I had been a Google Domains customer for years, keeping all domain names for clients and mine. It was probably the best registrar at the time. It was cheap and easy to use. Until this happened…

I don’t have any website built with Squarespace, and probably not soon. Because of that, I need to find a new home for my current and future domain names to live.

Fast forward to 2024, if I want to register a new domain name, let’s see how I would do it.

Check domain availability

First, you need to check whether the name you want is available. Namecheap Beast Mode is the easiest way to discover available domain names.

Since most of the .com domain is no longer available, we need to find other TLDs (Top-level domains). Some of the most popular are .co .io .so.

There are tons of TLDs available. However, keep in mind that not all registrars will provide all TLDs for sale. And because of that, you can get creative with it.

For example, if you want the name xxx.com (which is most likely taken), you may add a Prefix/Suffix like getxxx.com, or xxxhq.com. This way it’s more likely to be available. Local TLDs are another good option if you are only operating in a certain country (like co.uk).

Another thing to consider is how competitive your name is. You don’t want your domain to be facebook.io as people searching for your business will never find you. When I try to come up with a new business name, I always search for the name on Google and see if there are any businesses with similar names. If there is, then I will determine if I can outrank them or not. If so, I’ll take it.

Once we find a good domain name, it’s time to buy it. And we are not buying them from here (sorry Namecheap 🥲).

Buying a domain name

Using the word “buy” is a bit misleading. Because you can’t buy a name per se. Instead, you rent it. This means you need to pay a yearly fee to keep the name yours.

Many websites sell domain names. Even though they all sell you the same name, there are quite a few differences you need to consider.

1. First-year price or the price you pay now. Most registrars will provide a first-year discount, or even free if you purchase their other products.

2. Renewal price or the price you pay after the first year onward. If you get a discount on the first year, that will be gone.

3. UX/UI or how easy to use and navigate the platform. Each will have their platform. Some are user-friendly. Some are designed for aliens.

4. Vendor lock-in or how easy to leave the platform. If one day you decide to move your domains to another registrar, how difficult to do so.

5. Support or how helpful their team is when you need help.

Choosing a registrar will be different for each based on your priorities. Here are the recommended registrars I chose for 2024.

Cloudflare

Cloudflare is my registrar of choice this year. The price is the cheapest in the market as they don’t charge an additional fee ($9.15/y for a .com domain). Additionally, I use their DNS and CDN for all my websites. So it’s an easy choice for me.

There are a few downsides. Those who never used Cloudflare may find their UI a bit confusing as they have so many products. But once you get used to it, it’s not a big deal at all.

Another is you can’t change the nameserver, basically forcing you to use Cloudflare to manage your DNS.

Spaceship

Spaceship is a new guy in town (It’s owned by Namecheap) with the second-best price ($9.30/y). They arguably have the best user interface among the three.

The reason I don’t use it is that it is so new that I’m not too sure about how the platform will evolve into.

Porkbun

Porkbun is another good provider, with a similar price to Cloudflare and Spaceship (at $10.37/y). The reason why I don’t use Porkbun is purely aesthetic. I hate their platform’s user interface. If you can get over that, it’s a good place to store your domains.

Other registrars

If you notice, I didn’t mention any of the big names in the market including GoDaddy, Squarespace, Hostinger, etc. Even though they are quite popular, I don’t recommend them as their primary business is hosting.

Typically, they will offer you a free domain for the first year with a huge renewal price you have to pay for the rest of your life. Some will even charge for things you should get by default e.g. privacy protection.

If you plan to host with them anyway, I guess it’s okay to pay a bit extra as you get to use their platforms. However, I don’t plan to use any.

So which one should you choose?

If you are using Cloudflare services (like me) then go with Cloudflare. If you want to try a new shiny platform, go with Spaceship. If you want stability, go with Porkbun. Or if you have plans to host your website with a hosting provider, don’t forget to check the renewal price and compare them to other registrars.