Things To Do After Buying A Domain Name
Buying a domain name means youve registered your desired name so that no one can use it.
But its half of the battle. You need to do few more things to build your site and secure the future of your business.
If you have a domain name but dont know what to do next, read on. In this post, I will be sharing 9 things to do once you have a domain name.
Which Factors Contribute To The Cost Of A Domain Name
The registration fee isnt the only charge to consider when calculating your overall domain name cost. Pay attention to any hidden or extra fees, including:
Renewal fees
Domain names are purchased for a set period of time, e.g. one year, three years etc. When the term length finishes, youll be required to pay a domain name renewal cost. While this is usually similar to the initial registration cost, some providers renewal charges can be a lot higher than the initial payment.
For example, A2 Hostings pricing offers registrations and renewals for the same amount.
By contrast, with Domain.com, a .com registration costs $9.99 per year, whereas renewal costs $13.99 per year.
As well as this, many providers offer auto-renewals, taking the stress out of having to do it yourself. But if youre uncertain about a domain name, then assess if auto-renewal is the best option for you. Also, auto-renewal can be an unwelcome surprise, particularly if the charges are considerably higher than the first year fees.
Privacy protection
If you own a domain name, the registrar must provide the owners contact information including name, address , and phone number to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers . This information is stored in the WHOIS database, which is a publicly available resource.
Transfer costs
Extension type
- gTLDs include general, popular extensions like .com or .org
- ccTLDs are country-specific, such as .co.uk for the UK, or .ie for Ireland
Term length
Hidden Fees On Website Name Price
If you comb through the dozens of complaints raised against domain registrars and website name price, the first thing that jumps out is that almost 60% touch on billing and collection issues with the companies.
Auto-renew and transfer out fees are some of the most common ills. Many times, such elements are hidden within the lengthy Terms of Service which few of us ever bother to read. Some domain registrars will charge you a transfer out fee when you transfer your domain to another registrar. Sucks, right?
Should that ever happen to you, give your credit card company a call and put in a complaint. If luck falls on your side, the transaction the web hosting/domain registrar will be reversed. More importantly, take note of domain registrars who practice this so as not to become the next victim.
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Do’s And Don’ts Of Securing A Domain Name
Consider these six tips from small-business owners and experts before deciding on a website name.
Entrepreneur
Navigating the world of domain names can be a daunting task if you’re not up to speed on how to get one. With countless caveats and hosting companies out there, it’s easy to be overwhelmed or worse, make a mistake that could ultimately cripple your business.Consider these do’s and don’ts from small-business owners and experts to help secure your company’s domain name.Do: Include a location or keywords in your domain name, if you can.
If your business focuses on a geographic region, try to put the location into the name of your domain, says Jean Bedord, a Silicon Valley-based search consultant and author of the book I’ve Got a Domain Name–Now What??? When Mikalai Krivenko needed a domain for his painting business in Hoboken, N.J., in 2009, his son Yuriy, a Jersey City, N.J.-based search-optimization specialist, suggested he put “Hoboken” in the name. For $11, Krivenko bought hobokenpainter.com, which shows up at the top of keyword searches that include “Hoboken” and “painter.” Whether it’s location, or what your company does, Krivenko advises: “Put the most important keyword for your industry in the domain name.”
Related:
Related: Protecting Your Business with a Trademark
What Is A Domain Name
Before you spend money on something, you need to understand what youre actually paying for. A domain name is the address you type into a web browser to bring up a specific web page. Its the thing that starts with https or www and ends with something like .com or .org.
Some high-profile examples of domain names include www.google.com and www.nytimes.com. While every website technically has another addressthe IP address that machines use to recognize itas far as humans are concerned, the domain name is a websites address on the web.
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What Affects The Cost Of Hiring A Web Designer
Here are some things to think about when hiring a web designer, which will all factor into the final cost of building your website:
- How complex is your website plan?
- Do you want the designer to handle hosting, domains, and plugins for you? Or do you just want them to design and build your site?
- Will you need them to carry out ongoing maintenance on your site? Or will you do this yourself?
- Do you have a premade template you want the designer to customize? Or do you want the designer to build your site from scratch?
- What sort of features do you need? For example, will you be selling online?
- How many pages is your website going to be? Youll need to know this beforehand to get an accurate quote.
Its often a good idea to manage your own hosting and domain name, because then its in your name and under your control. This makes running your site easier, and gives you a bigger say over your site for example, itll make moving hosting providers much easier.
Cost of Building a Website: Web Designer Breakdown
So, what exactly are the costs involved in hiring a web designer? The table below breaks down the different factors that you pay for, to give you a better idea of exactly what youre paying for, and the average costs involved:
| Factors | |
|---|---|
| Total | $6,760 |
This highlights some of the often unseen costs of using a web designer, such as having to train to use your own website after theyve made it. The average cost of hiring a web designer to build your website is $6,760.
Why You Shouldnt Register Domains With Your Web Host
There are a ton of options when it comes to domain registrars, resellers, and brokers. Trying to decide which one to use can be overwhelming, and it may seem natural to use your web host to keep everything in one place. However, registering domain with your host can be a horrible idea, for reasons Ill outline below.
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I Received An Email Asking Me To Set Data Sharing Settings For My Domain
After registering a new domain, you’ll receive an email from customercare@squarespace.com asking you to set your data sharing preferences. One of our domain registrars, Tucows, requires that we send this email to comply with data regulations like GDPR. To view and edit that info, click the link in the email, or you can ignore it. Sharing your data is optional and your domain will work normally even if you don’t take any action.
Ask The Right Questions
We already know the first question: How much does a website cost? But there are other questions you need to ask to work out the answer, and keep sight of the bigger picture.
1. What Is My Realistic Budget?
Your budget doesnt have to hold you back, but it does affect your building options. If youre on a tight budget, for example, you probably wont be able to afford a professional web designer meaning youll be better off choosing WordPress or a website builder, rather than risking a sketchy hire job.
Remember that there are two main costs you need to budget for:
- The upfront cost of the websites design and setup
- The ongoing costs of maintaining your website
Well get into more specific numbers below, but as a general rule, website builders have the lowest upfront costs, while WordPress usually requires a larger upfront sum to get started. Hiring a website designer remains the most expensive option, but you wont pay any ongoing fees unless you arrange an ongoing contract with your web designer.
Setting a firm budget before starting is essential for success. It means you wont overpay for things you dont need, and it will also help your project stay on-track.
Theres nothing worse than giving yourself or a web designer a budget, then realizing you got your calculations wrong and need to cut the budget in half once the project is underway. Chances are, this will result in a website youre not 100% happy with!
2. How Do I Want to Manage My Website?
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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.
How To Reduce The Cost Of Hiring A Web Designer
Okay, you might be thinking you cant afford to spend over $6,000 for a web designer to create your site. What you mustnt do is find a designer with dirt-cheap prices to save funds you wont get value for your money this way.
If youre super tight for cash, the reality is you should probably head to either the website builder or WordPress section of this article, because a web designer is supposed to cost thousands of dollars. You usually get what you pay for when it comes to hiring a designer!
However, there is a way to slightly lower the cost of hiring a designer to create your site. And thats to buy a premade WordPress theme, and ask a designer to customize it for you.
This option is in-between a DIY website and a fully custom built website design.
You can hire a designer to help customize a premade template into something unique just for you.
This is a good option if you are not ready for an entirely custom website, and if pre-made templates are not exactly what you want.
You can pay by the hour or by the project for design customizations.
Expect to pay between $300 and $1,000 for template customization the average is around $600 for this sort of service.
The cost varies depending on how much work you want to be done, such as adding a header image, moving the logo, creating a fixed navigation bar, changing the overall layout design etc.
However, for a full, custom job from a capable designer, youre looking at at least $10,000.
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Your Domain Name Should Be Easy To Remember
You want to make sure that your domain name is easy to remember. But what exactly does that mean?
Basically, the more items you ask someone to remember, the harder it is for them to do that.
When it comes to domain names, every word and symbol is a separate item, which is something to keep in mind when you are considering various options.
For example, www.luciddreaming.com is easier to remember than www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com .
Try to keep your domain short, avoid using symbols, and get a well-known extension.
How Much Does A Domain Name Cost Per Year
Its hard figuring exactly how much domain names cost . On average, if you intend to purchase a new domain, it should cost you anywhere between $10 to $15 a year depending on the TLD and the registrar.
When searching for a new website name you will run into dozens of domain registrars, each with their own set of packages and perks.
When considering domain name costs, dont always fall for the cheap packages. Keep in mind that sometimes cheap is really expensive.
You can also check out our post on cheap domain registration to find out if it is worth it for you, but oftentimes, the packages that are slightly higher priced pack additional tools and other bonuses that will help build your website quickly and easily.
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Are Custom Domain Names Free How Much Do They Cost
While a domain name itself is not free, you can get one for free from Website.com.
The cost of a domain name depends on where youre buying it from, as well as the domain extension youre buying. For example, country-specific domain names such as .ca and .co.uk are generally more expensive than the generic .com or .net. A .com domain name typically costs around $10 to $15 per year.
Many other website builders tag on a free 1-year domain registration when you sign up for an annual service plan. But, the free domain offered by Website.com is different in two ways:
But with Website.com, you get to choose from 13 different domain extensions. And while a country-specific domain extension typically costs more than a generic domain extension, if you want to use a .ca domain name instead of a .com, go ahead and be reassured that you wont be charged the difference or extra costs.
The Right Choice For Your Website Needs
Whether you choose to use a subdomain or subdirectory comes down to what your website needs to accomplish. Overall, search engine rankings are determined by quality content more than anything. A subdomain can be an effective tool to help you organize your website more efficiently, and when used correctly, will not negatively impact your websites SEO. However, subdomains may be best used when you want the content to be private and not for your public sites.
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