Domain registration can be an overwhelming task since there are so many different registration companies. A Google search alone brings up 5,740,000 results! Each company seems to offer the same service so what should you look for, and which company do you choose?
The most important thing is to make sure that when you register a domain, YOU are the owner. It is a common mistake to allow the person or company who registers it for you to be the owner. If you do not own the domain, it can be difficult if you ever want to move to a new hosting company. The good news is that there is a resource online called “whois” that can identify the domain owner. If you discover that you don’t own your domain, you should work to get that fixed right away.
If you are not 100% sure if you own the domain, go to www.whois.com right now. When you get to the site, click on the words that say “WhoIsLookUp” located in blue above the search bar. You will be able to see all of the contact information related to the registrant. By the way, did you know all that information is public? Be careful of what personal information you type in because if you’re not, anyone could start emailing or calling your personal information. The good news is there is a way to hide this information. Tell your registration company that you are interested in privacy and they can hide it for an additional fee.