With the flurry of companies offering domain registration recently it is very easy to get lost in the maze of bikini-clad commercials and bottom-basement pricing. After all is said and done there is a handful of things that make a good Registrar. In this article we will show you what a Registrar is, what a Registrar’s responsibilities are and what you should look for when choosing one.

What does a Registrar do?

A Registrar is responsible for submitting a domain name for assignment. Typically a person or business will use a Registrar like Dotster or Nework Solutions to purchase a domain name. Once purchased, the Registrar is responsible for submitting the Domain, along with the person’s or business’s information(mailing address, phone numbers, etc.) to the organization[Sponsor] that manages the Top Level Domain[TLD]. For example, Network Solutions operates the .com gTLD[generic TLD] and NeuStar operates the .us ccTLD[country code TLD].

Cutting Through the hype
So besides submitting your information to a sponsor what does a Registrar do? Nothing. They should be available to answer any questions but have no impact on your domain once it is registered; your only contact with the Registrar from this point forward is to modify your personal information or if you decide to transfer the domain to another registrar. In reality people often get hosting service from the company they register their domain with, and may move their domain if they decide to cancel their hosting service with the Registrar.

Gimmicks to look for: Price

Selection

If a Registrar’s selection of TLDs is sparce(i.e. less than 15) then be sure to read the fine print of any agreements they provide. Registrars with few TLD selections often are relying on volume of customers, which could be a sign of poor customer service. Offering around 30 TLDs, including all the basics(.com, .net) shows the Registrar is has done additional effort to create partnerships with other groups or Sponsors. Because Sponsors have varying standards that Registrars must comply with finding a company that offers more then 15 TLDs often means the company has had their back-office scrutinized by several different organizations to ensure compliance.

Policies(esp. lockin)

The policies the Registrar provides are where 95% of the potential headaches hide. Many companies will put stipulations in their fine-print, such as automatically charging your credit card when your domain expires or preventing you from transferring your domain to another Registrar if you are unhappy. In one case, a Registrar decided to hold over 1300 domains “hostage” because of an internal decision by the Registrar. The owners of the domains had 2 options: pay $50 to transfer the domain to another Registrar or pay $199 to re-activate the domain.

Value Added Services

Your registrar should offer some basic services that have evolved over the years. One such service is masking the information in the Registration record of your domain. Since the owner information of a domain is publicly available, spammers and marketers use this information to add the email, mailing address, and other information to their marketing lists. This information is often sold to other companies by business whose only job is to gather such information.

Conclusion

It is easy to get lost in the marketing of domain registration companies. Whether it is low price they offer or bikini-clad women on motorcycles a gimmick is still a gimmick. You get what you pay for and the most important thing is to find a registrar that provides you with a balance between your budget and the quality you expect from a professional solutions company.

Sources:

http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/06/17/1319233&from=rss
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=239

“Things To Look For” Series

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