Tips When Making Your Ca Purchase
Always register the domain name yourself
Never let third parties, such as a marketing agency, complete a registration on your behalf. This can become a problem if you part ways and no longer have access to the account managing your domain name.
Register common variations of your name
If your company or product is commonly misspelled, register the alternate domain names and forward them to your primary website. This helps protect your brand identity and ensures no one else can register these domain names.
Provide accurate contact information
CIRA and your registrar will use the contact information provided during the registration process to communicate important information about your domain name.
Register a .CA with French-accented characters
The .CA domain registry supports French accented characters within domain names: é, ë, ê, è, â, à, æ, ô, , ù, û, ü, ç, î, ï, ÿ. When a .CA domain name is registered, all variations with accented characters are reserved for the original registrant exclusively.
Choose a registration term length that works for you
You can register a domain name from one to 10 years at a time. A longer registration period, combined with setting up auto-renewal with your registrar, can help you ensure your .CA domain name remains registered and active.
Protect your domain
How To Buy A Domain Name In 5 Steps
Before we go any further, its worth noting that its only possible to register an existing domain name with a valid domain extension that other people or businesses dont already own.
Were going to dive deeper into the steps to register a domain name from finding a trusted registrar through which to buy a websites address to finally getting into the registration process.
Here are the five steps to buy a domain:
Why You Should Have A Domain Name
What is a domain name, you ask? Simply put, a domain name is the name of your website. It is your own unique domain name that will set you apart from other businesses and your competitors.
A domain name is supposed to be a unique and easy-to-remember name used to access a website. For example, facebook.com, youtube.com and more. In my case, anastasiablogger is the domain name of my website anastasiablogger.com.
If your website do not have a domain name, then you and other users will have to type in IP addresses to be able to go to your website which are a series of numbers. An example of an IP address is: 192.168.1.1. And lets be real, who has time to memorize all of that, right?
Now that you know what a domain name is, it is now time to brainstorm your own domain name.
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Follow The Registrars Checkout Process
Next, use the registrars tool to see if it can sell you your desired domain and TLD.
If you can buy your domain, select a plan, and follow the registrars checkout process. Some registrars will offer a base plan with add-ons like a professional email address tied to your domain. Others offer methods that scale with your needs.
Many registrars will also offer you multiple TLDs as a bundle deal . These plans are perfect for anyone concerned about visitors struggling to find the correct address or competitors buying the domain.
Once you reach the checkout process, youll need to provide your registrar with your:
- Name
- Contact details
- Payment information
If you dont want your contact information to be public, make sure you purchase domain privacy.
You should also check the duration of your registration carefully. Many registrars will allow you to buy your name for several years at a time, but you may want to select a shorter plan if you havent used that registrar before.
Choosing a shorter plan to start with will allow you to switch if you arent happy with your registrars speed, security, service, or anything else.
Free Domains From Website Builders
Website-building platforms typically offer a free domain name when you sign up to their services, however the website domain usually includes their brand name in the URL and, unlike paid domains, they are not transferable to other service providers.
For example, when you start a Shopify store, youll be provided a free .myshopify.com domain that can be used as your stores primary domain. WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, and Weebly offer free domains that contain their own business name as well.
These default domains provide the same basic function as a custom domain, but come with a lot of downsides theyre harder for users to remember, they look less professional, and they dont come with features like email forwarding or the option to create subdomains.
You also wont be able to use these domains outside the platform theyre affiliated with. That means that even if you wanted to use a third-party service provider to add features like email hosting, you wouldnt be able to.
Generally speaking, its a good idea to purchase a custom domain. Domain registration isnt too expensive, and the charge is worth it for the advantage of being able to customize, transfer, and manage your own domain.
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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.
Why Your Domain Name Matters
Your domain name is as much a part of your brand as your business name or logo. Even if youve nailed your branding in every other respect, if theres something about your domain name that puts potential customers off, theyll likely go elsewhere.
The opposite is also true. If your web address is accurate and as fun to say as it is to use, people will be eager to check it out and share it. First impressions matter, and sometimes your domain is the initial experience people will have of your brand.
Its also not easy to change your domain name after your site is online. You can do it, but it can be time-consuming and does have consequences. It can lead to a loss of traffic and unnecessary downtime. In other words, life will be a lot easier if you take your time now and come up with a name you love.
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Choose The Best Domain Name Option
When youre checking for available domain names, youll often find that your first, second, and tenth choices are already taken. Some of the different approaches you can take when this happens are:
- Keep searching. Let your creative juices flow, and continue to search until you find something you love or at least like.
- Choose another extension. If the .com isnt available and youre set on a certain name, consider the .net or .org if you think it will work.
- Reach out to the owner. Maybe the domain is already owned, but its not being put to much use. You could reach out to the owner with an offer.
Dont Get Analysis Paralysis
Chances are that if you want a domain name, someone else probably wants it too. If youre sure about your choice, go ahead and buy the domain.
This is especially recommended if its reasonably inexpensive. Plus, if you come up with something better later on, you can always let the registration lapse. You dont want to end up in a dispute because you didnt act fast.
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Buying An Original Domain Name From Scratch
For many users, creating a domain name is the first step in the journey toward building a consistent, reliable online identityand that step generally involves brainstorming a catchy, original domain name or generating one with one of the many online domain name generators. With a name in mind, users can use name search tools or even a simple Google search to see if the name is available or if other names in use are close enough to cause confusion.
Buying a domain name doesnt necessarily mean making a one-time purchase and owning the name forever. A typical domain name purchase involving an original name actually means that buyers pay for the right to reserve the name exclusively for their own use. To buy rights to a domain name, a user has to register it either directly with a domain registrar or through a hosting provider for terms ranging from a year to several years. To keep rights to the name, a user must renew the registration when it expires or risk losing the name entirely.
Creating an original domain name establishes a new and unique online identity for an individual or business, but it can take time and effort to yield traffic and visibility, especially if the new domain name is poorly optimized for relevant keywords. To reduce confusion, new domain name buyers are often advised to buy as many similar names as possibleeven those with obvious misspellings that reflect mistakes people make when typing in a search bar.
How To Register A Domain Name For Your Website
Your company needs a website, which means it needs a domain name. Your first step is registering a domain name, which can be daunting for first-timers. Don’t worry: Our guide walks you through it.
Once you’ve decided to build a website, you need to make an important decision, even before you consult our best web hosting services roundup: What’s your domain name going to be? You know, it’s the web address by which all your many customers find you. Your domain name is, in effect, the name of your website, so you want to make sure you get a good one. Purchasing a name is a relatively simple process, but finding one that isn’t already taken can be a challenge. In addition, you’ll also want to make sure you understand the contract between you and the domain name registrar. If this is starting to sound a bit complicated, don’t worry: This primer can help you get started.
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Renew Your Domain Name Registration At The End Of Your Term
When you purchase a domain, youre purchasing it for a fixed length of time, usually one year. While some domain providers offer longer terms , domain registration is never permanent.
In order to hold on to your registered domain, youll want to make sure you renew registration when your term is complete. Nearly all domain providers offer an automatic renewal, so its generally a good idea to have this option selected when you purchase.
Keep in mind that if your payment information changes, youll need to update your settings with your domain provider so theyre able to charge for automatic renewal.
Most domain providers will notify you when it’s time to renew, whether you have automatic renewal enabled or not, but its important to renew your domain. If you dont renew your domain, it will no longer point to your website and may be purchased by someone else. If you dont want to lose your domain, make sure you renew it.
Beware Of Hidden Fees
Price plays a huge role while deciding to purchase the domain name. The market is full of domain registrars who will try to lure you into buying from them. But the key is to be vigilant and not get fooled into buying one that appears cheap but has tons of hidden fees and expensive upsells .
Some registrars may sell you a domain name at a cheap price in the name of promotional offers. However, there will be a lot of add on costs in the name of renewal fees, contract fees, expensive rebills and more. So, before you take any decision do your research well.
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Determine What Youre Willing To Pay
Now that you know the domain is available, and before you contact the owner, decide what youre willing to pay for it. This can be tricky since theres no agreed-upon value of a domain, but you can get an idea of what prices are by searching through a domain marketplace like Flippas.
Here are some factors to pay attention to when figuring out how to buy a domain that is taken:
- Keywords Domains with popular keywords in them are worth more because of their ability to rank high on Google and other search engines.
- Generic value A domain that can be used by almost any business within a given industry has generic value.
- Brandability When a domain lacks generic value or a strong keyword, its main value lies in its brandability. Short, memorable names that are easy to spell are easy to build a brand around.
- Age Older domains are generally considered more valuable.
- Length Or rather shortness. The shorter the domain, the more valuable. Usually, landing your hands on a three-letter .com will cost you a lot.
Before you approach the current owner of the domain you want, choose both the base amount youre willing to offer and the maximum amount youre willing to pay they can even be the same number if you want for the domain before you approach the owner.
Look for domains of similar length, similar keyword value, generic value, and similar age, this should help you estimate the price to a degree, and also decide if you can actually afford that domain in the first place.
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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Choose A Domain Name Suffix Such As Com Or Net
After settling on the domain name, consider the suffix. The most popular suffix is .com, although .net and .org are also popular. These are considered to be top-level domains, or the highest-level domain suffixes in the domain naming system.
There are also other varieties to consider, such as country code top-level domains. These domain names end in a suffix that is particular to a specific country. A website in Germany might end in .de, for example.
Finally, there is another class of domain name suffixes called “sponsored, top-level domains,” which are sponsored by a specific community related to the domain name. For example, .gov is for the U.S. government and .edu is for education organizations.
For most websites, .com is the best suffix for its ease of use, but if you have a specialized website, you might consider a country code or sponsored top-level domain.