Due to the competition in the domain registration business, you will come across companies with some very attractive offers. While these offers may look good, there may be some downsides that you may not notice right away.
Following are a few things to watch out for when choosing a domain name registrar.
1. Add-on Pricing
Some domain name registrars can automatically pre-check add-on services when you purchase a domain name. If you don’t uncheck those options, then this would increase your bill significantly. Typically a .com domain name should not cost you more than $14.99 / year. If it does, then it should raise a red flag.
You must pay attention to the checkout page and uncheck any add-on services or upsells that you don’t need like WHOIS Guard. On top of that, it’s always a good idea to double-check the total amount you are charged in your credit card statements.
2. Bad User Experience
Most domain registrars try to make their website easy to use, so they can keep you as a customer. However, some domain registrars do the exact opposite.
This would make it difficult for you to change your domain name settings like nameservers. You will need to do that if you wanted to transfer domain to a new host, or a new domain registrar.
The easiest way to look for this is by searching for domain registrar’s online reviews. Keep in mind, that very few happy customers leave online reviews, so it’s important to read the reviews thoroughly.
3. Hidden Fees
You may also need to look for the hidden costs and fees when choosing a domain registrar.
Some domain registrars may have special offers for cheaper domains for first-time registrations. Most beginners don’t realize it, but the renewal cost of the domain are often quite different and even higher.
All good domain registrars make it easy to transfer your domain name to a different company. However, some will put an additional fee.