Transferring Domain Names - The Basics

By Alex Johnson

With a sharp increase in the number of domain registry services in recent years, some great domain providers have emerged. Unfortunately, not all registrars are created equal. Many small businesses and individuals are frustrated with the quality of service or pricing offered by their domain provider, but don't know that they can switch.

If your current registrar is not offering competitive renewal fees or solid customer service, the good news is that you can transfer your domain to a trusted registrar such as Yahoo. Most large providers such as GoDaddy, Yahoo, and 1&1 allow you to initiate domain name transfers from your account. If you're not sure how to do this, simply call or email your domain provider and tell them you'd like your domain to be held through another registration service.

There are some things to keep in mind when transferring your domain to another registrar.

• Only the domain's owner can initiate the change. In some cases, especially for small businesses, their web designer registered the domain for them. If this is the case, you will need to contact your designer for help.
• You will be charged for another year of registration. Yahoo, for instance, charges $9.95 per year as part of their small business domain name package. Your original renewal date will be extended by year.
• Your site may be down for 24-48 during the transfer. Unfortunately, not everything on the Internet is instant. A transfer takes 24-48 hours to propagate to all networks within the Web, and you may experience outages during this time.

Should you transfer to another domain registrar if you are experience unfair pricing or bad service? Absolutely! Transferring to a respected domain provider such as Yahoo provides long term savings in the form of lower renewal fees, as well as solid customer support.

This article is provided courtesy of Small Business Domain, a web hosting resource featuring reviews, promotional codes, and resources. Visit today to compare domain name registrars, including Yahoo Small Business Domains.