Choose The Right Domain Extension
When picking the extension or TLD for your domain name, .com is still the best choice unless you have a reason to choose something else. Roughly 43% of all domains have a .com extension, making it what people expect to see the most.
While Google confirms that your choice of TLD will not impact rankings, it does affect consumer perception. Many people view other TLDs as less trustworthy.
That said, .net or .org extensions are not uncommon, so they can be good secondary options if you find the perfect name and the coveted .com isnt available.
But if you do decide to go with an extension other than a .com, make sure you take a look at what type of website is currently on the .com extension. Someone is bound to go there accidentally while looking for your brand. If the site holds fishy or offensive content, you might want to steer clear of that name altogether.
Finally, avoid those niche domain name extensions like .space, .club, .pizza, unless you really think theyll enhance your brand.
Uncovering Secrets With Dns
Every domain has DNS info that is public. You can browse this on many sites but I like to use leafdns.com. DNS is what points domain services to different servers like pointing your email to Google and your website to Bluehost. This may not tell you who owns your domain but it can tell you HOW your domain is being used which may be an important step in recovering your website files if youve lost those in addition to the domain. I often use this when Im on a call and a prospect doesnt even know where their site is hosted. It makes me look really smart!
Find Your Domain Host
Your domain host is typically who you bought your domain name from. If you dont remember who your domain host is, search your email archives for billing records about registration or transfer of your domain name.
Your domain host is listed on your invoice.
If you cant find your billing records, you can search for your domain host online. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is a non-profit organization that collects domain information. Use the ICANN Lookup tool to find your domain host.
Domain resellers
Some domains are hosted by resellers through a separate registrar. If you cant sign in with your listed registrar or the registrar field is blank, your domain host may be a reseller.
If there is no reseller listed, contact the listed registrars support team for help.
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How To Figure Out If You Own Your Domain
The name that appears in the domain registration is the legal owner. To find out who owns your domain name:
- Enter your domain name and click search.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page and look under the Whois Record.
- If your name or an entity owned by you is registered as the owner, then you have no worries. Note it is important that both the Registrant and Administrator fields are in your name, if both are listed.
If your name is not shown as the registered owner, it is likely because of one of the below scenarios:
Using A Domain You Already Own
If you already own a domain name that is registered elsewhere, you can still use it with your Bluehost account. You’ll need to change your domain’s settings to point to Bluehost. To do that, contact your registrar or log in to your account with your current registrar and change the name servers to:
| Bluehost Nameservers | |
| ns2.Bluehost.com | 162.88.61.37 |
This tells your registrar that Bluehost is now the hosting provider. It doesn’t move website content that is something you’ll do later in your control panel. Once that’s been done, every host and internet service provider will take around 24-48 hours for the nameservers to associate with your domain. This is called DNS propagation.
To learn more about DNS propagation, please see DNS Propagation.
Once a domain has been pointed here , there are two ways you can use the domain on your account. You can transfer the domain’s registration to your Bluehost account, or you can assign the domain name to your account without transferring the registration.
Note: To transfer your domain’s registration to Bluehost, check out this article. To assign the domain to your account without transferring the registration, check out this article. If you need to change the primary domain name, please refer to How To Change Your Primary Domain.
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Why Should Registrants Still Utilize Whois Privacy Services
The WHOIS database lists information about each domain registration online and is open to the public. In regards to Registrant information, the amount that is displayed publicly may differ based on a number of factors, including:
- The specific domain extension
- The type of Registrant used for the registration
This means that malicious entities are still able to quickly access this public directory and survey for potential pieces of information to exploits. By replacing your information through a privacy service, your information is effectively blocked from public access.
Submit Site To Search Engines
Whenever you create a new site/blog, you always want people to find your site easily. The easiest way people can find your site is through Search Engines.
To get your site found on Search Engines, you need to create a sitemap and submit it to search engines.
Once your site got indexed by Search Engines, you will start getting traffic from search engines.
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Domain Name Registration: How To Register A Domain Name
These are the basic steps involved in registering a domain name:
How Do I Transfer My Domain Name To A New Registrar
If you wish to move your domain name from one ICANN-accredited registrar to another, you may initiate the transfer process by contacting the registrar to which you wish to transfer the name. Note that there are certain situations that can prevent a domain name from being transferred, such as if it is subject to a 60-day Change of Registrant lock. See FAQ #8 for more information. Absent any valid reasons a transfer request cannot be processed, the registrar will confirm your intent to transfer your domain name using the Initial Authorization for Registrar Transfer form. If you do not respond or return the form to the registrar, your transfer request will not be processed. Please note that as of 25 May 2018, if the gaining registrar cannot access registration data for a name subject to a transfer, then the gaining registrar is not required to obtain the Form of Authorization from the Transfer Contact.
Your current registrar must also verify your intent to transfer using the Confirmation of Registrar Transfer Request form. for more information on Transferring Your Domain Name.
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How To Register A Domain Name For Free
Youve heard the rumor about free domain names. Is it true?
Yes! There are actually ways to get a free domain name for your website.
First, you can get a free domain name for a web hosting provider such as Bluehost.
They offer every new user a 1-year free domain with any of their hosting plans. You can either register a brand new domain name with them or transfer a domain name, registered with another company.
Some other hosting providers who also have a 1-year free domain policy:
- HostGator
- Dreamhost
- InMotion Hosting
Note: The downside of getting a domain name from a hosting provider is more expensive renewals. After a free year, most hosting providers will charge a higher renewal fee, compared to domain registrars.
Get Branded Email Based On Your Domain
Wondering I have a domain name, how do I get email?
If thats an yes, youre at the right place.
You can simply map your domain with your email address and get a new professional and branded email address.
Having a professional email address makes your contact information more credible, easy to remember and branded.
For example, instead of yourname8648@gmail.com or Sam.somestupidtext@hotmail.com you can easily get a professional yourname@yourdomain.com, contact@yourdomain.com, hello@yourdomain.com and even billgates@yourdomain.com seems to be a good email name idea :D.
You just need to signup for Gsuite . It just costs $7.5 per month.
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What Is A Subdomain
A subdomain is essentially a child domain under the main domain name. For example, ias.ittvis.com is a subdomain of ittvis.com. Where ias is the subdomain, ittvis is the parent domain and .com is the top-level domain also known as domain extension.Generally, subdomains are commonly used by websites to create child-sites under the same domain name for diversity purposes while keeping the brand authenticity in check. A business website can create a subdomain for their blog or their online store as store.example.com or blog.example.comOnce you register a domain name, you will have the ability to create as many sub domains as you want for it by yourself.
Why A Good Domain Name Is Important
A domain name is your unique identifier among billions of other websites on the web. Thats why having a memorable and easy-to-type name is essential for having an online presence.
Your domain name serves as an extension of your personal or business name. In that sense it:
- Improves recognition and awareness.
- Adds extra credibility to your venture.
- Eventually boosts visitors recall.
Also, choosing a good domain name is important for SEO. Several years ago exact match domains were all the rage, but today most people choose brandable domain names.
Memorable domain names get typed to Google more frequently. Algorithms keep track of that and assign more authority to your website. As the branded search volume grows, your domain name earns extra authority points, so that it gets easier to rank for related keywords.
With that being said, lets move on to the how-to part.
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Verify Ownership Of Your New Domain
Paying for your domain might seem like the last step in the process, but you also need to verify your ownership. This step lets you send email using the domain and keeps other people from using it without your permission.
If you purchase your domain through Mailchimp, this process is simple. Youll receive a verification email after you complete your purchase. Simply click on the Verify Domain button in the email and follow the instructions on the next page, and you can start using your domain to build your brand. Youll only ever have to complete this step once.
How To Find A Domain Name Owner
Are you trying to learn how to find a domain name owner, but dont know where to start? If you want to find the owner of a domain name, its essential to first understand the meaning of a domain name.
Its helpful to think of the relationship between a domain name and a website in the same way you think of your home address. When you look up a website, you enter the domain name so that you can be delivered to a specific website. In order to find a single website, you need an exact domain name.
Domain.com has over 300 domain extensions to choose from to help set your website apart from the rest. It all starts with a great domain.
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Tools To Use For Checking A Domain Names History
At this point, you should already understand that it is important to be aware of your domains history before you actually purchase and use it. The Internet leaves a trail that can easily be traced and you cannot hide anything online. The domain you may be interested in buying could have a history of its own, which may include sensitive content and malicious code. It may even have different owners before you.
Thankfully, it is possible for you to figure out the history of the domain you are using or any domain name that you may wish to buy. You can investigate whether it is worth your investment or not. Here are the best tools that will let you check the history of a domain:
How To Find Your Domain Name Registrar: Whois Search
I Cant Remember Where I Purchased My Domain Name! Who is my Registrar
Update: This article explaining how to use whois search to was written in 2006 and has been updated with a photo illustration because it is one of the most popular articles on the site and continues to attract visitors 11 years after publication.
It wasnt until my third client had called asking how to regain control of her domain name that I realized that it was a common problem for small business webmasters to forget where they had registered their domains. WHOIS my registrar? Why didnt I get an email about renewal? Why did my site stop working today?
People rarely realize how important it is to keep their domain registrar notified of changes to their email address and and other contact information. The registrar will send renewal notifications to the email address last on file. For most domain owners, the only time they think about contacting a registrar is the day they reserve their domain name. If they move to a new city and get a new internet service provider, it doesnt occur to them that the old email address will change and that meeans that the registrar can no longer contact them through the previous address, or phone or fax as each of them change and we rarely notify the controller of our domain of those changes.
The following URL leads to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers discussing the grace period and redemption period rules it enforces.
Domain Name: google.com
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If A Domain Is Registered By An Ex
The most common issue we see is when employees register domains for an organization, then later leave. The domain often ends up marooned in an account no one has access to, and if the account login email no longer exists, no one can receive the account password reset emails, and no one will be alerted to any issues with domain renewal until the website or email stops working.
And heres the worst-case scenario: if the employee who registered the domain does so completely in their name , there is absolutely no proof that the organization has any right to the it.
These situations are tricky, and we require a lot of authentication and proof before we will allow anyone access to the domain. More likely, though, we tell these people to seek legal advice and/or work it out amongst themselves, or use the UDRP process because we are not in the position to decide who has the right to a domain name.
So if someone in your organization has been tasked with registering a domain name for the company, or a department, or a specific project, or whatever:
- ensure that the organizations name and contact information are on the account and on the domain registrant contacts, especially the registrant/owner one.
- make a list of organizational assets that includes domain names and their access details.