The Best Places To Buy A Domain Name
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Unless youve got a connection at ICANN, the organization responsible for managing the creation of domain names, youll be buying your domain name from a Domain Name Registrar, a company accredited by ICANN to sell domain names.
You can buy your domain name from any one of these registrars, and it will work the same. The only thing separating these companies from each other is their services ease of use and the other features they include with the domain, such as email service, WhoIs protection, as well as the quality of their nameservers.
How To Register A Domain Name With Hostinger
Known for its fast and user-friendly web hosting, Hostinger also provides affordable domain registration services. This European company has .com domains starting from $8.99/year, which is one of the lowest prices offered on the market.
Hostinger offers alternative TLDs such as .online, .xyz, .tech, and .store, so there are more options to experiment with if the .com domain names are unavailable.
To buy a domain name with Hostinger, navigate to their domain checker page. Then enter your desired name on the field and press Search.
Below, the page will show whether the domain name is available, along with some alternative suggestions.
You can also use the Filter button on the search bar to customize the domain search results. Select which extensions to use and specify the maximum budget youre willing to spend.
After finding the right domain name, click Add to cart.
Hostinger offers to bundle the item with a shared web hosting plan, ranging from $1.39/month to $3.99/month. Purchasing the higher-tier subscriptions will make the first year of domain name registration free of charge.
Click Continue to cart or the shopping cart icon on the top right corner to proceed with payment. Here, its also possible to change the domain registration period to up to three years.
Press the Checkout Now button to finalize the payment and create a Hostinger account. Once thats done, the system will redirect you to the domain control panel to complete the domain registration process.
Ways To Buy A Domain Name
Generally speaking, there are two main ways to buy a domain name. Both of which have been covered abovedomain registrars and hosting providers.
There are pros and cons to each method, and the process for each one is very different.
Ill quickly explain the differences between these options so you can figure out which one is the best choice for your website.
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So Many Potential Domain Names
Theres a lot to think about when choosing a domain name. After all, its one of the first major decisions youll make when establishing your online presence. Putting some time and care into this selection can help set the stage for success down the road.
Fortunately, theres lots of information you can rely on to help you make your choice. Keeping your domain name short, pronounceable, and easy to remember will get you off to a strong start. Once you have a name in mind, you can follow our suggestions for choosing a registrar and getting a free domain with your web hosting provider.
Have you settled on the perfect domain name for your website? Get a free private domain registration when you sign up with DreamHost!
About the Author: Angelica Trujillo Toro
Businesses, start your engines! Angelica Trujillo Toro is passionate about helping online businesses launch and grow smoothly. Constantly on the lookout for website tips and tricks, she joined the DreamHost team in 2019 and is a driving force behind our international marketing efforts.
Best Tips Before Buying A Domain Name
Having a good domain name is essential since it can add extra credibility to a website, spread brand awareness, and ensure that users can find you on the internet. Thats why its crucial to dedicate some time to research before choosing the right domain name for your site.
Here are 15 tips to review before deciding on a domain name:
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Who Actually Owns A Domain Name
No one. Its all very tricky. Just as you registering the name is basically leasing it from the domain company, so the domain company leases it, i.e. pays for the right to lease it from ICANN. But it doesnt stop there the domain name company also has to pay a fee for the different domain extensions that they use. So for instance, the Donuts startup has been given the rights to administer the .rocks top-level domain by ICANN. Each TLD is given to a certain registry operator, and then a domain company also has to pay a fee for the TLDs they want to offer to their clients.
So, you pay your registrar to lease the domain name for a period of up to 10 years. The registrar, in turn, pays charges to ICANN and to registry operators that work with specific TLDs. In the end no one actually owns a domain name.
Set Up Website Hosting
Finally, if youd like someone to do it for you, its time to find a website host. We recommend Kinsta.
Kinsta websites are fast, easy to build, and protected with hardware firewalls, SSL support, uptime monitoring, and Distributed Denial of Service detection. Kinsta also offers expert help and allows you to choose which of the 28 Google Cloud Platform data centers hosts your site.
You can get started with Kinsta by signing up for one of our plans. Then, follow our instructions to add your domain to your Kinsta site.
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How To Buy A Domain For Office 365 Operated By 21vianet
If you don’t already have your own domain, you can easily buy one online at a domain name registrar, domain reseller, or even at your current Internet provider. You get a domain name when you sign up for Office 365 operated by 21Vianet, for example, contoso.partner.onmschina.cn. But you may want to use a custom domain name, like fourthcoffee.com.
To set up a domain in Microsoft 365, you must own a domain and change some of the DNS records for your domain.
Caution
Some domain registrars or DNS hosting providers do not allow creating all the DNS records required by Microsoft 365. The following list of hosting providers supports all the needed records. If you’re thinking of using a different hosting provider, Service limitations when your hosting provider does not support SRV, CNAME, TXT, or redirection.
After you register your domain , you sign in to Microsoft 365 as an admin and set up your domain so you can use it with your email address and other services..
Note
The SharePoint Online Public Website information in this article only applies if your organization purchased Microsoft 365 prior to March 9, 2015.
Verify The Ownership Of Your New Domain
The final step is to verify the domain ownership through the email address you used when registering the domain. The email usually arrives within a few minutes after finishing the domain setup. Simply click the verification link in the email to verify your contact information.
If the email doesnt arrive, resend the request from the control panel. We recommend doing it immediately, as waiting for 15 days or more will lead to a temporary suspension from the registry.
Thats all there is to it. Now you know how to buy a domain name and complete the initial registration process.
Tip from Darius
To make the most out of your newly acquired domain, consider authorizing it with the Google Search Console. This will provide you with important analytical insights and make it easier for Google to crawl the content of your site.
First, log into your Google account and head to the Search Console page. If you want your entire domain to be crawled, enter the URL in the bar on the left. Once thats done, click Continue and youll be presented with a code. Then, copy it and do not close the tab.
Now, log into your Hostinger account, head to the hPanel, and on to the DNS Zone Editor. Under Manage DNS Records, select TXT as the Type. Unless youre only adding a specific subdomain to the Search Console, leave as the Name. Next, copy the code youve received previously as the TXT Value. We recommend leaving the TTL Value as the default. To finish it all off, click on Add Record.
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Use Website Builders To Create A Blog
SaaS website builders such as Wix, Squarespace, or GoDaddy provide a domain name, hosting plan, website templates, native features, and security for a monthly subscription fee. On top of that, you can access certain add-ons for an extra fee e.g. a paid theme or access to a payment processing tool.
Also, if your traffic grows and/or you want to add more web pages to your blog, youd be forced to switch to a more expensive monthly plan.
Cost Breakdown:
Total:$150 to $450 per year.
Pros:
- Tech support and troubleshooting included in the plan
- Fast time-to-market for launching a blog
Cons:
- Limited customization: not all platforms provide access to source code
- Limited integrations: some website builders cannot be extended via plugins or third-party apps.
For a personal blog or a small website, a website builder is a good starter-option. You get access to easy-to-learn website development tools with the blogs backend managed for you.
Verdict On Who The Best Domain Registrar Is
Naturally, theres no single best domain registrar across the board. Some companies are always going to be better than the other ones, depending on your individual needs and requirements.
Still, here are a couple of quick recommendations from the WebsiteSetup team based on the companies reviewed above:
Comparison Table
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Choose The Name You Like Best
Most domain name registrars will let you look for domain names right away, before you register any details, and the search function should be visible on the front page. Type in a few words related to the domain name you wantperhaps your own name or the name of the company you want to build a website forand run the search.
Youll be met with a plethora of options to pick from, together with their prices. On the right of a website address is the top-level domain: something like .com or .org, and youll notice that the most common top-level domains will cost you more. If youre happy with something a bit less recognizable, like .xyz or .info, you wont have to pay as much.
The rest of the domain name is up to you. As long as the website address is available and hasnt been claimed by someone else, you can register it. Still, you might have to make your search terms a bit more specific, because while one variation on your name may already be taken, another one might not be.
Choose A Domain Name Registrar
A registrar is a company that reserves and registers domain names on your behalf. When you purchase a domain name, either directly from a registrar or through a web-hosting service, its registered to the DNS for you.
Though there are more than a thousand accredited registrars, its best to stick with more well-known providers. Using a common provider will make it easier to find info on managing your domain and to troubleshoot issues you might have with syncing your domain to other services.
Domains can be purchased from a number of different types of businesses. You might choose to purchase one from a website-building platform , a web-hosting service , or directly from a domain registrar .
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How Do I Buy A Domain Name
Its easy to get a new domain. Here are the steps:1. Decide on a domain name extension. The extension is the part at the end of the domain name .net, .biz, .org or .com, for example.2. Think about what you’d like on the other side of the dot. It could be your business name or your specialty.3. Type the domain you want into the box at the top of this page. We’ll tell you if that particular domain is available and show other you may like better.4. Pick a domain, add it to your cart and check out. You are now the proud owner of your very own domain. As long as it’s registered to you, no one else may use it.
Check For Trademark Infringement
Both major and minor brands alike take issue with others using their trademarked names. Even if youve just made an innocent mistake, the legal hassle involved in a lawsuit and having to rearrange your web presence could be costly.
You can avoid these situations by using a trademark lookup tool before you finalize your choice.
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How To Register A Domain Name
+ Ways to Get it for Free
Are you looking to register a domain name, but dont know where to start?
Part of creating a website is buying a domain name that has to be unique.
In this step-by-step guideline, were going to show you several options on how to register a domain name and also cover some commonly asked questions that might pop up in your mind while registering a domain.
Ready? Lets first start by explaining why is it crucial to choose a good domain name.
How To Choose A Domain Name
Since your domain name can have a major impact on your online presence, what you choose is a vital first step in building your brand. Finding the perfect domain name, however, can be challenging.
While its true that there are millions of domain names available, many of the popular domain names that are easy to remember are taken. Fortunately, you can still get what you need if you go through a simple process and use a bit of imagination.
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How To Get A Domain Name From Namecheapcom
Namecheap is another popular website for buying domain names and getting website hosting. As their domain name prompts, they often have a lot of good deals and somewhat lower annular prices than GoDaddy, for example.
So if you love a good bargain, heres how to buy a domain name via Namecheap.
Step 1: Run your desired domain name search first and review available options. Namecheap has a really huge collection of new TLDs such as .art .digital, .luxury among 400+ other options.
Also, if your name isnt available or youd like to get some more ideas, switch to their advanced search view aka the Beast Mode:
As you can see from above, you have a lot more features to play with such as price range, suffix/prefix, and so on. This can help you drill down to that perfect domain name that is short, memorable, available, and yet cheap!
Step 2: After youve chosen the best contenders, proceed to your cart to start the checkout process. At this point, you can also add some extras and customize your order:
With Namecheap, you get a lifetime free WHOIS protection for every domain name, plus they recently added a bonus premium DNS offer . When you enable it, your domain gets yearly protection against DNS/DDoS attacks , plus ultra-fast global DNS response. This gives you some extra leverage in terms of your website speed.
On top of that, you can select some affordable up-sells such as:
Also, you can play around with your renewal. Namecheap provides a small discount for 2+ years.