Best place to buy domain name

[tezza12]

Where is the best place to buy domain names, or does it not really matter

 

[Websitehandyman]

Where is the best place to buy domain names, or does it not really matter

Yes it does matter, here a few things to look out for;

Free moves so you can transfer the domain without cost, UK2net states you need to have the domains hosted for 2 years or pay something like £15 to move them.

You will want easy and free access to change the name servers. Some charge an extra fee for this.

Some also charge for other services.

Then the is a cost, I've seen dot com domains advertised from a few pound to £12 each.

 

[tezza12]

thanks for that, can you suggest a such site that offers some or all of the above

 

[Websitehandyman]

thanks for that, can you suggest a such site that offers some or all of the above

Vidahost.com should be ok but the are others around the same price.

 

[webgeek]

I use Namecheap for some and Godaddy for the other. Personally, I'd recommend Namecheap as I've had zero issues in several years of use, with quite a bit of activity. Many domains are under 7 quid a year with 1st year anonymous whois included free.

 

[ecenica]

Where is the best place to buy domain names, or does it not really matter

What type of domain name are your looking to register? .co.uk?

Rich

 

[antropy]

I use www.dynadot.com, haven't had any problems and have always been able to make any required DNS changes as needed easily enough.

 

[astutiumRob]

Where is the best place to buy domain names, or does it not really matter

Do you only need the registration or other services like dns, hosting etc ?
What types (com, net, org, biz, info, .uk, .eu etc) ?

My opinion is that you should pick someone who is an official registrar for the type of domain you want, that provides the services you need, and offers support in your timezone.

So for .uk a Nominet member, for .com an ICANN Accredited Registrar etc

 

[tezza12]

both .co.uk and .com i went with vidahost in the end.

 

[Dan Hawkins]

With something as important as your domain I would suggest going with one of the bigger companies like Namecheap or Godaddy. At least you know they are legitimate and since the costs of domains is so cheap anyway you may as well pay a few pounds more to be safe.

 

[LoyaltyCardNetwork]

For:

.com use Godaddy - get £3.25 domains by searching godaddy on google and then click on their advert.
.co.uk use daily.co.uk - get cashback by going through quidco.com

 

[Ewan-1]

Makes sure you get a .com and I'd probably get it at either GoDaddy or NameCheap OR if it comes with a good hosting package.

 

[JocelynKirby]

I used fasthosts.co.uk, but only because the company I used to work for used them before. Didn't really research any others, but haven't had a problem in the last five years and more.

You seem to have full control within the rather cleverly named 'Control Panel' and are able to point your domain at your website servers easily - whilst I work for an ecommerce agency, I'm a marketing person and have done this myself for my husband's business with no difficulties.

 

[Red Eye Media]

Vidahost are good guys although I prefer to keep my domains seperate which is why I use 123-reg.co.uk
Nice easy control panel to change nameservers etc.

 

[AmazingGiftBoxes]

You made the right choice, Vida Host the best hosting company.

I have been using them for few months and whenever I needed help they were there within few minutes. I can't even remember how many times I messed up my website and they helped me sort it out.

Jerry

 

[priyakhan]

You should go with Godaddy or NameCheap. They are the best.

 

[william04]

I would like to buy the domain name from GoDaddy.com. I guess it's very cheap . Suggestion are welcomed ??

 

[oliviasidle]

I would like to buy the domain name from GoDaddy.com. I guess it's very cheap . Suggestion are welcomed ??

I'm so used to using godaddy now that I don't even notice all the sales stuff. I just click next, next, next.

 

[Glowbridge]

Gandi.net gets my recommendation.

Everything about GoDaddy is sleazy. Wouldn't even touch 'em with somebody else's credit card.

 

[Calltracks Limited]

We've just started to use GoDaddy, they're pretty good.

 

[ebabystuff]

I used freeparking.co.uk, found them to be good

 

[Jon_B]

I would actively avoid godaddy and 123reg - no ends of problems related to these two companies

I've used namecheap in the past

fasthosts are a rip off, just moved my last domain from them

all but one of my domains are now with internetbs.net (probably the cheapest around unless you do a godaddy facebook like $1 deal, I won't be blackmailed into liking a terrible company to save a couple of quid though)

the last is with vidahost

 

[fairestcape]

Gandi.net gets my recommendation.

Everything about GoDaddy is sleazy. Wouldn't even touch 'em with somebody else's credit card.

Agreed... GoDaddy is an awful organisation. I wouldn't even buy petfood from them. I last used them (for a ssl cert) about 6 years ago and I am still spammed into oblivion by them despite numerous calls to get me off their mailing list. They are also ruthless domain poachers. A client recently omitted to renew a domain (he wasn't using it, but had it parked) and when it expired they bought it. They wanted $900 to transfer it back to our client. (They currently own nearly 50 million domains, so this dubious activity is a popular income stream for them.

Their hosting sucks... their servers are horribly overloaded and underpowered, and are improperly configured for most CMS platforms. NEVER use them for hosting eCommerce.

Their support is awful, and they are staffed by people who know precious little about the servers and platforms they manage.

Keep away from them...

We use 123-reg for domain registering, because their domain control panel is easy and comprehensive. (But 123-reg is also useless for hosting, so as a registrar, yes... as a host no.)

 

[Steve-Bitz]

Buying a domain is not a real problem as long as you chose a reputable company and check the ongoing costs as outlined by other contributors. Think about the web-hosting (where your site gets parked before people can see it) this is where you can be a lamb amongst wolves.
If you buy via an 'agent' make sure it is registered in your name (not theirs!).
We have a couple of dozen sites and manage quite a few for others. We've tried several companies and have now settled for Heart Internet, but the choice is very much yours.
I suggest you start with your own ISP and check their T&C and then move when you know a little more. Things like band width and up-time then become more important.

 

[adams.mark]

Godaddy or name.com would be a good choice. But take care before you go for a hosting provider. You should select an experienced provider for avoiding hosting and related issues.

 

[Deleted member 158328]

I use Tsohost. Hassle free and their servers have not let me down in 4 years.

Avoid Webfusion like the plague. They are a horrible company to deal with and a complete PTIA if you do not wish to renew your domain. (They charged me for an extra year because I wrote to them by e-mail and not snail mail).

 

[busybob]

just. avoid vidahost.

whereever you buy from, you're going to be spammed by outside companies trying to trick you into renewing with them. the cost will be extraordinarily high but will look like a bill / official request. ignore it.

you have to learn fast when you're in the world of the internet!

 

[Dmytro Spilka]

There're plenty of services. But, if you're looking for one with complete DNS control, I'd suggest going with NameCheap.

 

[Alan]

Did I not mention Google Domains - https://domains.google/#/
A few advantages
1) they don't spam you
2) you get free domain privacy - which makes them cheapcompared to those that rip you of a£5 a year for domain privacy
3) their DNS is pretty awesome, well it is Google, and whilst average DNS to awesome DNS might only be 6 milliseconds difference, an average WordPress site with images can easily have 60+ DNS lookups a page 60x6 = 360 millseconds so a third of a second or more site speed.

 

[arnydnxluk]

an average WordPress site with images can easily have 60+ DNS lookups a page 60x6 = 360 millseconds so a third of a second or more site speed.

I'd say you're doing something very wrong if your average WordPress website is making 60+ DNS lookups !

An average website should have one query for the website's main hostname, perhaps another query for the CDN hostname and then anything else (e.g. 3rd party analytics trackers, live chat, etc) should be deferred (i.e. not effecting page load times) and isn't within your control anyway. Many lookups will be made simultaneously and should then be cached locally, so they won't have an effect on further page loads while browsing a website.

That's not to say fast DNS servers aren't helpful (anycast DNS is especially great if you have a global audience), but switching your domain's DNS over to Google should definitely not shave 360ms off even the first load of an average website unless you're doing something special / wrong. It's more like a 6ms total saving in your example.

 

[Anders Jorgensen]

I personally use Godaddy or namecheap. Both are extremely good at what they do and I have not have any issues and support from Godaddy is fine.

 

[antropy]

godaddy only.

Somebody please ban this user, spamming the forum with unhelpful replies ...

 

[Arjen]

I have used Namecheap and GoDaddy and personally didn't see any big difference in quality. Both are good enough to start off. GoDaddy seems to be simpler though and what I like about it is that you can manage multiple products (SSL, Security, Wordpress etc.) from the single products page.

 

[Chi Doan]

Godaddy is my choice, quite cheap and have a lot of services.
Just the prob that they don't support by email, only phone that I dislike to call.

 

[James Rae]

Over past 25 years I have used many registrars/domain sales services and by far the best service has been from Fasthosts. I think they are a little more expensive, however they have always been helpful and go the extra mile to resolve issues (generally of my making).

 

[The next Steve Jobs]

Can't help thinking that a brick n mortar biz in each city and town would reduce the fear uncertainty and doubt surrounding domain name purchase and associated web hosting.

That's a billion $ global solution waiting for the right kind of business visionary

It would be so nice to walk into a real shop and speak face to face with a real human being! ... and there are a potential billion customers out there who would welcome that 'real world' experience...even if it cost an extra crate of beer to remove the digital FUD


Dear future, can we please have some globbaly tangible sanity in domain space

 

[MLveda]

There are many good sites from where you can domain names like Godaddy, Name cheap, Name.com, Uniregistry.com etc.

 

[RjMaan]

I am using GoDaddy. It is one of the best domain seller in the market. Moreover if you have any domain issue you can also check it on FoxWhois.

 

[Arjen]

Godaddy is my choice, quite cheap and have a lot of services.
Just the prob that they don't support by email, only phone that I dislike to call.

I dislike calling too. However, GoDaddy has chat support too. Try to use it. It seemed pretty good to me.

 

[Scribe Copywriting]

123-reg are very easy to use, and they'll get back to you pretty quickly if you ever have an issue/question. No idea if they're the cheapest or not, but I feel that when it comes to domains I need a simple control panel and good support more than I need to save the odd £2 or £3.