Go Daddy has passed Network Solutions as the top domain registrar,
and now manages more than 6.8 million domains. This marks the first
time that any registrar other than Network Solutions has held the top
spot.

On April 17, 2005 Go Daddy passed Network Solutions, finishing the day
with 6,830,420 domains under management to NetSol’s 6,822,496,
according to RegistrarStats.
The leadership change, which has been inevitable for some time given
the trajectories of the two providers, nonetheless marked the end of an
era.

"GoDaddy.com’s rise to the preeminent domain name registrar is a
watershed event in the history of the domain name industry," said Jay
Westerdal, CEO, of Name Intelligence. "This is the first time that any registrar, other than Network Solutions, has ever held the No. 1 position."

"Now that we are number one in terms of domain names under
management, we are truly the world’s No. 1 registrar in every
category," said Bob Parsons, president and founder of The Go Daddy
Group, Inc. "We achieved this position through hard work. Of course,
having achieved the status of No. 1 registrar, we will need to be even
more diligent in order to ensure continued growth, achieve greater
customer satisfaction, and retain our leadership position. We welcome
the challenge."

The Go Daddy Group includes three ICANN-accredited domain name registrars: flagship registrar GoDaddy.com, membership-based registrar Blue Razor Domains, and reseller registrar Wild West Domains. Go Daddy also offers private domain name registration services through Domains By Proxy and SSL Certificates through Starfield Technologies.

The change is no surprise, given the growth trends and pricing for the
two providers ($8.95 for Go Daddy, $34.99 for Network Solutions), but
its controversial Super Bowl ads no doubt helped put Go Daddy over the top.