Not all domain registrars are the same. From the features that they provide to how reliable they are, there's a lot more to registrars than just selling you names. To find out what to avoid when picking a registrar, read our post Be aware: 5 things to watch out for when buying a domain. Once you've chosen a registrar, the good news is that you're not locked into using them forever. You can always make a switch.
Don't just look at features and services, but how they're priced and provided.
Every registrar offers a suite of features and services, such as WHOIS privacy protection (to hide your contact information from people searching for your domain's owner), web hosting and email. If you don't have all the features that you want with your current registrar, you may wish to take advantage of a better package offered by a different registrar.
Price: Do the features that you need cost extra or are they included as part of the package?
Ease of use: Are the features that you need easy to implement? Will they require manual effort on your part, or does the registrar offer some simple tools to make things like domain management easier for you?
Support: Will live support be available when you need it?
Provider: Who provides the features that they're selling? Some registrars offer all their own services for email and web hosting, while others partner with third-party providers. If you're currently using a provider for things like web hosting and design, and they already partner with another registrar that you're considering using, it may be a more seamless transfer.
Look critically at the price structure of your domain registrar, because each one is different. Some registrars might charge extra fees for services that you consider critical, while others may offer the same services at no additional charge. Some may offer a low price for the first year, but then have much higher renewal rates. If your domain registrar is charging you more than you would be charged elsewhere, you may want to look for a less expensive registrar.
Beware of choosing a new registrar solely based on low price.
Price alone may not justify transferring your domain. Saving a few pounds per year on a domain name is much less valuable than having a domain registrar that suits your needs. Before making a transfer, consider the consequences of doing so.
If you need to change the ownership of your domain (either from you to another person, or another person to you), you'll need to do a domain transfer. For example, if an employee registered your domain under a personal account, you may want to transfer the domain to an account maintained by your business. In some cases, you may choose to transfer to another registrar at the same time that you transfer ownership.
Transfer locks prevent your domain from being transferred without your knowledge.
Authorisation codes help make sure that you have permission to transfer your domain from one registrar to another. They are sometimes called 'EPP codes' or 'Transfer codes'.
Confirmation emails make sure that you are transferring your domain to the right person. You can't make the transfer without verifying your identity.
The technical details involved in a transfer can seem overwhelming, but many registrars have excellent online help articles that can walk you through the process. At Google Domains, we make it super easy by guiding you through each step with simple instructions.
Thinking about transferring your domain to Google Domains? Visit our website today to learn more and click 'I'd like to transfer' to get started.