Hello, my name is Troy and I am a domain name junkie.
Since 1995 I have registered several hundreds of domains, and let hundreds of domains expire. From the days of Network Solutions charging $70 (2 year minimum) to today’s super cheap resellers – I have seen it all. But there is one formula I keep coming back to regarding registering domain names and it has saved me hundreds if not thousands of dollars on both new registrations and renewals.
Use GoDaddy.com for everything
I used to use a site called “betterwhois” to look up domain names to see if they were available. I have also used several web sites by searching for “cheap domain names” that allow you to search for availability.
DO NOT USE THESE SERVICES!
Here’s the deal, it is really easy for somebody to write a script on the Internet, claimit is a “domain name lookup” service, offer it for free, and promote it with ads. Then, after an unsuspecting visitor types in a domain name, they go out without your knowledge and register the domain name, and offer it back to you at a significant price increase.
Shady.
What’s worse is the schemers don’t even have to pay for the domains in most cases – they actually get a refund if you don’t fall for their trap!
I use GoDaddy.com’s search on their home page for most of my domain name lookups. It is fast, reliable, and definitely not a scam.
Use Coupon Codes
I listen to a lot of podcasts, including some of the top rollers like Adam Curry and CC Chapman. For the past several years they have been offering coupon codes for godaddy.com that give you significant dollars off yoru purchase. Here are the codes CC shares:
- Hash1
Gets you 10% off of any order. No maximum! - Hash2
$5 off of any order $30 or more - Hash3
New domain names for only $7.69 a year
I use HASH3 for my single domain name buys and the HASH1 when I have a whole list of renewals.
Domain names are still big business. Play it smart, and the savings will let you buy even more.
[TAGS]domain names, godaddy.com, cc chapman, troy rutter, Adam Curry[/TAG]
