What Are Domain Name Extensions
You can choose among popular top-level domain extensions such as:
- .com
- .org
- .net
Or go with a local domain extension such as if you want to focus on building a presence in a specific country:
- .co.uk
- .fr
- .au
Also, theres a bunch of creative domain extensions, launched recently. You can try playing around with them to create a shorter, brandable name. For example:
- Alchemi.st
- Handma.de
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When a domain name is registered, the registrant acquires the right to use, renew, restore, or transfer the domain name. When the registrant no longer has those rights or someone else registers the domain name, the prior registrant may consider it a “lost domain name.”
To see if a domain name is registered and to find its registrant, you can perform a WHOIS search at .
ICANN does not have the ability or authority to transfer or return a domain name to anyone. ICANN’s authority is purely contractual and is limited to the Registrar Accreditation Agreement , the Registry Agreements , and ICANN’s Consensus Policies.
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.
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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.
Search For Your Desired Domain Name
After you have chosen your domain registrar, you will need to search for your domain name and see if its available. For this part of the process, you will want to keep the domain naming tips in mind:
- Keep it short and simple.
- Consider combining what you do with your location for a unique domain name.
- Consider registering additional domain extensions.
- Avoid domain naming mistakes such as choosing a name thats too specific and doesnt allow you to grow, not checking the domain name spelling, or trying to save money by not buying a premium domain.
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Fourth: Reveal Your Bid
After the three days have passed and the auction ends everyone must reveal their bids within 48 hours. If you dont reveal you lose the auction and all of the funds you bid.
To reveal your bid go back to the ENS section of MyEtherWallet and search your domain like you did when you first placed a bid. Youll get a message back telling you its time to reveal your bid.
Revealing Bid in ENS section of MEW
To reveal the bid log into MyEtherWallet with your login details and youll then be prompted to enter the bid details. This is the information you copied and/or screenshot when you placed your bid. Once the details are entered click Reveal your Bid to make your bid public.
Confirmation of bid details
This reveal stage lasts for 48 hours. If youre still the highest bidder at that time you win the auction and the domain is yours!
How To Register A Domain Name With Godaddy
If youre ready to make your mark on the internet but are not sure how to actually register your domain name, heres a step-by-step process for registering your available domain name with GoDaddy.
1. Enter the domain name in GoDaddys domain name search bar.
2. Click Add to Cart.
3. If desired, register additional extensions to protect your online brand. Click Add to Cart for each additional domain name.
4. Click Continue to Cart.
5. Select a domain privacy plan, or click No Thanks.
6. Decide if you want to attach your domain name to a free starter website.
Keep the box checked for Start your website for free if you want to attach your domain name to a free trial of GoDaddys Website Builder. Uncheck the box if you want to pass.
7. Decide if you want to attach your domain name to a professional email address.
Choose from three professional email plans or keep the box checked to No Thanks.
8. Click Continue to Cart.
9. Sign into your GoDaddy account or click Create Account.
Youll be prompted to enter your billing and payment information. GoDaddy offers several payment methods so choose the one thats most convenient for you. You will need to provide your billing address but if youve chosen domain privacy in the previous step, that information will not be visible to the public.
10. Review your order under My Items and click Complete Purchase.
Consider registering your domain name for a longer term to save money in the long run and prevent accidental domain expiration.
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What Is A Domain Name
Every website on the internet has an IP address. These addresses point to a websites location think of them like GPS coordinates. The IP address, which is generally a set of numbers, usually resembles something like this:
216.27.61.137
Unfortunately, trying to remember all of those numbers in order to navigate to a website can be challenging. Thats where domain names step in and lend a hand.
A structure called the Domain Name System translates those IP addresses into names that are simple to remember. Those names are called domain names.
Your website’s domain is what people enter into the address bar on their browsers to point it toward your website. In the simplest terms, if an IP address is your websites GPS coordinates, the domain is its street address. Some examples are mailchimp.com and google.com.
When someone types a domain into a browser, it gets routed through a DNS server. That server translates the name to figure out which IP address it points to. Then it grabs the data for that website and delivers it to the browser. This process happens in a matter of seconds, letting you find and view a website fast.
What Is The Difference Between Domain Speculation And Squatting
Theres no single, definitive definition, but generally squatting implies bad faith intent on the part of the person or company that has registered the domain.
That means they have no interest in or intentions of creating a website for the domain or otherwise using it . That person just bought it to sell it for more than they paid for it .
Domain speculation, on the other hand, involves registering domains that might be useful or of interest, but which dont block an existing trademark or brand. For example, instead of registering a variant of an existing companys domain, a domain speculator would register something more general, like weselldomains.com, in hopes that some domain registrar might want it.
Speculators are often more open about the fact that the domains in their portfolio are for sale, as well. Whereas squatters might set up a basic page to make it marginally look like the domain is in use, or create a parking page full of ads to try to get click traffic for extra revenue until they can sell the domain.
Some squatters own many domains, though some will only target a few, since the more domains you own that havent sold yet, the more money youve invested without return. Speculators often own a large portfolio of domains, targeting various industries with a selection of relevant terms.
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Dont Stunt Your Growth
When choosing a domain name, it pays to think ahead.
For example, you might want to avoid including the one product you sell now in your domain name if you plan to expand your product line in the future. Likewise, including a location is your domain name is a smart move if youre planning to do business locally but could stunt your online growth if youre planning to expand to new areas.
Give yourself room to grow.
Assert Your Rights If You Already Own The Trademark
If you are already in business and want to use your existing business name as your domain name, then you may have the upper hand in a dispute with someone who’s already using the name online.
Under trademark law, the first person to use a trademark in commerce is considered the owner. So if you used the name to market your products or services before the domain name registrant started using its domain name, you may be able to prevent that registrant from continuing to use the name.
If you are a trademark holder and you want to challenge the use of a domain name, you will first need to decide on a strategy for going after the registrant. You currently have three choices:
Use the dispute resolution procedure offered by ICANN. ICANN, the international nonprofit organization now in charge of domain name registrations worldwide, recently implemented a process called the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy . This administrative procedure works only for cybersquatting disputes — that is, when someone has registered your name in a bad-faith attempt to profit from your trademark. Compared with filing a lawsuit, ICANN’s dispute resolution procedure is potentially less expensive and quicker .
File a cybersquatting lawsuit. If you take a cybersquatter to court and win, you may get not only the domain name you want, you could also win money damages from the cybersquatter.
How to Find a Domain Name Registrant
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What Is Domain Squatting/cybersquatting
In short, domain squatting is where people register domains that are closely related to a trademark or brand, with the intention of selling them off for profit. By doing this, squatters are gambling that the company or person targeted will just pay what the squatter wants to avoid expensive legal proceedings and the risk of being denied the rights to that domain name.
For example, a registrant might register thisismycompany.ca in hopes that the company, which is based in New Zealand, for example, would start doing a lot of business in Canada and want to buy that domain. Or if a company was launching a new product called SuperNamer, and a registrant who didnt represent the company registered supernamer.com to try and make the company pay for that domain so they could launch their new product with the most recognizable domain name.
Domain squatting can also be done accidentally by someone with good intentions, e.g. a big fan of a particular celebrity, character or sports team. That person could register the domain, e.g. batman.com and set up a fan site dedicated to all things Batman, even though the site isnt owned by DC Comics, who own the rights to the Batman character.
As noted, the person who set up the site might just be a huge Batman fan, but the person could also be hoping that DC will offer them a lot of money for the domain to avoid legal wrangling .
Bad faith domain squatting is illegal, but can still be expensive to resolve through legal channels.
Search For Your Domain Name’s Availability
Once you have found the right domain registrar for you, you’ll need to search for your domain name using the registrar’s search bar. There are millions of domain names out there, with thousands more added daily.
If you have your heart set on a domain name before doing a search, you might be disappointed to find it is already taken. Keep an open mind and incorporate important keywords into your domain when appropriate.
Also Check: What To Do If The Domain You Want Is Taken
Do’s And Don’ts Of Securing A Domain Name
Consider these six tips from small-business owners and experts before deciding on a website name.
Entrepreneur
Navigating the world of domain names can be a daunting task if you’re not up to speed on how to get one. With countless caveats and hosting companies out there, it’s easy to be overwhelmed or worse, make a mistake that could ultimately cripple your business.Consider these do’s and don’ts from small-business owners and experts to help secure your company’s domain name.Do: Include a location or keywords in your domain name, if you can.
If your business focuses on a geographic region, try to put the location into the name of your domain, says Jean Bedord, a Silicon Valley-based search consultant and author of the book I’ve Got a Domain Name–Now What??? When Mikalai Krivenko needed a domain for his painting business in Hoboken, N.J., in 2009, his son Yuriy, a Jersey City, N.J.-based search-optimization specialist, suggested he put “Hoboken” in the name. For $11, Krivenko bought hobokenpainter.com, which shows up at the top of keyword searches that include “Hoboken” and “painter.” Whether it’s location, or what your company does, Krivenko advises: “Put the most important keyword for your industry in the domain name.”
Related:
Related: Protecting Your Business with a Trademark
How To Claim A Domain Name And Secure Your Website Url
Did you come up with your company name and are working on your website? Reserve your name before someone else takes it! Heres how to claim a domain name and how to secure it.
Coming up with a domain name for your website can be confusing and time-consuming. Some people coin domain names from their names, but it does not always work well for businesses.
Once you have decided on a decent name, you need to claim it to prevent anyone else from taking it. You also need to protect it from possible disputes, trademark violations, and domain squatting.
The following guide on how to claim a domain name should help you understand the process.
Claiming a domain name requires strategy. Observe the following practices to invent an appropriate URL for your website.
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