If our headline caught your attention, it is likely because you are experiencing issues such as inadequate support, wavering confidence, and excessive fees with your current domain registrar. These are commonly cited as the main motivators to switch to another domain registrar.
Our aim is to frame the discussion, focusing on how an ideal registrar partnership works.
Your domain registrar should act as a seamless extension of your business aligned with your goals and objectives. Their role should go beyond domain operations; they should actively seek to reduce your brands’ exposure to infringements within the domain space while striving to reduce costs where feasible.
If you have already made the decision to change your registrar and are prepared to explore other options reach out to our team below. If not, please read on.
What to consider before
switching domain registrars
Service Level (Support & Advice)
A service level is not merely a term in a contract but a commitment to guarantee a viable level of service. It is not the minimum amount of support and service delivery required but a commitment to provide a dedicated, co-ordinated, and bespoke offering that exceeds expected standards.
The internet does not rest, and neither should your domain registrar. You must not pay for 24/7 email and telephone support or have to schedule updates around your registrar’s operating times.
A corporate registrar’s distinguishable feature is the advice and accompanying support it provides. The support should alleviate administrative burdens on your team.
It is their duty to inform you of developments in the industry and ensure your domain portfolio is aligned to your trade marks and business objectives. The advice should be backed by domain audits, benchmark exercises, monitoring and other data driven evidence.
The support and advice mentioned above should not be a profit generating independent service instigated by you. Instead, it should serve as complementary to all domain related services. Effective advice and support are highly valued when seamlessly integrated with the right services.
Economic Climate
We are all feeling the squeeze. Whether in business or at home, the unfortunate culmination of events since early 2020 has led to a global cost of living crisis, which has seen people cut back in all areas.
It is important to react to such external pressures, but what action should be taken from a domain management perspective? If a registrar is suggesting you delete domains without a risk assessment (valuable assets that serve to protect and progress your brands), then it is likely time to consider a switch.
Although reducing your portfolio size to reduce costs is an option, explore the alternatives. Moving to a price competitive corporate domain registrar will reduce your overall registration and renewal fees, eliminate updates costs without having to make the difficult decision of deleting domains.
Pricing
Price comparison sites allow you to evaluate whether you are receiving the best possible deal and price for a product or service. There is no such service in the corporate domain space, which does not allow for price transparency.
Evaluating a new registrar gives you the opportunity to scrutinise the fees you are currently being charged and to query whether they are justified.
How does switching
domain registrars work?
How long does it take?
A .com usually takes 5 days to transfer. Certain country extensions can be transferred without delay as soon as the transfer is accepted such as .uk. (United Kingdom) (TAG Change) and co.za (South Africa).
Will a domain transfer effect the functioning of my domain?
The transfer of a domain should not affect the functionality of the domain if handled in the correct manner. The migration of services and/or records related to each domain should be seamless. Your corporate domain registrar should plan the transfers in advance, offering advice and ensuring all technical aspects are considered, and configured, prior to the transfer of any active domains.
Does it cost to switch?
There is no cost to switch to a corporate domain registrar such as Lexsynergy, however all domains in generic extensions (.com, .info and .net) and certain country extensions do renew for one year upon transfer. This means if your domain expires on 5 March 2024, after the transfer it will expire on 5 March 2025. The cost that is paid is merely a renewal and NOT an administrative cost.
Should I switch
domain registrar?
If you are contemplating switching domain registrars, reach out for a cost and service comparison.
Below are some additional factors to consider.
Cut costs
A modern corporate domain registrar will save costs by:
Eliminating management and update costs – you should not be charged for updating a domain and your fees should be fixed and all-inclusive with no hidden costs.
Removing middle-men – Direct accreditations with registries ensure you always receive the lowest price and minimises technical issues by not relying on an unnecessary third party.
Preventing surprises – adding a forwarder to your domain should not incur a cost. A long term contract can be avoided although you should have the flexibility to fix prices. We do not lock clients into long terms contracts because we are confident in our service. We believe that a client will choose to stay with us based on our personalised services and dedicated support, not because they are obligated by contract.
Intellectual Property (IP)
Your domain registrar should have an intimate knowledge of IP law.
Domains are often the first point of contact for a brand in the digital space. They need to be managed with the same care and diligence afforded to other IP Rights such as trade marks. Understanding the intersection of domain and IP rights ensures better management of a domain portfolio, aligning it with the broader IP strategy of a business.
Maintain your portfolio
The term right-sizing is thrown around too often by legacy domain registrars. Rather than providing you with a fair price reflective of their costs, they would rather you pay more, or decrease your portfolio size and therefore protection.
By switching to a modern corporate domain registrar who has direct accreditations with the registries, you can cut out the middle-men, reducing costs whilst maintaining or even strategically enhancing your domain portfolio.
Tired of being tied down?
Thank you for reading to the conclusion of this article. Statistically, less than 10% of people reach the end of a blog page, so you are either a scanning bot or seriously considering switching domain providers.
If you are considering switching registrars, we invite you to engage with us to demonstrate our services and how they can uniquely benefit you.
We support over 1,300+ domain extensions, maintain a 100% domain dispute record, high levels of security (2FA, SSO and Whitelisting) and data protection (ISO:27001 certified).