Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Domain Names : I am not ready yet to host!

[sweng]

I am not ready yet to buy a complete web hosting package, but I feel that I must hurry up and reserve a domain name that is still availabile.

I need this domain name for long term - and it is quite possible that during its lifetime I may need to change web hosting providers.

Thus, I am not looking for the cheapest domain name purchase (like Yahoo's $1.99 1st year), but rather a domain name source (registrar?) that will allow me switching web hosting providers without any hassle.

Please note that I hope to never switch web hosting providers, but I have to plan for unpredictable circumstances. Also, I have no web hosting provider yet and I know that I will have one within a month or two, but I also know that it is not going to be Yahoo... I somehow got the impression that taking my domain name with me from Yahoo to a different web hosting provider will be like pulling teeth...

So... Can you please recommend a deal that allows me to "own" my domain name - preferrably inexpensive? (doesn't have to be rock bottom)

Thanks!

[Stan Marsh]

Don't go with the cheapest (i.e. Yahoo and 1&1). Choose a well respected company like NameCheap or Moniker. That's my personal recommendation. You can either follow it or not...

Good luck!

[sweng]

Originally Posted by Stan Marsh

Don't go with the cheapest (i.e. Yahoo and 1&1). Choose a well respected company like NameCheap or Moniker.

Thank you very much! That is exactly what I intended in my question and you have provided me with two names of which I was not familiar. Despite my many years of experience in software development, I am pretty much a newbie in the world of web hosting and so I try to catch up as quickly as I can. I am simply not knowledgeable enough to know who is considered today a reputable name.

If I understand correctly, the best way to guarantee hassle-free web hosting switch is to get my domain name from a company that does not provide web hosting at all (thus no conflict of interests) - is my understanding correct?

Thanks!

[stub]

Go with NameCheap.

[sweng]

Originally Posted by stu2

Go with NameCheap.

Well, I followed the 3rd advice in the Domain Registration Tutorial (google for "registrars-name complaints") and the topmost link that showed up in the results was "Too many people complaint about NameCheap". I am confused now .

I also found this discussion which recommends DirectNic. Significantly higher than the rest ($15 a year) but if it is worth it, I am willing to pay that price. What do you say?

Thanks.

[Oceanworld]

Namecheap is good. No problems so far. If $$ is not a concern, go for Enom.

[nameslave]

Tucows/OpenSRS is the most transfer (away) friendly regstrar I've ever seen. They are not exactly cheap ($10+) though.

[sweng]

Originally Posted by Oceanworld

Namecheap is good. No problems so far. If $$ is not a concern, go for Enom.

If NameCheap is good, why go for Enom?

I appologize if this questions sounds dumb, but I am still in the learning/research process and I would like to make the most informed decision I can make. A good decision here is critical for a business that solely relies on its web site.

If the equation "most expensive = best" was always correct, my decision making process would have been much simpler, but my understanding that it is more complex than that.


BTW, I am currently looking for a single domain name only, not multiple. Does this change anything in the recommendations?

[valentin_nils]

Hello sweng,

I am actively using mostly Enom right now. I like their speed and reliability when announcing DNS changes.

I figure if you browse WHT you will find complaints about ANY registrar. Currently Enom / Bulkregister has some issues and you can see the complaints popping up on WHT like mushrooms from the ground ;-)

Namecheap has a nice interface and I do understand if people say they like that. I am sure also the others mentioned are not so bad.

If you decide to go for Enom you will either need to create a new reseller account or find one in the offers section f.e. look for "Enom 6.95 account". There are also 7.95$ and 8.95$ accounts.
With Enom however, support speed is not necessarily one of their strength, you should expect answers to take 24-48 hours. That can be faster at times, but that seems to be getting rarer these days.

Besides those issues I still use Enom as mentioned above for their reliability and speed when it comes to announcing DNS changes. I did choose them for the same concerns you mentioned. I did have to change hosts several times and here Enom gives you peace of mind when time is on a premium and you need to UPDATE YOUR DNS FAST.

Whatever is your choice I guess is a matter of preference.

Can anybody else f.e. when using Moniker etc. post how long it usually takes for them to see the DNS changes propagate ?

(I know it takes 72 h around the world, but I mean when the DNS change actually starts to get announced and put into effect)

[sweng]

OK - I think I am zeroing in on... NameCheap.

After reading your helpful replies and doing some independent research on the web, I narrowed down the debate between 2 sources only: Enom and NameCheap.

I am sure the others mentioned here are as good, but I am not in the business of reselling domains. I just need one right now for my own website (and maybe a few more in the far future).

Which helped me decide for NameCheap since it is essentially an Enom reseller. I am too small a customer for Enom. Bigger customers will always get priority...

This decision was further helped by this review on Domain Radar.

I am not making a mistake, right?

Thank you all!

[trau]

Originally Posted by sweng

I am not making a mistake, right?

Thank you all!

No, you are not making a mistake. I have used namecheap for a number of years now, my main domain is still with NetworkSolutions since it is no where near expiring. But once it gets closer ( 1 year or less) I will transfer it over to namecheap as well. I like their control panel, changes propagate quickly, everything is laid out well (seems logical to me at least). I have heard of people complaining about support, but I have never needed any support and can't comment on that.

[stub]

Someone reading the tutorials? Good

You have to look at the complaints with a jaundiced eye and try to evaluate them. Some are simply from ignorant people who either don't or won't read or listen. But it gives you a feel for the type of service to expect. It's a fact, that NameCheap response times for support can be a bit long. They have just introduced a new ticket system (which i haven't used) which should help track support and ensure communications in either direction are actually received. This was probably done to improve their poorish record with support.

I'd say you would be very happy with NameCheap. They have an easy to use control panel. Be sure to use their coupon code (which evades me right now) to get $0.90 off your registration price.

I wouldn't touch Directnic, even with your barge pole.

[stub]

See this thread for my opinion of Directnic.. http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=565989

[sauer38h]

Originally Posted by sweng

I am not ready yet to buy a complete web hosting package, but I feel that I must hurry up and reserve a domain name that is still availabile.

I need this domain name for long term - and it is quite possible that during its lifetime I may need to change web hosting providers.

Thus, I am not looking for the cheapest domain name purchase (like Yahoo's $1.99 1st year), but rather a domain name source (registrar?) that will allow me switching web hosting providers without any hassle.

Please note that I hope to never switch web hosting providers, but I have to plan for unpredictable circumstances.

Get the domain name you want as soon as you can. You don't need to have a site, a host, or anything else. Get the name pronto because if you wait a week or a day it may be sold to someone else and who will you have to blame then?

You can use the cheapo ($4.00/year) registrars. I tried a couple of those just to see if they work. They do. But they revert to real prices after the first year. I never tried Yahoo and don't plan to. I now use NameCheap for all my domains, and just keep renewing them there as they come up annually for renewal. My only complaint is that sometimes the $.89 or $.90 cent coupons for NameCheap don't seem to work - sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. Gambling with $.90 is hardly living dangerously.

I hoped to never switch web hosting providers either, but I have, and so will you. I've had several do spectacular crash & burns on me, which of course take my sites with them. I then use my backups (keep your own current backups without fail!!!) to put my sites on some other host, change the DNS at NameCheap, and am up and running again in a matter of hours.

In short, NameCheap has very reasonable prices, perfectly adequate service, a very good control panel, and for the few years I've been using them, they've been rock-stable. Now so long as they don't get sold to somebody who wants to "consolidate" operations with some other outfit (which always spells trouble), I anticipate keeping my domains there for the indefinite future.