We reviewed the new discount domain registrar "GoDaddy" as well as our old favorite service "Register.com" to see what's new in discount domains.

Unravelling the mystery of getting your own "dot-com name" Over the last three years we have registered dozens of domain names for our various web sites. We know others who have registered 1000's of domains in that same time. Yet there are still many people we know who are looking to find and register their first top-level "dot-com" name. Every time we explain the process to someone new, they always come up with the same bewildered look and accompanying questions, "Who the heck is ICANN, who gets my registration fee, and why does it cost so much?"

Making the registration process easier and cheaper We have to agree that the process of domain name registration has always been a bit mysterious, more than a little confusing, and definitely much too expensive. Well nothing seems to be changing about the mysterious part. But for sure the process has become simpler -- and best of all, the prices have dropped to the point that anyone can now afford a top-level domain.

Full-service registrars are staying on top with better packages
Way back when...we'd pay about $70 to Network Solutions, or VeriSign, for a two-year registration of a ".net" or ".com" name. Of course those were also the days when domain names were still available and competition was scare. But since then, many other domain registration services have been approved by ICANN, the domain registration governing body.

One of our favorite full-service registrars is Register.com based in New York, with offices in Asia and Europe. They've become very popular in the full-service arena by offering more than just a domain name with each registration. For $35 a year you get your own domain, plus a complete 3-page web hosting package with plenty of online support help to get you going. Even though they are not the cheapest registrar, we think they are about the best when it comes to taking care of customers and giving you the whole package. Discount registrars are shaking up the industry with killer prices.

The new kid on the block, and the one making all the headlines in the hosting news, is Go Daddy. Under the direction of founder and President Bob Parsons, they are picking up a substantial amount of business by offering $8.95 domains and $7.75 domain transfers. Webmasters looking for low-ball pricing, because they have lots of domains to register (or they are just plain cheap), think they have died and gone to heaven with the new pricing. Indeed many see GoDaddy as the new domain hosting hero. In any case they are setting a new pricing standard while capturing a huge segment of the hosting market.

But even with the super low prices, GoDaddy remains competitive in the features area as well. They are including free parked pages with each domain registration and also provide five email forwarding accounts for just 99 cents.

Our Conclusion
We still think you get good value with Register.com, but GoDaddy is definitely here to stay. Either way you can't go wrong.  Visit Go Daddy 
Visit Register.com

Related Article: Registrar Review - directNIC >>