Public vs. Private Domain Registration: What’s the Difference?
When you register a domain name, you have the option to choose between public and private registration.
Public domain registration makes your information, such as your name, address, email address, and phone number, publicly available in the WHOIS database. This can be beneficial if you want people to be able to easily contact you about your website, but it can also make you susceptible to spam and phishing attempts.
Private domain registration hides your information from the WHOIS database and replaces it with the contact information of the privacy protection service. This can be a good option if you value your privacy or if you don’t want to be bombarded with spam. However, it can make it more difficult for people who are interested in purchasing your domain to contact you.
Here is a table that summarizes the pros and cons of public and private domain registration:
| Feature | Public Domain Registration | Private Domain Registration |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Paid service (We are free.) |
| Security | Lower | Higher |
| Privacy | Lower | Higher |
| Spam | More likely | Less likely |
| Contact | Easier | More difficult |
So, which one should you choose?
The best option for you will depend on your individual needs and preferences. If you value your privacy and don’t mind paying a small fee, then private domain registration is a good option. However, if you want people to be able to easily contact you about your website, then public domain registration may be the better choice.
Here are some additional factors to consider when making your decision:
- The type of website you have: If you have a personal website or blog, you may be more likely to choose private domain registration. However, if you have a business website, you may want to choose public domain registration so that potential customers can easily contact you.
- Your level of comfort with online privacy: If you are concerned about your online privacy, you may be more likely to choose private domain registration.
- The value of your domain name: If your domain name is valuable, you may want to choose private domain registration to protect it from domain hijacking.
Ultimately, the decision of whether to choose public or private domain registration is a personal one. There is no right or wrong answer, and the best option for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences. Our domain registration and transfer include free Privacy Protection forever
Per our registrar agreement with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the contact and registrant information listed for your domain name must be made public. Using false information is a violation and can lead to the termination of your domain name registration.
We understand most people do not want their personal contact information (name, address, email address, and phone number) made public in the Whois database. That’s why we have offered Private Domain Registration services since 2002.
When you purchase Private Registration services, the Whois database lists a generic name, mailing address, and phone number instead of your personal contact information.
we also create a private unique email address for your domain name — you decide to have any arriving email forwarded, filtered for spam, or not forwarded at all.
Why do expiring domain names have private Whois contact information?
Our system hides your contact information during your domain name’s expiration period to protect you from harassment. Here’s how the private contact information displays in the Whois database:
| Registrant | Admin & Technical |
|---|---|
| c/o Wild West Domains 14455 N. Hayden Road, Suite 219 Scottsdale, AZ 85260 United States | Wild West Domains Redemption Services Support@WildWestDomains.com 14455 N. Hayden Road, Suite 219 Scottsdale, AZ 85260 United States +1.480.505.8877 |
Things you should know:
- If the private contact information already displays for a domain name during expiration, we won’t change it.
- If you want to transfer the domain name away from us during the auto-renew grace period, we will automatically revert the private contact information to your original registrant information when you request the authorization code.
- We can revert private Whois information back to your original registrant information at any time.
At this time, we cannot make all expiring TLDs private. We are working to provide this service for all TLDs in the future.