It has always been easy to find an affordable way of registering a new domain name and renewing it over the years. However, there are always companies out there that are looking to charge much more for the same service. So knowing how to do your own research is vital in making the right choice and not just using the first website you come across.
Thanks to various acquisitions that have been taking place, the more affordable options have been slowly vanishing. For example, Web.com just bought MyDomain. As part of its consumption of MyDomain accounts to its own system, it immediatly increased everyone’s costs from MyDomain’s pricing to its own. In some cases, doubling the cost of everyone’s domain costs overnight ($19.99/year average suddenly turned into $37.99). Making for a huge increase out of nowhere and a questionable move between two companies that usually send emails to customers saying “nothing will change on your end” and “you’ll enjoy the same great services”.
So what do you do if you are a part of one of these acquisitions and don’t like these sudden price changes? You start shopping around all over again and consider making a move to a new registrar. You are able to transfer your domain to ano registrar you want and the process isn’t too painful.
Typically, you have to “unlock” your domain (locking it prevents it from transfer) and request an authorization code for transfer. Register an account with the new company/website and look for the option to transfer a domain into that account. It will ask for that code and you would provide it. This will trigger the transfer process. Sometimes the new registrar you choose will have a support team that can help with the process.
If you feel like you are suddenly spending too much for your domain name, you likely are. It shouldn’t cost that much to register a domain name. So it would be wise to look for alternatives like Namecheap or GoDaddy that can allow you to continue on without breaking the bank. Especially, if you own a handful of domain names. Thankfully, there still are options out there to take advantage of.
