First, what is a domain name? A domain name is a naming system that turns raw numbers like 69.69.3.199 known as IP or Internet address into an easy to remember, human friendly chunk of text. For example “aPlanBforCollege.com.

Domain name registrars help you register and manage your domains. Here’s a look at the best three domain name registrars.

Domain registration at Namecheap is economical, as their name implies, but Namecheap hasn’t built a name for itself just by offering the absolute cheapest deals in town. Namecheap’s reputation rests on fantastic customer service and value-added packages. You get solid customer service, free email and URL forwarding, free and customizable domain parking, free domain transfers, dynamic DNS services if you want to redirect a domain to your home server, and more. You can jump right to their pricing schedule here or read more about their free features here.
	All 1&1 domain registrations include a simple five-page starter website (consider it a “super” domain parking package), an email account with 2GB of storage, and free private domain registration to shield your personal information. 1&1 also offers free domain transfer. You can view their price schedule here or read more about their domain packages here.
Go Daddy has built a customer base by offering cheap package deals (combining domain registration and web hosting) as well as frequent specials on domain registration. Go Daddy registrations include what amounts to a free mini-hosting plan. You get a five-page web site based on one of their templates, a photo album, blogging tools, and an email account with 1GB of storage. Although Go Daddy doesn’t offer free private registration, if you register five or more domains, it’s free for all of them. You can read more about their pricing schedule and extras here.

Always remember to read the fine print at each registrar company offers because saving $3.00 on a registration isn’t much of a savings if you miss out on useful auxiliary features like free domain parking, email forwarding, etc. Best wishes!