How Should I Choose My Domain Name
At first, you might think its annoying that the most relevant domain names for your site are probably taken. But now that the obvious names are out of the equation, were forced to think outside the box which can lead to some memorably creative results.
The most important point to keep in mind while you brainstorm is the radio test: in other words, could potential site visitors spell your domain name just by hearing it? By asking yourself this question, youll avoid common pitfalls like including numbers and words with multiple spellings .
Domain Privacy Hides Your Information From Competitors
Anyone who has a business or is thinking of starting one will likely do into the industry. Competitor research is a typical part of that process. Including your details in the WHOIS directory makes digging up information about your company that much easier for competitors.
If you own multiple websites especially, the WHOIS directory is an easy way for people to make the connection between them. If youd rather keep your brands separate in the eyes of competitors, or you simply dont want to make it easy for them to find out more about your company, domain privacy is worth it.
Your Domain Name Shouldnt Break Any Legal Terms
There was a time when the Internet was the Wild West.
Those days are long gone. Now its full of corporations with deep pockets that will sue you into bankruptcy if you even look at them the wrong way. Thats why its important to be careful.
Imagine this. You come up with a great name. You register it. You launch your website. And then, just as your business starts gaining momentum, you are hit with a cease and desist letter.
What the ?? is your first thought.
But then, as you decipher the legalese, you realize that apparently your domain name is trademarked, which means that you are in a world of trouble.
You can avoid this by doing due diligence.
For example, you can check US trademarks on the United States Patent and Trademark Offices website.
Alternatively, you can check for the trademarks for whatever country you want to operate in through the local equivalent of the USPTO.
And, of course, Google can help you as well, because if nothing comes up on it, then you probably dont need to worry.
Now, unfortunately, if you came up with a cool name, the chances are that you are not the first person to do so, which means that you might end up having to go back to the drawing board.
However, keep in mind that finding yourself back at square one is much better than getting hit with a lawsuit, so dont cut corners here.
Read Also: Register Domain Privately
Your Domain Name And Branding
People often think that the word brand means a company name.
However, a brand is much more than that, your brand is the overall company image that you present to the world.
Its important to make sure that everything in your business, from the company name to the domain name to the website design to the content to the tone of voice, works together and conveys the image that you want to convey.
Imagine that you are conducting a job interview and you think that the candidate is great.
She is professional, she has the relevant experience, she seems like a great fit in terms of the company culture
But when she leaves, you take another look at her resume and you notice that her email address is .
No offense to the sk8ergurls out there, but lets keep it real: an email address like that would make you question your original impression of her.
Well, its the same with branding. If everything about your company conveys a certain image but your domain name doesnt fit that image at all, it will put potential customers on guard.
And the last thing you want to do is give them a reason to be suspicious.
Why Can’t I Transfer A Domain Name I Just Registered To Another Registrar
There are certain situations that can prevent a domain name from being transferred to a different registrar, such as a new registration. Your registrar may deny a transfer request if the domain name is within 60 days of initial registration. Another situation is if the domain name is subject to a 60-day Change of Registrant lock. You cannot transfer a domain name to a different registrar within 60 days of making changes to the registrant name, organization or email address . At their discretion, some registrars may provide an option for you to opt-out of this 60-day lock period. However, this rule is in place for your protection against unauthorized transfers and the registrar does not have to offer this option. If your ultimate goal is to transfer the domain name, you may want to consider completing the transfer process before changing your contact information.
Registrars also have the option of denying a transfer request within 60 days from when you last transferred the domain name to a different registrar. You may have the option to change web-hosting providers instead of registrars to avoid the inter-registrar transfer process altogether. You may also update your domain name’s nameservers or change the hosting IP address assigned to your domain name. Check with your registrar and/or hosting provider to see what options you have.
Read Also: What To Do After Buying Domain
How Much Does Domain Privacy Protection Protect Site Owners
It depends on what you are trying to protect and who you are trying to protect it from. As mentioned, WHOIS will stop automated address harvesters from getting their hands on your details, but a focused attacker would find indirect ways to ascertain who the real owner is.
Lets imagine you run a business. If your business address is already listed on your website, theres no need to hide your details from the Whois database, as its already out there for anyone to find.
If you run a blog about your family life that you share with people all over the world, you will most likely want to keep your address hidden, and need privacy protection for your domain name to achieve this. Given that with Namecheap, domain privacy costs nothing, its worth having for peace of mind.
What Is Domain Privacy And Do I Need It
Domain privacy and security is as important to us as it is to you. Without domain privacy, your private and sensitive information may be collected and displayed in ICANN’s WHOIS database when you register your domain. Domain privacy ensures that these details are hidden from the public view. Our Domain Privacy + Protection package will make ICANN display our contact information in lieu of yours.
Also Check: How Much Does It Cost To Buy A Website Domain
How Do I Get It
The process varies from registrar to registrar, but for the most part, its pretty simple. You have one of two options:
1. Purchase domain privacy at the time of registration.
Once youve found your awesome domain name, you should have the ability to add domain privacy before checking out. If you dont see it in as an option in your cart, call customer service. A representative should be able to help you add domain privacy.
2. Purchase domain privacy at a later date.
You can add domain privacy to any domain youve registered at any point in time. However, if you have the ability to add privacy up front, do so.
Thats not to say that your information wont become private after adding domain privacy, but there will still be time for spammers and scammers to take advantage of your personal details. Plus, the internet archives data, which can be searched by using the Wayback Machine.
What Is A Domain
The easiest way to understand what is a domain is to imagine your website as a building. If your website was a home, your domain name would be its address. More precisely, every website in the world is attributed a specific IP address. But since this one comes in the shape of a series of numbers and dots, it makes it extremely hard for human visitors to remember and type. This is why domain names were created – which is basically the legible label connected to the specific IP of a site. All domains live on the domain name system , which is a universal system that assigns addresses to servers and web pages.
Example: Want to access our website builder? You can use our domain: Wix.com or our IP address: 185.230.63.164. Either way, you will arrive on the same page.
Also Check: How Much Is It To Buy A Domain Name
Well Cover Cost Hidden Fees The Best Domain Registrars And More
Your domain name functions as your websites address in Internet-land, so having one thats simple and relevant will make it much easier for people to find you. If youve ever misspelled a long location name on Google Maps and ended up in the middle of nowhere, then you can probably appreciate the beauty of straightforward place names.
Its easy to see why people are willing to break the bank to secure a snappy domain name it increases site traffic pretty much by design. Some of the most popular domains, like hotels.com or business.com, have literally sold for millions of dollars. But resist the urge to stock up on lottery tickets million-dollar domain names are not the norm. In fact, for most of our plebeian purposes, registration cost wont come to more than $20 annually, max.
What Is Domain Privacy Protection Service Offered By Bluehost
Domain Privacy Protection is undeniably one of the quintessential features offered by Bluehost while Registering a Domain with them because this is exactly how you can really protect your personal information from spammers. If you are planning to buy a Bluehost domain and hosting, you may even come across their popular Package Extra service known as Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection while Signing Up with them.
This might make you start asking yourselfIs Bluehost Domain Privacy + Protection even worth it or not? No doubt, this is a great question that indeed merits an answer! My answer would be YES but again it DEPENDS, but WHY??? Lets figure it out in this detailed review to know more if Bluehost Domain Privacy Protection is worth the cost associated with it or there any FREE Alternative available
Read Also: How To Figure Out Who Owns A Domain
Reasons Why You Need Domain Privacy Protection
Reliable web hosting providers disclose how they use and store your details in their privacy policy, but thats not enough to protect your personal information.
Because of ICANN regulations, when registering a domain, your personal data must be made public by default that is the main reason why domain privacy is needed. Here are some other reasons why it may be necessary.
My Advice On Domain Privacy Protection
If youre working on a very tight budget, I would recommend not signing up for privacy protection until you start generating more income when you can later afford it. You could end up getting spammed by unethical marketing companies but just keep in mind that you dont have to respond to any offer that you dont want to answer. Instead, you can block their telephone number or email address. Additionally, you can provide them with an email account that you dont check that much therefore you dont see all the spam.
However, if you have the money I would recommend signing up for privacy protection. As I mentioned above, its usually going to cost $2.99 to $7.99 a year depending on what registrar you use. A lot of companies will give you domain privacy protection for free for the first year, but make sure you cancel it the next year if you dont want to pay for it. Will typically be a small business expense that will save you lots of time dealing with unsolicited spam.
For me, its worth it to use privacy protection otherwise my cell phone would ring all day long with sales calls. If you are not using domain privacy right now and are getting spammed, I would highly recommend purchasing it. I didnt use it for three years, but finally got sick and tired of the spam I received. Also, your email spam will be greatly reduced if you have privacy protection.
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Wix Pricing Plans: What Is The Best Plan
Heres the thing: the best Wix website plan is whatever works for you.
So in this section I break down the important differences between each Wix paid plan.
A couple notes:
- Wix advertises the monthly cost of annual plans on their pricing page. Its confusing. Youre not able to see the actual price of monthly plans until you hit checkout.
- You get a free domain name for the first year if you choose an annual plan. This is available for every plan except for the Connect Domain plan.
- Wixs ecommerce plans start at $20 / month with the Business Basic plan.
- All ecommerce plans also include online store tools for bookings, ticket sales, restaurant orders, hotel reservations and artist ecommerce features.
- All plans include a free SSL certificate.
- Wix includes $300 in ad vouchers for several plans. These vouchers need to be used within 2 months or they expire.
- Wix has a 14-day money-back guarantee.
- You can have multiple Wix websites but upgrading only effects one website. Youll need to upgrade each website individually.
Wix Domain Name Cost Should You Buy
You have a great idea for a website, blog or online store and you want to get it up as quickly as possible using Wix. Should you buy your domain name through Wix or through a domain name registrar like Namecheap or Godaddy?
There are pros and cons of using both of these options. Registering your domain name directly through Wix allows your website to have a custom domain name and an SSL setup quickly and easily. Going with a domain name registrar is a bit more technical when using Wix, but youll save a significant amount of money.
So its up to you and what youre comfortable with. Ease of use and convenience vs being cost efficient with your money.
Recommended Reading: Why Are Some Domains So Expensive
The Benefits Of Whois Protection
If youre considering whether private domain registration is worth it, lets go over the reasons why you benefit.
1. Protect your personal information
Identity theft is a serious problem online, and personal information is needed when registering a domain name. If someone were to gain access to this data, it could cause serious problems for you or your business. Whois protection conceals this information. Domain privacy is necessary to help prevent your data from getting into the wrong hands.
2. Prevent unsolicited marketing outreach
Listing your contact information alongside your domain invites unwanted attention from salespeople, spammers, telemarketers, and fraudsters. Some individuals scan the Whois database for contact information, trawling newly registered websites in particular. Soon after registration you may be targeted with emails and calls about trying to offer online marketing, SEO, making domain privacy protection worth getting just to avoid such communications!
3. Minimize spam
Private registration for a domain name is necessary if you want to protect your email, and cut down on unsolicited emails from spammers. Your domain registrar will include an alias email in place of your own within the Whois database cutting down the likelihood of phishing emails. Such phishing emails wont reach your true email if you use domain privacy protection.
4. Greater control over your personal information