Hello. I'm currently shopping for a domain name for my website (likely Tumblr... ). My budget for 1 year is < $30. After searching online for a good 2.5 hours and comparing various sites, I thought I would ask for your advice. Which registrar should I use?

Many people from various sites have advised against using Godaddy.com. I tried to enter a test domain to see how the checkout process worked on their site anyway; however, I was quite confused by the interface (I couldn't uncheck the webhosting box?). So, I went to Gandi.net from another site's recommendation. It appears to be user-friendly. I have also visited Name.com and Dreamhost.com.

I think Gandi.net may be the best option for me. Is there anything that I should know about registering a domain name before I make a purchase?

Depends on your needs.

If you don't know what you are doing, it can be easiest if you have a hosting provider that also handles your DNS services. They know what records need to be created and where to point them.

If you know what you're doing, if you know how to point your records to various places that handle your actual services, you can shop around to an enormous number of providers. I like Google Domains, they're relatively inexpensive and offer a long list of services.

Thanks for the reply! I'm going to go with Gandi.net for now. I don't really know what I'm doing, but I can always learn along the way.

It doesn't really matter too much where you go, you should just make sure it's a trustworthy source that is handling your domain. The last thing you want is to have a super popular site and then be at the mercy of a less than honest registrar so you can save a couple bucks a year.

I still just use godaddy. No problems there.

I still use godaddy as well. I only use it for DNS records. Works fine, sometimes their web interface seems a bit arcane, but honestly I only have to update it once every couple years or so.

Although there are cheaper alternatives, I use DirectNIC for a long while (just I don't like them charging for privacy)

You may prefer Google Domains (which I never used) giving privacy free of charge and domains @ $12/year

Honestly, it doesn't matter what domain registrar you use, especially if you're just starting out and don't have much of an idea what you need to do with domains and hosting.

Personally, find one that sounds like a good offer, and use it. Here's some quick advice for picking a registrar though:

• You shouldn't need to pay more than $15 a year for your domain.
• Always get WhoIs Privacy Protection! You don't want your private information going around on the internet.
• If you don't have too much of an idea what you're doing with domains/hosting, try and buy a domain through a reputable web host to save yourself DNS hassle.