TLDR
- .com Domain prices are increasing starting September 1, 2021
- If you plan on keeping your domain, it is recommended you purchase in bulk before then.
Domain names are the addresses of the internet, and they are about to get more expensive. VeriSign, Inc. The company that has exclusive rights to register .com domains has been under a Price Freeze since 2012 when the Department of Commerce and VeriSign came to an agreement that .com domains could be sold at wholesale at most $7.85. In short, this freeze has ended after public outcry and debate. The wholesale price of domain names will increase to $8.39. The company is allowed to increase prices by 7% this year and then each of the next three years. This means wholesale prices will be $10.26 in four years, assuming it takes advantage of each price increase and has to round down each increase to the nearest penny.
How does this effect my website?
If you have a .com, every year, you will see the price of your domain names increase slightly. Domain name registrars charge wholesale price plus whatever they deem appropriate. We recommend Porkbun.com for your domain needs. They’re the most no-frills, give you what you need domain provider with comparisons to prices on their pages.
We are recommending if you have a .com, renew it for multiple years now if you can. If you are using one of the other awesome domain levels like .xyz, .band, or .club, you may want to consider locking them down for multiple years as well. Otherwise you risk losing the address everyone is used to. Even Google has fallen to this mistake when an employee noticed Google.com was for sale and purchased it for $12.
It might also be worth asking yourself, do any of these other domain extensions make sense for my business or venture? Developing a game? Check out .game. Showing off your photography? Check out .pics or .photography. The options are endless.
We can help you pick and/or manage your domain. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.