What Is A Domain Name
A domain name is a website address. For example, our domain name is . Domain names were created to make IP addresses easier to remember and more accessible. IP addresses, with random numbers, like 191.421.814.019, arent easy to remember, are they? But a domain name like is!
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.
What To Consider When Buying A Domain
Besides domain name costs and other factors already mentioned, there are additional points worth considering when youre buying a domain:
- Search to see if competitors are using a similar name already.
- Check social media to see if you can get the name there as well.
- Search the domain and see if there are related unsavory hashtags in use.
- Check your domain against existing trademarks.
- Consider not using hyphens since theyre not easily remembered.
- For new businesses, avoid naming your company with punctuation.
What If You Cant Find Your Desired Domain Name?
If you run some searches and find your name is already in use or trademarked, its a good idea to brainstorm new ideas to prevent possible legal issues down the road.
Avoiding punctuation in your businesss name, as well as in your domain, also helps to prevent confusion for users if they need to guess what your domain name is at some point.
If you keep trying to find a domain name that isnt taken and youre not having any luck, try misspellings or adding extra letters if it fits your sites branding. You can use sites such as Reddit, Dribbble or Scribd as inspiration, and dont be afraid to get creative.
What Domain Name Should You Get?
With all of this in mind, what domain name and TLD should you get? Well, it all depends on your branding, needs, projected value of your site or business, budget, and what youre willing to spend.
Recommended Reading: What Happens When Your Domain Expires
How Much For A Domain Name Per Year With Hostgator
HostGator is not just our favorite hosting provider over here, its also our favorite domain registry. Though a domain with a .com extension would cost at least $12.95 annually
You can get a domain name without paying for it via the button below!
So dont ask us how much is a domain name?, because the best thing about getting a domain via HostGator is that the domain name is gratis with hosting thatll cost you as little as $2.64 a month.
Thats a pretty awesome deal!
Hurry, this deal is only good until the end of .
What Premium Domain Names Are
A domain name that is already owned by an individual or company is usually off the market. However, some owned domains are available for sale. These are called premium domain names:
There are many reasons a name could be considered premium. Maybe its no longer in use and instead of relinquishing the domain, the owners have continued to pay for it. This is typically because its a name that someone else is likely to want.
In fact, some people buy domain names they never intend to use, hoping to sell them at a markup. Registrars can even set aside certain names as premium, and charge a higher domain name price for them.
There are a number of reasons a particular domain name might be viewed as especially valuable. A few key factors include:
- Length: Shorter names are usually more memorable and appealing to a wider audience.
- Brandability: Catchy, unique names that immediately communicate their niche and audience are considered valuable.
- Keywords: Certain keywords, such as cars or tech, are so popular that it can be hard to find new and quality domain names that include them.
Whatever the reason, once you encounter a premium domain name you have two options. You can try to purchase it, or look for something else. Lets discuss how to go about making that decision.
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How Much Does A Domain Cost Each Year With 1& 1
Besides having a reputation spanning decades, 1 and 1 has some of cheapest domain in the domain industry. You might pay anywhere between $0.99 to $2.99 on your first year and thereafter $14.99 yearly.
Some of the features to expect include free email account, private domain registration, unlimited email forwarding, an SSL certificate, DNS management and more.
Pick The Right Tld For Your Domain Name
Your TLD affects your credibility, so its important to choose wisely.
Check out this graph on the topic:
These are the extensions that you should consider if you are serving a global audience.
Of course, .com domain names are much more expensive than the rest, so you might have to compromise there if you dont have the budget for it.
Recommended Reading: How To Create A Domain Email Account
Domain Name Structure Explained
The structure of what we usually call a domain name is made of two parts: the actual name and the extension . Its important to understand this, in order to avoid registering the wrong one. Unlike the English language, domain names are read from right to left. This explains why the Top Level section is actually the last part to appear in your URL.
SLDs: The Second Level Domain is the actual name of your domain. In many ways, your SLD is the identity of your website and should therefore represent your services or products. For example, taking the domain wix.com, the SLD part would be wix.
TLDs: A top level domain refers to the last segment of a domain name, after the last dot in your URL. The most common TLDs that youve encountered when browsing the Web are .com, .net, .edu, and .org. Here are the main groups of TLDs that businesses and particulars can acquire:
Did you know? Youve probably heard about the word URL. This abbreviation actually describes what you see in your browser when youre reading a web page. Its made of the following elements, from left to right:
The transfer protocol + The machine name + The Second Level Domain Name + The Top Level Domain Name + The folders and directories
What It Means To Buy A Domain Name
Its common to mention buying a domain name if you want to create a website, but you cant technically buy a domain you rent one.
Theyre not free because of the costs associated with running a domain registrar, but many do offer a domain name at no extra cost when you purchase website or email hosting.
Otherwise, be wary of sites that offer domain names for free without purchase, as they typically offer low-quality TLDs that arent recognized favourably.
The prices you see advertised by domain registrars are for one year of renting the domain name. During this period of time, you essentially have the same rights to the domain name as if you did own it. You can choose to renew the domain after the first year to keep using it or you can let it expire and potentially let someone else buy it and use it.
Its also possible to purchase your domain name in one-year increments for up to ten years at a time. Signing up for multiple years at a time can help to prevent expiration, although most domain registrars offer automatic renewals anyway.
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What Factors Impact The Cost Of A Domain Name
As I have mentioned, the cost of a domain name does differ depending on a number of different factors, including the registrar you choose. Below, I am going to talk you through some of the factors and the role they play on domain name cost so you can get a better understanding of why quotes differ for domain names across the web.
What Affects Domain Name Price
When you visit some domain name registrars website to see their prices, keep in mind that those are introductory prices for a year of service. After one year, you pay renewal prices that can be significantly higher.
On top of that, there are other costs to consider when choosing and buying a domain. Lets break down the most common additional costs that affect domain name price.
Recommended Reading: What Is Domain And Subdomain
Buying An Expired Domain Name
At this point, you may be wondering if its possible to buy a domain back after it has expired. The good news is, if you renew it within the grace period, you can still keep it.
Every domain registrar differs, but this can be anywhere from 30 to 90 days. Sometimes, the grace period is entirely dependent on the type of TLD of the domain. The grace period could be as low as ten days or even zero.
So, its definitely worth it to check the fine print with the domain registrar before finalizing your order.
Most of the time, youll get an email to notify you in advance that your domain name is expiring soon. Often, youll also get offers to renew early at a discount, which can help to bring down domain name costs. Then, you can log in, select your domain name for renewal and check out.
In many instances, you can also search specifically for expired domains that you can buy as well. You can check the documentation of your registrar or contact them for specific steps.
What Factors Influence Domain Name Pricing
How much should you expect to pay for your chosen domain name? The answer comes down to the following factors:
SEO friendliness
An SEO-friendly domain name typically commands a higher price. If the domain name you want to register contains a popular keyword under a particular niche, expect a higher cost.
These keywords tend to vary in terms of profitability. For example, Vacation rentals is a particularly valuable keyword with a massive search volume in the tourism space. Additionally, it is easy to monetize. That explains why vacationrentals.com commands a $35 million price tag.
Domain demand
A domain name that is particularly popular and high in demand will cost more. Remember, youre not the only one wanting to register a catchy, easy-to-remember, and keyword-optimized domain name.
If you are trying to cut down your domain name costs, go for a name that perfectly encapsulates your website without being in high demand.
Domain extensions
The domain extension you choose is a determining factor in how much youll eventually pay for the domain name. Websites with .com domain extensions often can cost more due to their global recognizability.
Length of terms
How long do you intend to own that domain name? The term length of your domain name will impact its pricing the longer you want to own it, the higher the upfront cost will be. However, you may be able to save on the overall cost by committing to a few years upfront instead of paying annually.
Domain registrar
Read Also: What Is My Domain Registrar
When You Need A Domain Name
Now thats all out of the way, do you even need a domain name? The reasons why you would need one are that you:
- want to create a website
- are considering or creating a business
- want it as an investment
- need to reserve the domain for future use
- dont want others using the domain for malicious reasons
- want to prevent competition
- want your site to appear professional
- need to protect your trademark.
While you can sign up for a free website-creating service that will provide you with a subdomain or subdirectory domain for free, it doesnt look as professional as a fully branded domain.
Its the difference between using your-site.not-your-brand.com or not-your-brand.com/your-site versus your-site.com. The latter looks much more professional.
So, if you relate to any of the reasons listed above, youll need your own domain name.
But Exactly How Much Do They Cost
As we stated previously, the myriad of packages, incentives, and overall pricing of domain names ranges greatly. To a novice, the first glance at purchasing a domain can be overwhelming. They might find themselves questioning whether or not a domain name can truly be purchased for one low cost of $9.99.
The answer is yes, it is possible, but its not always the case. A good rule of thumb when it comes to buying domain names is that inexpensive can be expensive. Sometimes a cheaper deal is too good to be true and the hidden fees blindside the customer. On the other hand, if your domain is available and you choose a reputable registrar, that cheap, inexpensive, and seemingly perfect package is absolutely worth it.
Thus, we encourage you to do your due diligence and research the experiences certain customers have had with different packages offered by registrars. Take these packages and further execute a domain name price comparison between other registrars.
Lastly, remember that the type of domain name registered is always going to influence the price. Take Domain.coms pricing for example. It ranges from as little as $1.99 per year all the way through $649.99 per year depending on which domain you select. Each registrar will differ in their pricing, but the more you compare, the more consistencies you are going to discover.
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Domain Pricing On Domain Registrars
Domain registrars are companies that seem to mostly sell domains, even if they do offer other services on the side. As with all businesses, they have their pros and cons.
Pros:
- These are often where youll find the best domain-specific deals.
- Many of these companies also have simple hosting systems and website builders you can use as well. They can be decent options for setting up a very small first website.
Cons:
- If you want to host your site with a dedicated hosting company, your own servers, or a site builder, youll need to know how to direct your domain to your website.
- This is actually pretty simple once you get that hang of it, but its a factor to consider.
Weve tested a bunch of different domain registrars for this article, but you can simplify your decision making with this list of the best domain registrars.
General Warning: On some services, youll see super low prices for some domains for the first year, with pricing significantly rising upward of $50 per year afterward. Be sure to check renewal prices. If you see a domain under $5, its likely on a heavy discount or first-year deal, and may increase over time.
Observations
The prices
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How Much Does It Cost To Buy A Domain Name From The Owner Summary
The good news is that domain registration prices are fairly cheap, so its not a big deal to buy one from a domain name owner.
You can find some great deals on domains if you do your research and know when the best time for buying them will be.
When deciding how much you should pay to buy a domain, think about whether there could be any potential conflicts down the line .
However, in the end, the cost of buying a domain name from the owner is determined by many factors, even how long youre willing to wait.
If you want it now, then expect to pay more than if someone else has already bought it and wants to sell it back for what they paid or less.
Ultimately, your patience could be rewarded with an affordable buy!
Read Also: How To Set Up A Custom Email Domain
Why Domain Names Are Not Free
As I explained previously domain names are not free because there are expenses related to the domain name system infrastructure and companies that seek profit for their contribution to that ecosystem.
There are some cases that registrars offer very cheap domain names or even free ones.
That happens for 2 reasons: 1.)They will probably charge you a bigger amount after the first year . Of course, you always have the first priority to renew them and you get notified ahead of time if your domain is about to expire.
2.)They want to sell you other services like email or hosting and the overall price of these services, in reality, has included domain name cost too. The reduced price for this kind of services applies only for a year or for the first paying term.
Another reason that domains are not free is that even more domains would be unavailable since many domain investors would have registered them to seek a future profit of a resale.