Domain Name Registration

Choosing the right domain registration company for your domain names can be a difficult choice to make. Looking for UK domain name registration? I have been buying, selling, developing and hand registering domain names since 2002 and still the number of domain name registration companies amazes me. With many of the companies promising the highest customer service levels, cheapest renewal fees and best support / admin areas it is a maze of unique selling points which must all be considered before you trust which domain name registration company to go with.

Top companies for domain name registration?

With out getting into a “top ten” of domain registration companies, below is a list of notable companies with whom you can register or host your domain names with. From personal experience I would highly recommend Domain Monster, their customer service and domain admin systems are excellent and would warn everyone to stay away from 1&1 Internet as their customer services is terrible, and I’m not alone in saying this, see my post 1&1 Internet Are A Disgrace.

So without further ado, here is a selection of some of these companies:

• DomainMonster.com – Highly Recommended
• Siteopia.com – Highly Recommended for Domain Name Registration
• Names.co.uk – Heard Good Reviews
• 123-Reg.co.uk – Very Good
• GoDaddy.com – Highly Recommended
• LCN.com – Highly Recommended
• Easily.co.uk – Heard Good Reviews
• UKreg.com – No Experience Using These
• Net2.co.uk – No Experience Using These
• Velnet.com – No Experience Using These
• 1and1.co.uk – Stay Away From

As you can see I have added a mix of companies which I have personally used and still use and either recommend or do not recommend and also a selection of companies I have heard good reviews about and others which I have no experience of dealing with.

What makes a good domain registration company?

Have a think about what aspects of a domain registrars services are important to you. Several factors I look for when selecting a company to register or host domain name with are:

• UK-based telephone customer service team
• Good pricing, but not too bothered about being the cheapest
• Good back-end / admin system. Easy to use and dynamic, must have bulk registration and transfer
• Good partner / affiliate program, so you can earn renewal fees back

Obviously what is important to you could be well different to this, but who wouldn’t want these things from a domain name registration company? Believe me when I say there are companies out there that struggle to offer even these features, so check out their website first.