What To Look for in a Domain Name Registrar

Once you have decided to develop your website, you must invariably register it with the domain name registrar. It is a company that has the authority to register Internet domain names. This registrar is appointed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN in short form) or by a national authority. There are some factors to be considered when you choose a registrar.

The domain registrar that you choose must be registered and accredited with the ICANN to register domain names; else you get in to trouble. The domain name registrar must have your name and contact information with it so that the activities of administration, control and billing are well taken care of.

When it comes to the price charged by the registrars, you have to keep in mind that there is a basic charge that is applied to all the registrars. If you happen to come across any domain name registrar that charges you less than this basic amount, then it is better to avoid risking a registration with such an entity. The reason behind this is that registrars that provide you with registration at a discount must in all probability be debilitating or robbing your website of something in some other manner. To remain competitive such entities provide you with a discount, only to make it up for something else. It may be too late by the time you realize it, if at all you ever realize.

You should also be on the guard against any hidden charges or abnormally high charges for normal processes. This comes to the fore especially in such processes as transferring your domain and updating your records. You will be wasting your money if the registrar charges you, even when your website is not going online right away. You should take care to find out any restrictions on the use of your domain. Some registrars charge yearly fees for maintenance.

It must be easy for you to support and manage multiple domains with the registrar considering the future possibility of expansion.

Needless to say, your registrar must provide adequate support and technical assistance in case a need arises. Registrars that provide only a single mode of communication are at best avoidable before the process of getting help turns out to be a big hassle. Ideally, a good domain name registrar should provide you with timely email and telephone customer service, an easy to use website and possibly a description of the commonly occurring problems and their resolution. Some of the other hit-below-the-belt strategies that you must watch out for are domain name gripping and domain forwarding.

Keeping in mind the fact that domain names are a very important factor in building an image and reputation, you should try to choose a registrar that has the domain name of your choice available.

These are some of the important factors that will do you a whole lot of good when you choose to make your digital presence felt to the online community. The bottom line is that not only must you have a good site but also a good registrar, as the two are dependent on each other.