Register The Web Address
If your preferred web address is available, you can register it at any one of over a dozen accredited registration organisations or their resellers. For a list of accredited domain name registrars, visit the Australian Domain Name Administrator’s website. These are organisations authorised by auDA to provide services to people who want to:
- register a new web address
- renew their existing address
- make changes to their record.
To Conclude: How To Register A Domain Name
Congratulations! If you followed through with our step-by-step guide, you should now know how to register a domain name.
What you need is come up with a sound word combo, decide on your domain extension, pick some handful add-ons, and pay for your subscription. Afterward, the registrar will provide you with further quick instructions for connecting your domain name to your website, so that you can finally become visible on the web.
Have a question about how to register a domain name for your website that is not included here? Leave us a comment below.
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Stick With Your First Choice
Stuck on your favourite name? These may be your only options for landing it. It might not be possible, but it’s worth a shot.
Try to buy itYou can always offer to purchase the name you want from the current owner. If theWhoisinformation is public, you can reach out to the domain owner directly and see if they’re interested in selling. If the info is private, you can see if they have contact information listed on their website. Keep in mind: It’s pretty unlikely the owner will want to sell, or they may demand a steep price.
Legal actionIf you own the trademark to the name used in the domain, you may have an option to take legal action to claim the domain name. This generally applies only if someone is offering goods or services similar to yours, and if they began using the name after you. The first thing to do if you believe your trademark is being infringed upon is to discuss the issue with your lawyer or legal team.
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How To Form An Llc
Registering a business name is part of the LLC filing process: once your LLC is filed in the state, your name is registered. While the name can be reserved beforehand, this is typically not necessary to file for an LLC.
Forming an LLC is easy and only requires five simple steps:
Recommended:Form an LLC using our free step-by-step guide, or have a professional service form your LLC.
What Is A Domain Name Alias Or Domain Alias
A domain alias is a cheaper solution that points to a domain name to an alternative website. For example, a user would type but be forwarded to https://www.webhost.com/user/~computerhope, a blog, or a social networking site. Although this is a cheaper solution, consider if this is the best solution for their site.
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Choose The Right Web Address
In general the best web addresses:
- reflect the name of your business
- are three syllables or less, such as Yahoo!
- are easy to remember, pronounce, spell and type
- are alliterative, for example beyondblue and Firefox
- are also available for registration via social media channels.
Some people argue a good web address is one that people are searching for online and come up in search engines, for example Melbourne plumbers. Use the tools to check high search terms.
Others argue a good web address will be unique or distinct, such as for Google so it stands out in a crowded market, and won’t have to compete for web traffic online because of searches for popular terms.
How To Get A Domain Name For Free
Of course, the previous steps have all assumed youre willing to pay to purchase and maintain your domain name. However, you can also legitimately register a domain for free if you look in the right places.
One of the easiest ways is to sign up for a hosting plan that offers a free domain name, like Bluehost. If you want to make a website, youll need to pay for hosting anyway, so why not get a free domain name as part of the process?
Some registrars also offer some domain extensions for free for a set period to entice people to buy them. Common free domain extensions are:
- .tk
- .gq
Freenom is a good place to start for free domain names using those extensions.
While youre unlikely to get a free domain longer than a year, this could be enough for small projects. You can always purchase your domain name once your website grows.
Another way to get a free domain name is to choose a hosted platform to build your website, such as Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress.com. These companies offer full-featured packages for building a website even .com domain names in some cases but with less overall control. For instance, you may need to agree to host ads on your site.
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How To Enable Ssl Encryption In Github Pages
HTTP is an unsafe way of managing user requests on your website. Anyone with malicious intent and sound technical knowledge can intercept the interactions between the user and your website. On the other hand, HTTPS gives all your visitors a much more secure browsing session. GitHub Pages offer free HTTPS encryption, and heres how you can avail it:
Scroll to the Pages section in the repository.
You should see the Enforce HTTPS option at the end of the window. The SSL encryption should go live as soon as you tick the Enforce HTTPS checkbox.
In case if you find the Enforce HTTPS option unavailable for your domain, you can enable SSL encryption using the steps below:
Step 1: Log in to your Namecheap account and go to the Domain List section.
Step 2:Now navigate to Manage Domain and subsequently to the Advanced DNS section.
You should see some existing CNAME and A records.
Follow the trend until you have 4 A Records up to IP Address 185.199.111.153.
Remove all the previous A Records.
Step 3: Next up, add a CNAME Record with Host as www and Value as your GitHub username github io.
Remove the previous CNAME Records. In the end, your DNS settings should have 4 A Records and 1 CNAME Record.
Step 4: Now go to the GitHub pages in the Settings section. The Enforce HTTPS option should now be available for your domain.
Avoid Numbers And Hyphens
Imagine asking your 10 friends to spell or pronounce a domain name filled with numbers and dashes. It wont work.
If you choose a domain name with these elements, youre likely going to lose traffic to people who cant remember your domain or effectively tell someone else how to find it. We probably wouldnt have Facebook today if you had to go to Face-Book.com to reach the site.
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Avoid Unwanted Calls From Telemarketers
The WhoIs website is one of the places where telemarketers get their leads because its easily accessible to the public. Hence, if you bought a domain name without opting for private registration, you may receive unwanted calls from these marketing persons. Scammers are another group that may exploit this setup and sells you with their shady deals.
Importance Of A Domain Name
There are a number of good reasons for having a domain name:
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If you ever change your web host , your domain name goes with you.Your regular visitors or customers who knew your site name as www.thesitewizard.com will not needto be informed about a change of web address , since as far as they are concerned,the site is still at the same place. They can simply type your domain name, as before, andbe transparently brought to your new location.
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If you are a business, a domain name gives you credibility. Few people will be willing to dobusiness with a company that does not have its own domain name.
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If you get a domain name that describes your company’s business or name, people can rememberthe name easily and can return to your site without having to consult their documents. In fact,if you get a good name that describes your product or service, you might even get people who weretrying their luck by typing “www.yourproductname.com” in their browser.
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If you want good sponsors for your website, a domain name is usually helpful.It tends to give your website an aura of respectibility.
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Trusted The World Over
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Namecheap has been a trusted partner for our critical domain names. As we continue to grow, we know we can always count on them.
Dylan Field, Co-founder and CEO, Figma
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We’ve been using Namecheap for all our domains for years, and have always been able to count on them. Their technology just works, and their support is phenomenal. Highly recommended!
Alan Schaaf, founder and CEO, Imgur
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With a high value domain name like Privacy.com, it’s important to use a registrar that you trust. We can sleep at night knowing that Namecheap is keeping our asset secure.
Bo Jiang, CEO, Privacy.com
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Namecheap has quickly become our default registrar for the various domain names we use as part of our Buffer offering. A clear and intuitive dashboard combined with wide support across a number of top-level domains and a responsive team add up to an unbeatable experience.
Colin Ross, Engineering Manager, Buffer
Frequently asked questions
Above all else, we strive to deliver outstanding customer experiences. When you buy a domain name from Namecheap, we guarantee it will be handed over to you with superior standards of service and support. Our primary goal is to build a customer-focused atmosphere filled with the happiest customers in the galaxy. The Namecheap guarantee is our mark of excellence.
Products might be the same, but every customer is different. Thats why we tailor our deals to suit as many people as possible. So you get exactly what you need, for less.
Still have questions?
How To Apply For The Github Student Developer Pack Without Student Email
GitHub also gives you the option to apply for the pack using a valid student ID card or any other proof of your academic status. The only caveats are the long wait time and higher rejection ratio. Anyways, heres how you can apply for the student pack through this method:
Step 1: Follow the steps mentioned above to create an account through your personal email.
Step 2:Now upload the proof of your academic status using the camera option or upload the photos directly to GitHub using the Upload button.
Step 3: Next, fill in all necessary details like the Schools Name and purpose of using GitHub.
Step 4: Submit your application.
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What Happens If I Dont Renew My Domain Name
If you didnt set auto-renewal or forgot to manually do so despite the reminders from your domain registrar, your domain name will expire. This means several things:
- Your website will no longer be accessible by anyone who types your URL.
- The domain name will be available for sale again, typically in 30-days or so after expiration.
- It can also be auctioned on a website domain auction.
In essence, failure to pay a renewal fee means lost access to your domain.
What If I Don’t Have A Website Yet
You can register a domain name without already having a website. But, if you are pointing the domain name to a website, this registry also contains the nameserver information for your domain name. When users on the Internet type your domain name into the address bar, their request will be forwarded to the nameservers listed in your registration information. These servers are usually the nameservers operated by your hosting service.
If you already have a social networking site like a or , you can also forward the domain to your page or any location you want.
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Check If Your Domain Name Is Available
To find out if your proposed domain name is available, use our Business name check tool. You can also use the tool to check if your business name is available.
Note that a domain name doesnt give you protection of that name. It simply secures you the url. You should always register your business name first and consider protecting it with a trade mark. If you use a business name or domain name that someone else has already trademarked, you could face legal action.
What’s A Domain Name And Web Address
A domain name is a unique name corresponding to one or more IP addresses .
A web address reflects a domain name , and is sometimes referred to as a URL or Uniform Resource Locator.
A web address is how people find your website on the internet. People can type your web address straight into a browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Safari on their computer, or into the internet application on their smart phone or tablet. People using a search engine like Google or Bing can also find your website by typing in a question or keywords, and searching.
You may also use your domain name in your email address To set up an email address you’ll also need to purchase an email service or hosting, which is different to registering a web address.
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How To Register A Domain Name: 4 Options
To get a domain name, youll need to call dibs with ICANN. ICANN is a global non-profit authority that maintains records on which domain and IP address belongs to whom and manages access to them.
But ICANN doesnt provide registration services, it only maintains records. Thats where domain name registrars come into play.
The primary role of a register is to:
- Coordinate claims on different domain names.
- Match specific domain names with Domain Name System nameservers.
- Ensure that there are no duplicate domain names.
Technically speaking, you are not buying a domain name from a registrar company, but reserve its usage for a specified time. You can pay to reserve a domain for 1-10 years at a time, depending on the registrar. After your initial subscription expires, youll need to renew it and pay a fee again. You can re-purchase your domain name over and over again.
When registering a domain name, you sign a long-term lease of your domain . You can read more about the domain costs here.
In practice, all of the above is much simpler than you think as we will show below.
How To Find Out Who Owns A Domain Name
When you register a domain name, the ICANN requires you to provide personal contact information that will be stored in the WHOIS database.
Basically, as soon as the domain name is in the database, the record is publicly available to anyone who uses the WHOIS search tool.
There are loads of WHOIS tools available on the Internet, but you can try out, for example, the ICANN Lookup tool.
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