What Is A Domain Registrar

Hostinger The Best Domain Registrar For Most

Hostinger is foremost a web hosting provider and one that places at the top of our list of the best web hosting services. They offer every type of web hosting your site might need, and they excel at delivering top-notch shared, WordPress, cloud, and VPS hosting.

But on many of their plans, youll also get a free domain name when you sign up for hosting.

Hostinger couldnt make this any easier on you.

Just sign up for hosting by heading to their website, then click Start Now.

Youll see a few different options for shared hosting there. We recommend going with the Premium Shared Hosting package, as its the cheapest shared hosting plan that includes a free year of your domain name.

Your eyes dont deceive you. Thats right, you can grab the best shared hosting out there and a free domain for just $1.99 per month.

Keep in mind, that rate comes with a four-year upfront commitment. So, you will have to pay $95.52 at checkout for your hosting plan, but you secure it for 48 whole months.

Even if youre on a tight budget, less than $100 for four years of hosting is an attractive deal.

You can opt for shorter terms of one or two years, or even month-to-month pricing. Just be aware that youll likely pay a dollar or two more per month and youll have to confront a higher renewal rate sooner.

After youve signed up, setup is a snap. Hostinger has an incredible guided process for getting your site up and running.

What Is Domain Name Registration

Domain name registration is the act of reserving a name on the Internet for a certain period, usually one year. It is important to know that this domain will remain yours for as long as you renew it and there is no way to purchase a domain name forever.

Domain name registration is necessary for a website, an email or another web service. However, you dont have to always register a new domain name. Many companies allow you to use subdomains of their domain names for a website, or you can have an email with their primary domain .

The most important thing about a domain name registration is that it gives you personality and recognized identity. Once you register a domain name, the information about its owner is publicly available.

The price for a domain name registration varies greatly on its extension. For example, the most common .com is the most affordable one, while some country-specific domain name extensions are 5 times more expensive.

If youd like to register a domain name with SiteGround, check out our offers.

For detailed information about domain name prices, contact our Customer Care via phone or chat, or check out the prices in your Client Area.

How To Select The Best Domain Registrar

Whats one of the first parts of building a website? Yes, the domain name. Sometimes it comes easyif you already have a company name or if youre going with your first and last name. But sometimes it takes lots of thought, considering search engines, brand recognition, and how much you might end up spending. Although thinking of the best domain name can be tricky, were here to help you out with selecting the best domain registrar.

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Youve seen these domain registrars all over the placefrom popular GoDaddy commercials to NameCheap advertisements online. The registrars offer search tools to look for available domain names and extensions. Then, they sell the domains to you.

Some of the registrars even offer add-ons like hosting, website building, and email addresses. But are all domain registrars made the same? Lets find out.

• Best Domain Registrar Options

Also Check: How To Transfer Squarespace Domain To Shopify

So What Is A Domain Name

A domain name is your websites equivalent of a physical address. It helps users find your site easily on a browser instead of using its IP address. Domain names consisting of a name and an extension are a key part of the internet infrastructure.

Here are some facts related to the question of what a domain name is:

Renewal Pricing Vs Registration Period

When selecting your domain registrar, its easy to become confused on what your pricing is now, and what it will be later. So, to help you avoid bursting into tears or uncontrollable anger upon renewal, we recommend knowing how domain pricing works.

Not paying attention to this has severe consequenceswe all live extremely busy lives and having to constantly remember to pay your domain bill every month or renew each year is a hassle.

It can also cost you thousands of dollars, all your hard work on your site, and possibly your sanitymomentarily.

Imagine waking upyour laptop hums with excitement as you anticipate your daily revenue, but instead you are greeted with a message that reads this domain is expired.

Immediate panic rushes through you. Not only do you not have your revenue report, youre losing money at the same time. You have failed to renew and your domain has been purchased by someone else who wants to charge you $3,000 to get it back.

Now, this is an extreme casebut it happens often.

The point is, promotional registration pricing is a huge benefit and taking advantage of it for as long as you can is smart business. Upon renewal, you will pay a much larger monthly feecommonly between $12.99 per month to $29.99 per month, depending on your provider.

And, if you fail to renew on time, you could lose your domain entirely and all the hard work and traffic you built.

Make sure you understand the renewal pricing and when that bill must be paid.

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How To Choose A Domain Registrar

There are many registrars to choose from. A dedicated service only deals in domain registration. Others sell extra services as well, like hosting and site-building. Whoever you go with, pick a reputable company, especially if youre new to WordPress and website management.

Below are some of the long-established and trustworthy names in domain registration:

• Bluehost
• Shopify

Other Domain Name Types

We focused on the different extension types above. The following are the different available structures of domain names:

Second-Level Domains

Second-level domains are below TLDs in the domain name hierarchy. An SLD is the section of a domain name located on the left side of the last dot. Take www.hostinger.com, for example hostinger is the SLD, and .com is the TLD.

Some domain name registries use an SLD to indicate a specific type of entity registering. For example, academic institutions in the United Kingdom mostly register websites under .ac.uk.

Subdomains

A subdomain is a separate division from a larger domain but still shares the same servers. There is no need to purchase and register a subdomain. Technically, the www on most URLs is a subdomain that indicates a site is part of the world wide web.

The most common use for a subdomain is to organize and divide web content into separate sections. For example, Google uses developers.google.com to provide specific information for developers.

Another use of a subdomain is to create another website with the same name but different languages. Take Wikipedia as an example, which has a separate subdomain for each language. It uses en.wikipedia.org for the English version and es.wikipedia.org for the Spanish one.

Free Domains

A free web address often uses the same structure as subdomains. For example, instead of hostingertutorials.com, it would be hostingertutorials.wordpress.com or hostingertutorials.blogspot.com.

Also Check: Finding Out Who Owns A Domain

The Following Points Should Be Kept In Mind:

• First of all, check for the prices of the domain names. Some registrars may show you lower prices at the time of registration but increase the prices significantly in the coming years or for the renewal. If you plan to buy a web address, then registering for a year is what we recommend as then, the automatic renewal will be turned on. Do not forget to check the additional fees of renewal and transfers.
• Some domain name registrars pre-check the add-ons when you pay for a domain name. The bill significantly increases if you do not uncheck those options.
• Domain names are transferable among registrars. Normally, it is not required but sometimes if you are unhappy, you may want to transfer. Double-check if that option is easily available with the registrar you are dealing with.

There are a few things that you need to consider before choosing the best domain registrar for your web space:

Best Domain Registrars To Consider This Year

In the world of websites, few things are more coveted than the perfect domain name. There are more than 350 million total domain names in existence today, and that number is growing by the millions every year.

Unfortunately, once a domain name is taken, its taken. That means your unique domain idea could be snatched up at any minute. So, once you drum up the right name for your business or website, its never too soon to get it registered with a domain registrar.

To prepare you for your big purchase, well cover what domain registrars do, explain how to pick the right one for you, and finally list the best domain registrar options available to help get your name out there.

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Be Creative With Caution

There are currently over 1500 public TLDs that fall into only two categories, i.e., generic and country. Examples of some common generic domains are .COM. .NET, and .ORG. Three country-specific examples are .CO.UK, .NL, and .FR. Try to see if your preferred domain name is available with different extensions. The domain registrar will also provide some alternative suggestions.

Domain TLDs need to make sense, so avoid those that dont. A personal blog about vintage guitarsfor examplewould look a bit daft if it had a food TLD: www.vintageguitars.food/. Try to avoid using numbers in the name too, unless you have to.

Read: How to Choose the Best Domain Name.

Differences Between A Domain Name And A Url

While a domain name and a URL share some similarities, they refer to different things. A URL acts as a complete website address that can direct visitors to a specific page on a site. A domain name is just a part of it.

A URL consists of a protocol, a domain, and a path. The protocol shows whether a site has an SSL certificate. Keep note that URLs have a path only when they direct visitors to a specific page on a site.

Also Check: Cost To Buy A Domain Name

Ology For Choosing The Best Domain Registrar

With different domain registrars having such similar features, how can you determine the best option for you?

There are certain factors that you need to look for when youre shopping around for the best domain registrar. Ill explain these elements in greater detail below, so you can weigh the options according to your personal needs.

This is our methodology for finding the best domain registrar:

What To Look For In A Domain Registrar

Now that you know all the ins and outs of what a domain registrar is and how domain registration works, youre probably ready to find a good domain registrar and get started. You have a lot of different options. Some companies only provide domain registration services. Others, like HostGator, offer domain registration along with other services like web hosting, so you can take care of multiple basic website needs all under one account.

With so many options to choose from, you need to know what to look for. Here are some of the most important factors to consider.

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Registrar And Registry Whats The Difference

Often people get confused between an Internet registry and a domain registrar. Registries are organizations under the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority , a branch of the ICANN. These registries, more appropriately called regional Internet registries , are in charge of managing the DNS. There are a limited number of themonly one per region. They are also responsible for delegating DNS resources to registrars and Internet service providers . In contrast, there are more than 900 domain registrars users can choose from today.

A Wide Variety Of Top

Without going into too much detail, the top-level domain is considered the highest level in the hierarchy of your overall domain name.

This would be anything like .com or .org or .net.

When I look for the best domain registrar, it usually offers hundreds of top-level domain options.

Take NameCheap, for example. A quick domain search reveals dozens of top-level domains for the same domain search, along with some alternatives if you cant find what youre looking for.

After one search I see .club, .design, .store, .info, and many more.

Most buyers will do fine with this selection. But, its also important to look for niche registrars if youre interested in more unique domains like for countries or for certain organizations. For example, .io is a popular TLD among startups and tech companies, but not every registrar supports .io domains.

If youre interested in seeing every possible top-level domain, check out the updated list from IANA .

Recommended Reading: Should I Buy My Domain Through Shopify

Whois Privacy And Protection

When you buy a domain name through a registrar, you must, by law, provide them with accurate details about who you are and where you live. And lying about it has serious consequences.

But now you are putting your personal information out on the weband this is dangerous.

If youre not extremely careful to take the steps to protect your identity, you become a beacon signaling every hacker, scammer, and identity thief looking for the easy take.

We know hearing this can leave your insides quivering, but its the truth.

WhoIS Privacy and Protection is a service that hides your personal details, like your phone number, address, email, and more. This privacy service keeps your personal details inaccessible through public records and to predators looking to exploit you online.

We want this to be crystal clear why this is important.

Some domain registrars charge for this service and some offer it for free. But if you have no clue what this really does, its easy to just brush it off and try and save a few bucks. That can be catastrophic in the long run, allowing malicious cyber bullies to play hot potato with your identity.

Whenever you are purchasing a domain, its recommended you always get this service.

The one exception is if youre registering a domain under a business entity, with a company address, email, and so forth. This is public information anyway, so attaching a domain name to it is no problem.