Hover: A Simple Domain Management Provider

Have you ever thought to yourself “I wish this could just be simpler”? I know I have, and that’s what prompted me to search out a better domain registrar.

I have used GoDaddy exclusively in the past, but I grew tired of the ‘marketing barrage’ that is spewed forth from their site and emails. Not to mention the labyrinth of screens that must navigated to manage your domains. I just wanted to register my domains at a reasonable price, and have a simple way to manage them.

The Search Begins

I began my search for a domain registrar and my requirements were:

  • Simple, uncluttered, easy to use interface
  • Relatively low cost
  • Decent user reviews

Simplicity was the key requirement. I don’t want to have to select an option for a domain privacy. I don’t want to have to move through four screens to manage DNS. I do not want to have to search down the promo code of the day to get the best deal.

Kill The Sales Pitch

Most people would think that low cost is the number one factor in selecting a domain registrar. While I agree that cost is important, there is one other thing that is equally important, to me at least – removal of the sales pitch.

As many of you know, GoDaddy does have reasonable pricing (although you have to work for it using promo codes). They also have an incredibly invasive system for promoting their other products. They promote on the site before you log in. They promote after you log in. They promote on the way to the check out. They promote at the check out. And finally they promote with emails (even if you opt out of specials, they still promote when reminding you to renew).

So I decided that I would be willing to pay a little more, to remove all of this clutter.

Enter Hover

One day I saw a tweet from Jesse Petersen about Hover. At this point I had already investigated a few domain registrars – eNom, register.com, and Network Solutions. But I had never heard of Hover. It turned out that Hover was owned by Tucows, one of the largest domain registrars out there.

So I ran over to Hover to check them out. What I found was refreshing. A simple site, with a simple offering. As I investigated further, I found that Hover offers domain registration for a flat $15 per year rate, but that includes domain privacy. Also, Hover offers a 10% discount with promo code HONEST. Wait – I didn’t want to deal with promo codes anymore, right? Well in this case, I will make an exception. Hover has ONE promo code – HONEST – and that’s it. And it is good for 10% off of ALL Hover transactions. Not some, not for a limited time, not if you spin around three times and chant a mantra…

So that brings the price of a domain registration, with domain privacy, to $13.50 per year. When you compare that to GoDaddy and some of the others out there, that is a very competitive price.

And here is the icing on the cake – no sales pitch. No annoying emails, and no plethora of advertisements embedded throughout the checkout process. In addition, the Hover site is very simple to navigate. In your My Account area, there are five sub-menu items: Domains, Email, Forwards, Name Servers, and DNS.

So I went through the process of moving one of my domains over to Hover. The process cannot be any simpler. They have a slick “go/no-go” area that tells you where you are in the transfer process, and what you need to do next. The most involved part of the process was actually on GoDaddy’s site, where I needed to unlock the domain and verify that I was transferring it.

The Pleasant Surprise

As I transferred my domain, I found that Hover moves your domain over and also transfers your remaining time with your previous registrar. So if you have two years, three months left at your previous registrar, the time transfers to Hover. And here is the kicker – Hover adds another year to your time. Since the transfer fee is $9 ($10 minus the 10%), you get another year tacked on for a lower rate.

It’s The Little Things That Count

So why does it look like I’m way to excited about Hover? Because with all of the complexities in the world today, making things simpler is not always easy. So my domain management going forward will be much simpler, and I won’t have to watch a Superbowl commercial every time I register a new domain. 🙂

I am in the process of moving my domains over to Hover, and I highly recommend them to you. Keep it simple …

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