's say your website designer is -- you could have your ownership of the domain taken away without you even knowing it, by the administrative contact changing domain name vendors. Protect yourself by insisting that you be named as both administrative and billing contact!

Domain Name Parking

Many domain name vendors offer what they call "domain name parking" for an additional charge. What this means is that when someone types in the domain name, up will come a page saying it is under construction, with the domain name vendor's logo displayed prominently. Is this necessary? I don't think so. If there is a dispute about a domain name with the official domain name dispute service, you only have a better chance of prevailing in your claim if the domain name points to a real developed website. I don't recommend "parking;" it's overpriced and unnecessary.

Affiliates, Resellers, and ICANN Accreditation

One serious question is how long your domain name vendor will be around? What happens to the domain names you have registered there if one day the vendor goes out of business? ICANN has approved a limited number of official domain name registrars, but many of these are reselling their services through others.

I was approached about a month ago with an opportunity to become a domain name registration affiliate. It would look like you were buying the domain name from me, but in actuality you'd be purchasing it through a vendor one step below an official ICANN registrar. My cost would be $11.95 per domain name per year, and I could resell them for as much as I wanted. Let's say I resold at $29.95, a popular price; I would net $18 per domain name. What I didn't like was a less-than-professional Web interface, and the prospect of providing customer service for lots of questions. What's more, I'm in the business of helping my readers find the best prices and services, not inflated prices. I decided against it.

But it got me to thinking about the havoc that could be created if one of these domain name resellers went out of business. Lately, I've been buying my domains through 000domains.com, "powered by Open SRS of Tucows. Tucows is accredited by ICANN." I found that I could also manage my domains through a direct link from opensrs.net, using the same user ID and password that I used at 000domains.com. That made me feel better. And at last resort, if I ran into problems I could transfer all my domain names to another vendor.

As you are considering vendors, try to determine which ICANN accredited registrar your vendor is purchasing domain names through, and what recourse you have if the reseller doesn't provide you the service you need.

Bottom Line

As I've looked for a domain name vendor for my own use, I've ended up at 000domains. http://000domains.com/cgi-bin/reg_system.cgi?affiliate_id=drebiz They charge the lowest retail price for domains I've found anywhere, $13.50 per year. Since they offer an affiliate program that makes me 25 cents or more per domain name registered, I decided to list them openly. I can find affiliate programs that net me much more than that, but I've put a domain name search box for 000domains.com on every page of my site because I think its the best service for the price.