Sunday, March 24, 2024

How To Claim A Website Domain Name

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MAKING A WEBSITE – Claim a Domain ASAP | Vlog 014

When you buy a domain name through domain registrars, you register it for one year with the option of a multi-year registration. You will be able to renew your domain name registration when the initial period finishes, and will usually be alerted by the registrar to do so. Domain names are also sometimes included in your web hosting plan and if not, usually offered by your hosting company.

Domains purchased through Mailchimp are priced based on the TLD you choose, such as .com or .net.

A domain name with a common top-level domain, such as .com, can be had for as low as $12.99 per year, and promotions are often available. Internet domains purchased through Mailchimp also come with free WHOIS privacy protection and a Secure Sockets Layer certificate to provide your website with free verification and encryption.

You do need to have a web hosting plan to put your site online, but you dont need to have hosting to purchase a domain. Assuming you have a business or blog name in mind, its possible to reserve your brands name for the future by purchasing and registering your domain name now. Then youll have plenty of time to consider how to build your website.

Create A Website Thats Attached To Your Domain

Chances are, you had a website in mind when you set out to secure a domain name. Your domain name is the heart of your website address. And everyone keeps telling you that you need a website for your business.

A website gives you a branded, dedicated space to share your contact information, a rundown of your services, a snapshot of what your business is all about, a portfolio of your amazing work, customer reviews and links to your social media accounts.

And did I mention its perfect for businesses that want to expand their reach and attract NEW customers?

But understanding the benefits of having a website for your business and actually creating one are two very different things. I know, it might feel scary.

You basically have three options:

Purchase Your Domain Name And Complete Its Registration

Once you settle on a domain name, its time to purchase it. When you buy through Mailchimp, well let you know the annual cost of the domain name as well as any available discounts.

During the checkout process, youll be required to enter your contact information, including an email address, to register the domain.

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Use Your Domain For A Custom Email Address

Youre a professional, so why are you still using that personal Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, MSN email address you created 10 or even 20 years ago?

If the email youre using to communicate with customers isnt branding your business, then its time you kick that free email to the curb and set up a custom email using the domain you just purchased.

If you register a domain, you can set up a personalized email address such as . Thats so much better than , right?

You can put that custom email address on your business cards, the side of your car, everywhere you promote your business.

With Professional Business Email from GoDaddy, not only will you get 24/7 customer support, but youll also get as many email aliases as youd like .

Youll look more professional, credible, and with so many email address options, you can guarantee that emails are going to the right people.

Related: How to use a custom domain name for email

Do I Need To Buy A Domain Name To Reserve It

Cincinnati Ins Co Claims: How To Claim A Website Domain Name

Yes, especially if you have an eye on a particular domain. Reserving a domain will help to avoid losing it to a competitor. It is also possible to purchase an existing domain name, although it will cost more money.The pre-registered high-quality aftermarket domains that are more brandable and memorable are called premium domains. They are more expensive than other domains but can also attract higher traffic.It is also possible to reserve the high-quality domains to sell later at a higher price for profit. The cost of a domain depends on the uniqueness of the name, domain, length, and overall brand potential.If you want to reserve a free domain, we recommend purchasing a web hosting plan that comes with it.

Read Also: Do I Need Private Domain Registration

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.

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.

  • To Conclude: How to Register a Domain Name
  • Ready? Lets first start by explaining why is it crucial to choose a good domain name.

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    Who Owns Your Domain Name

    by Richard Keyt, Domain Name Law attorney

    Are you sure you own your domain name? Chances are that neither you nor anybody in your company has ever checked to see who actually owns your domain name. It is very common for domain names to be owed by a company employee, a web site designer or an internet service provider. The initial owner of a domain name is the person or entity that is listed as the registrant on the application for the domain name submitted to the domain name registrar.

    Using the internet, it is very easy to determine who actually owns a domain name. A domain name is owned by or licensed to the person or entity shown as the registrant on the whois database of the registrar. The registrar is the name given to an entity that is authorized by ICANN to issue domain names to the public. The first and most well known registrar is Network Solutions, Inc. A whois database is a database maintained by all registrars that lists pertinent information about all domain names issued by the registrar. Each registrars Whois database may be searched online.

    To check the ownership of a domain name, go to the Whois database of either Network Solutions or Better-Whois.com. Simply type in the name of the domain name and the top level domain name such as .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info or .name and click the search button. If the domain name is in the Whois database, the search results will display the following pertinent information about the domain name:

    Verify Domain Name Ownership

    Get a Free Domain Name & Domain Registration at Hostinger

    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 website domain name and complete the initial registration process.

    Expert Tip

    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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    Extra Security For More Peace Of Mind

    Name.com supports additional security features to help keep your account safe.

    TWO-STEP VERIFICATION

    When logging into an account protected by Two-Step Verification, a rotating 6-digit code must be entered in addition to your username and password.

    RESTRICTED IP ACCESS

    If you have a static IP address for your home or business, add IP restrictions to your Name.com account so that it can only be accessed via a whitelisted IP.

    Verify Your Site With Google Search Console / Webmaster Tools

    Google, as you may know, isnt actually the internet, nor does Google actually search the entire World Wide Web.

    What Google actually does is search their index of the internet. This index is created by relentlessly scanning the web for new sites, pages and content. This is how Google can provide search results so quickly.

    This makes Search Console an absolute necessity for any website looking to get found online via search.

    Not only does it help Google find your site in the first place , but it also helps them keep track of changes and updates to your site, such as new pages and content.

    Since Search Console spots any errors Googlebot may find with your web pages, you can easily identify and fix common problems including

    • 404 pages
    • Server error
    • DNS errors
    • Thin content
    • Penalty notices

    You dont need to use Search Console in order to be included in Google search results, but you get a heck of a lot more control over how Google processes and views your site and its content so why wouldnt you use it?

    Setting up Search Console is pretty straight-forward, and it wont take you long to get to grips with the basics either.

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    Create A Holding / Under Construction Page

    With the excitement of a new business or website launch comes the urge to tell the world of your future plans.

    If you do this before you have any kind of web page present its an opportunity missed. This is why its a good idea to get a holding page for your website online.

    A holding page is useful for a few reasons

    • Firstly, it proves you have an active presence
    • You can give a website launch date
    • Build your mailing list nice and early by including an email form
    • Encourage social network shares
    • Include a contact form / contact details so interested parties can get in touch

    When building your website wed recommend trying out WordPress in fact, we use it for this very blog. Its extremely flexible and since it is so incredibly popular, theres loads of fantastic support guides available online.

    A major benefit of WordPress is that by using plugins you can pretty much get any functionality you could dream of all at your fingertips, often without the need for any coding skills.

    How To Get A Domain Name From Namecheapcom

    How to Register a Domain Name for Your Website

    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.

    Also Check: How Much Does It Cost To Buy A Website Domain

    Cost To Register A Domain Name

    According to HostGator, domain name cost ranges from free to tens of thousands of dollars, with the average domain name settling around $10-$12 annually. These factors will affect what you’d pay for a specific domain:

    • The demand for the particular name you choose
    • The TLD domain extension
    • The domain registrar you’re purchasing from
    • Whether the domain has already been purchased by someone else
    • Whether you commit to an annual payment or another payment schedule
    • Add-ons such as privacy

    Whether you choose a free or paid domain will depend on your budget and your website’s purpose. For example, you might need a basic website or something simple and temporary. In that case, a free domain name might be a good option.

    However, paid domain names look more professional and are more likely to grow with your brand. You should ultimately decide what will work best for your business and goals.

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