Things to Consider Before You Register a Domain With Any Providers (Part 1)
Setting up a website requires an essential step, which is registering a domain name. It is even more so important now as the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the process, where many businesses are moving online and therefore registering their preferred domain names. The domain name registration industry has evolved a long way since more than 30 years ago. It has become so huge that it is now a billion-dollar industry. As of the first quarter of 2020, there are well over 365 million domain names registered. It shows that people around the world are actively registering domains and the number of registered domain names are slowly but steadily increasing. If you are actively helping your customer to register domain names, here are 10 the (or 5) things you need to consider before you register a domain with any providers.
1. Be Cautious of the Advertised Cost
Domain registration providers like to display an attractive low price to draw the interest of users who are looking to register a domain. It is their marketing tactic and it is widely used by many providers. However, most of the time, the unbelievable low price displayed is for the first-year registration fee only. The real and hidden cost of annual renewal is usually at a much higher price, and many users who are attracted by the low price rush to register, only to after that discover the steep increase in renewal cost. Make sure to be extra careful and check the real cost of registering and the annual renewal cost of the domain name!
At WebNIC, we make sure to show the original price beside our advertised price for high transparency, as shown here in our promotion page.
2. Beware of Hidden Fees
Registration fee is a consideration factor, but so are hidden fees. Some providers take advantage of the fact that most users tend to be lazy to read the “Terms & Conditions” and add in these extra charges in it. Hidden fees can include many things, most notably for the below scenarios:
“Upsell” and “cross-sell” for domains or services that the user might not actually need. One example is automatic selecting other domain extensions for the user’s selected .COM domain (auto tick .NET, .ORG). Or cross-sell other unnecessary services, which he/she might not need at the moment.
“Transfer-out” fees. Some providers secretly charge a processing fee if the domain owner decides to transfer his/her domain name to another provider. It is against the policy of ICANN and if you happen to come across this situation, be sure to report the provider to ICANN. Less ethical providers might also intentionally complicate the process and charge you a service fee to help you perform the transfer-out process.
“WHOIS or RDAP” fees. Some unethical providers also charge extra fees on processing WHOIS or RDAP info. For example, if the domain owner wishes to update the email address in the WHOIS database, an unethical provider will charge him/her to do so.
Note that hidden fees are not limited to these only, but it might also include many other questionable charges, some even to the extent of too ridiculous to comprehend. Be sure to be on the lookout for such providers.
We at WebNIC do not intentionally hide extra charges in our Policy & Agreement. We state clearly applicable charges and do not charge users unnecessarily.
3. WHOIS Privacy
Every domain name owner’s info is recorded in a public database, WHOIS. The info can include the owner’s full name, email address, phone number, address and more. The info is easily accessible by the public by doing a domain search on WHOIS. It is sensitive info and hence most of the good reputation registrars will offer WHOIS privacy protection for free. Make sure to stay away from providers who charge you a fee for this feature. A good domain registration provider allows you to freely change your WHOIS privacy settings easily for free.
Beware of providers who also offer “privacy services” by offering to put their details instead of the domain owner’s details on the WHOIS database. This approach secretly gives them ownership of the domain instead of the original domain owner, and it is a disguise of the so-called “privacy services”. Essentially, they own the domain and they can secretly sell it should they see more value in selling it rather than retaining it for the domain owner. If a dispute case occurs, it is almost a guaranteed outcome that the original domain owner loses the case, regardless of whatever “Terms & Conditions” outlined by the providers. It is because the provider owns the name in the WHOIS database.
Another thing to look out for regarding WHOIS privacy is the price trap. Some providers promote on the surface free WHOIS privacy, but it comes with a catch. They configure their system to offer free for the first year, but when the domain renews, it then resets at a much, much higher fee. There are also cases where it is free for the first month, but from the second month onwards, it resets to a higher fee. Be sure to watch out for charges like these, as mentioned in point number 2 above.
WebNIC offers free WHOIS privacy service as stated in our Policy & Agreement. We do not charge hidden fees and we also make it easy for our partners to edit their WHOIS settings through our partner dashboard.
4. Data Protection
Some providers fail to protect a domain owner’s information by not offering a proper WHOIS privacy service, causing his/her data to be susceptible to exploitation by hackers and scammers. Sometimes, they make it even worse by taking advantage of the data they have on a domain owner when he/she registers a domain with them. Not only do they force domain owners to pay a premium for “privacy services”, they also sell the domain owner’s data to third-parties, such as marketing companies for a profit.
At WebNIC, we make it our commitment to protect and safeguard our partners’ data and their respective customers’ data. Our privacy policy clearly outlines our obligations to our users.
5. The Multi-year Registration Package
If you are registering a domain through a multi-year package because it’s cheaper, be sure to confirm your registration years after paying the registration fee. Some providers offer multi-year on the surface, but secretly helps the user to register 1 year only, pocketing the remaining money. Usually, providers offer plans like this with a strict no refund policy. An awkward situation might then occur whereby they provide poor customer service up to the point that it drives the customer away. In the end, they pocket 5 years’ worth of registration fee but only paid for a 1-year registration, which is most often at a hugely discounted price, further reducing their cost. They stand to gain more money through this unethical approach. Make sure to steer clear of snake providers like these.
WebNIC is committed to full transparency and trustworthiness while working with our partners. We deliver what we promise, and we place trust as our first priority in providing all of our services.
Conclusion
There are still more things to consider before a user registers a domain with any providers. The 5 points mentioned here are just Part 1. Do stay tune for part 2. Therefore, before you start selling domain registration services, make sure to keep these things in mind when choosing your preferred domain partner. The great news is, WebNIC is a trusted domain registrar with more than 20 years of experience in the domain wholesale and reseller service. We do not engage in any unethical actions as mentioned in this article here. Not only do we offer a wide range of domains to help our partners to become a domain reseller and grow their domain business with us, we also work hard to provide a high transparency level and most importantly, a high level of trust and service quality to all our partners. If you are still wondering which registrar to work with, then WebNIC is your best choice!
About WebNIC
WebNIC is an accredited registrar for ICANN, and various countries including Asia, Europe, America, Australasia, and Africa. With offices in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, Taipei and Jakarta, we serve 5,000+ active resellers over 70 countries. To join us and become a reseller, live chat with us or email us at [email protected].
