OK, if you have met the Choosing Names 101 prerequisite we can move on to actually acquiring names and this often starts with selecting a registrar where you will register names that no one has taken yet (assuming you can find some still worth taking)!

First let me clarify one thing, the registrar and the registry are two different things. The registry is the body that has the contract to handle an entire extension (sometimes more than one). For example, Verisign is the registry for all .com and .net domains. You cannot register domains directly with them however. They make their inventory of unregistered domains available to hundreds of public registrars (the companies where you do register domains). Most registrars handle many different extensions and thus serve as middlemen between the registries and you.

As to which is the best registrar, "best" will mean different things to different people. To some price is the most important thing, to others it is security and to still others it might be who has the best domain management system. Most people end up settling on a registrar that gives them the best combination of all three attributes. There are several very good registrars out there but there are also dozens of extremely poor ones that can make your life miserable if you get stuck with one of them. They may have terrible customer service, bad interfaces, a poor security system than can lead to your names being stolen and other assorted ills.

If you visit any of the domain forums (see our Free Resources section for links) you will find constant discussion about domain registration services, both good and bad. If you see a lot of complaints about a registrar it is a good idea to stay away. On the other side of the coin, you will also be able to quickly identify those that have a loyal following. Here are some popular candidates based on the various criteria I mentioned above (price, security and domain management):

PRICE

GoDaddy.com, perhaps the best known registrar out there, is hard to beat on price. In addition to everyday low prices on almost all extensions they run a lot of specials that can save you even more. Of course, there is no free lunch, so to get the low prices you have to give up something else. In the case of GoDaddy it is your time.

Since they don't make much on their registrations they try very hard to sell you other products that are more profitable. This is called "upselling" and there is nothing wrong with it. It just means you have to wade through several screens of product pitches each time you try to register a domain (they do have a quick checkout button that sometimes appears and if you can locate this it will cut down on some of the screens). For those with very large portfolios the extra steps can get annoying but most put up with it because when you have a lot of domains the savings can be substantial at GoDaddy.

SECURITY

Moniker.com wins the Best Security award hands down. As of this writing they have never had a domain stolen. That is why most owners of high value domains keep theirs registered at Moniker.

The tradeoff is that since they scrutinize each requested transfer out very thoroughly, you have to contact them each time you want to transfer a name away. For those who "flip" a lot of domains (buy and sell them at very low prices) this extra layer of security can slow down completion of your transactions unless your buyer has (or will open) an account of their own at Moniker where the domain can be received with an instant push. Aside from that Moniker has always earned high marks across the board and as your portfolio grows in value so does Moniker's appeal as a home for your domains.

DOMAIN MANAGEMENT

Enom.com shines when it comes to easy domain management and for that reason they are a favorite with many professional domainers. In reality you are likely to use an Enom reseller like IdealRegistry.com rather than the Enom.com site itself. They prefer to market their product through their reseller network and to avoid competing with their resellers, the home site charges a very high registration price (as much as triple what many resellers charge for the exact same Enom registration).

At Enom you can use bulk tools to manage large numbers of domains instantly and transferring domains you sell to a buyer couldn't be easier. They can be instantly pushed from your account to the buyer's account. By contrast, at GoDaddy you have to go through multiple steps (including entering all of the buyer's contact information), have them send an email to the buyer and then wait for the buyer to complete additional steps on their end of the transfer.

Many excellent registrars will give those who hold a large number of domains steep discount prices on new registrations and transfers. Fabulous.com is especially notable among this group and they have a domain management system that is among the very best in the business. You have to contact them by email and tell them how many domains you have to see if you qualify for a bulk rate. Moniker.com and several others have negotiable bulk pricing as well.

There are many other registrars out there that might be a better fit for you than the few I have mentioned. As a newcomer you might register a domain or two at several different registrars at first to determine which ones you like best. Eventually, as your portfolio grows, you will want to settle on a small group of favorites (or possibly only one) to make it easier to keep track of your domains.