After quite a few years designing, a big part of it was choosing the right domain name for my website. I’ll reveal in a later post on how I choose my domain, but firstly I’ll inform you of whom I think you should really be registering with after my experience. Registering a domain is an important part of the creation of your website as it really adds that professionalism you are looking for instead of a sub-domain or direct link to your site from your host to the file.

When I first came to registering a domain, I well really was confused and intimidated by the fact that I was paying for something I barely knew how to use. There were so many websites out there that I could register my domain with but I was confused on which one I should use. There were a few I came across which really stood out. This is because of a few things I did, and I recommend you do if you are looking for domain registrar.

- Have a look round on webmaster forums, they do hold large amounts of information and experience from other webmasters around the globe.

- Really explore in your search for the past of that company and find out what others think, e.g. “Reviews of GoDaddy.com” ,”Is GoDaddy.com good?” This brings up large amounts of posts of people who have asked the same question as you in the past and these websites usually hold posts (if a forum) or a website review (like this one) for you to read.

So what is GoDaddy?

GoDaddy was founded by Bob Parsons and now is probably the leading domain registration website on the web; well it actually is selling 21,683,746 domains in 2007. Once I had done my research into domain registrars I was ready to make the step in purchasing my first domain. I was happy they had PayPal as an option to pay but you can also pay straight from your card as well as various other options listed here.

The sign up process at GoDaddy is pretty confusing at first and I highly recommend you take your time in registering making sure you are not ticking any offers that you do not need, but once you get the hang of it your up and away! There are so many different things on GoDaddy its hard sometimes to focus on that your buying a domain unless you want something else, as they also provide everything you need for your site to. Hosting, Email, Website builder, the list goes on.

There are a lot of different things I admired about the GoDaddy service when registering my 3 domains that I’ve had from them;

- The prices that are offered are really the best in the market for value; you may find other websites a few dollars or pounds smaller than GoDaddy, but not many. The service that GoDaddy offers is pretty much worth that little extra. For example I did a little research into 1and1.com, when registering in the UK you do not get automatic private registration like the .com 1and1. That’s unless you really do not want private registration, but I wouldn’t see why not.

- The private registration is $6.99 for a year on top to protect your domain name registration information on the WHOIS database.

- The control panel on the GoDaddy website is very easy to use to manage your domains. The very well laid out page outlines each section and doesn’t place to much content in one place.

- The support center is well shown and they were quick to reply when I was in need of a question answering.

- The quickness that the domain is up and registered! It literally takes 5 minutes to register your domain, pay (I used PayPal) and the domain is working extremely quickly in most cases!

Free Extras!,
GoDaddy do not just stop with providing you with the domain you need at a great price they also provide you with free extras with every domain you buy which come in very handy indeed, totalling a value of $96.

- Online Photo filer
- Quick blogcast
- Hosting with Web site builder
- Personalized Email Account
- Starter Web Page
- “For Sale” Page
- Parked Page
- Getting Started Guide
- Domain Forwarding & Masking
- 100-Pack Email Forwarding
- Total DNS Control
- Change of Registration
- Status Alerts
- Domain Locking

I can say from experience that GoDaddy will not let you down and they are the perfect first time company your domain or they are perfect if you are looking to transfer a domain. Enjoy your experience with GoDaddy.

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