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.
Should I Purchase My Domain Name Through A Domain Registrar Or A Web Host/website Builder
Pros and cons.
Pros of buying your domain through your host/builder
- You can usually get a free domain for a year when you sign up for a year of hosting.
- Its usually easier to connect your domain name to your website when you do this .
Cons of buying your domain through your host/builder
- Hosts/builders often charge more than the $8-15 youll pay at dedicated domain name registrars after that first free year.
- If you switch hosts/builders, youll need to transfer your domain to that new host/builder .
Pros of buying your domain through a dedicated domain name registrar
- If you change hosts/builders, you can keep your domain name right where it is and just change 2 lines of text to have the domain point to your new host/builder.
- Renewal fees tend to be a few bucks cheaper at dedicated registrars.
Cons of buying your domain through a dedicated domain name registrar
- Youll have to do a bit more technical setup to get your domain properly connected to your web hosting/builder and website files.
Find A Web Hosting Company
You will need to find a web hosting company to get your domain name on the internet. Most of the major internet service providers offer web hosting services. They can also provide you with multiple email addresses.
Monthly fees for web hosting vary depending on how large your website is and how many visits you get.
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How To Register A Domain On Godaddycom
GoDaddy is also known as a web hosting provider, but you can also buy a domain name from them.
Step 1: Look up a new domain name first. If you havent come up with a good name yet or are assessing different options, GoDaddy has a nice set of extra features to help you out.
You can use the Bulk Domain search to check a bunch of domain ideas for eligibility in a click. Or you can play around with their free domain name generator to get some alternative suggestions if your primary choice is already taken:
Also, if you are feeling very determined to get your desired domain for branding purposes, GoDaddy can try to broker a deal for you with the owner. But remember, the original owner may name any price they deem appropriate so in that case, youll be paying:
- Domain purchase fee to the seller.
- GoDaddy Domain Brokerage commission.
- The regular yearly subscription price for the selected domain and add-ons.
If you are running a small business, going into a heated negotiation with some cyber squatters may not be the best investment of your time and budgets.
Wait out and see if the other person forgets to renew their domain or abandons it so that you could snatch it then. GoDaddy has a Domain Backordering service where you can reserve your place in line for a specific domain. If theres more than one buyer, the domain goes on auction. If its just you only, you get it immediately.
Again, youd be pitched several upsells in case you change your mind.
What Is A Domain Name Complete Guide
Whats up, Internet! Thinking about creating your own website?If so, you’ve probably wondered what is a domain name? at some point during this journey.
As always, we have a video guide for this available on our YouTube Channel and below:
Many beginner users confuse domain names with URLs, websites, hosting, and other services.
So today, weve got a beginners guide to help you figure out what a domain name is, how domain names work, how to choose the right domain name for your website, and how to buy a domain name once youve found one.
Let’s get into the content
Contents
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Make Research On Your Chosen Domain Name
Your domain name has to be unique. So, before making the final decision on choosing a domain name, you should ensure no other brand uses the same name.
To be sure you are not about to choose a domain name that belongs to another brand, a simple Google search should be enough. You could also check social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Can I Transfer My Domain Name
Yes, most domain registrars can also facilitate the process of transferring a domain name from one person to another . For example, if you want to buy a premium domain name from someone, a registrar can help process the deal securely.
Also, you can transfer your domain name between different registrars if you found a better deal, for example, or just need some extra features.
Below are linked help documents for doing that with each registrar:
- Domain.com
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Debug Localhost Website With Custom Domain In Visual Studio
Now, let’s see, how to debug a localhost website with the custom domain?
To debug your ASP.NET application in Visual Studio, we must publish it in the debug mode. For this, change your publishing profile and set the debug configuration, as shown below.
After publishing the website in debug mode, access your website e.g., www.mywebsite.com or https://www.mywebsite.com.
Now, to debug in Visual Studio, go to Debug -> Attach to Process.. menu. Select the w3wp.exe process from the popup, as shown below .
Now, you will be able to put a break point and start debugging, as shown below.
This is how you can set custom domain name for the localhost website and also debug it.
Final Thoughts On How To Choose A Domain Name
Learning how to choose a domain name for your site can seem intimidating at first. After all, its a very important decision. However, youll find that with a little research and the right tools, the process is surprisingly approachable.
To choose a domain name for your website, all you need to do is follow these four steps:
Do you have any questions about how to choose a domain name thats right for your website? Ask us in the comments section below!
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Got Any Tips On Finding A Good Domain Name
You bet. While it’s really easy to register a domain, having a good domain strategy helps you register the best domain name possible. Here are some hints:Make it easy to remember. This is why many businesses get domains with their business names in them. Some people even choose their business name only after they have a domain they like.Don’t register one that’s trademarked, copyrighted, or being used by another company. This can lead to losing the domain and legal problems.Shorter is usually better because they’re easier for customers to remember. It’s also easier to get matching usernames for Facebook, Twitter and any other social media accounts you have.Got a local business? Include your neighborhood, city or country in your domain so local customers can quickly see where you are. Check the list of geographic domain extensions .berlin .nyc to see if there’s one for your area.Avoid numbers or hyphens. Anyone who hears your web address won’t know if you’re using a numeral 5 or “five”. If your business name has a number in it, register both versions with the number and with the number spelled out .Get more than one. As traffic to your website increases, you may attract then attention of copycats who’ll snatch up similar domain names in hopes of drawing traffic away from you. Register similar or misspelled domains early so this won’t be an issue later.
Registrars And Website Hosts
The registrar may be the same company as the host, or it may be a totally different company. Most companies will allow customers to perform a name search & register it there. In fact if you choose a package first it is likely to get it for free for one year. Because the equipment required by registrars is so similar, most companies engage in both activities. Many companies marketed as registrars offer domain packages to those that use their name registration services, and other companies marketed as website hosts offer free or discounted registration for subscribers to their packages.
Find a host first or start with a search on a registrar. However, if it is already registered, you can subscribe to nearly any other hosting service. All you have to do is tell the host the names of the servers where the name information is stored.
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How Do Domains Work
Domain names work by acting as a shortcut to the server that hosts your website.
Without a domain name, anyone who wanted to visit your website would have to enter the full IP address. But the problem is that an IP address is difficult for people to memorize or to include on advertising materials.
In our case, Hostinger.com is the domain name. Lets say it points to the IP address 100.90.80.70. The IP address points to a server, but it doesnt resolve the website if visitors try to use it. Thats because for an IP address to resolve a website, the remote server needs to be using port 80 with a default page stored in its web-apps directory.
As you can see, messing around with server defaults and IP addresses can be both confusing and time-consuming. Thats why the vast majority of website owners opt to utilize a service like Hostinger which offers bundled domain names with annual web hosting packages.
Domains can also use redirects, which essentially allow you to specify that if people visit your domain, theyre automatically forwarded to another. This can be useful for campaigns and microsites or for forwarding people to dedicated landing pages on your main site. They can also come in useful for avoiding confusion around spellings. For example, if you visit www.fb.com, youll be forwarded to www.facebook.com.
How To Create A Domain Name
Creating the best possible domain name for your website is highly crucial. It is something that deserves a lot of time and it is no exaggeration to say this. Making the wrong choice may impact your business negatively. Thus, you should get right without making any mistakes. A domain name is an identity on the web, thus it should be easy to find and promote.
This the first thing visitors will see. As such, it should make a positive impression, otherwise, your visitors will go running. While exact match domains are no longer, essential, keywords in your domain will help in your ranking. Here is everything you need to know on how to create a domain name:
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How To Set Up A Free Domain
The leading web hosting companies offer a free domain name with competitively priced hosting plans. To get your free domain name, simply choose which web host you want to use , and select a plan. Youll then be prompted during the account creation process to create a new domain name. Input your desired domain, and complete the prompts.
Here are the best overall web hosting providers that come with a free domain:
- Bluehost: Best for getting everything you need to start a small business website, from a free domain to free business email for as low as $2.95 per month.
- DreamHost: Best for affordable, short-term plans that are feature-rich.
- GoDaddy: Best for low-cost, high-storage web hosting plans that include extras like a free domain.
Not sure which web host is right for you? Get the complete breakdown on the best web hosting companies or answer a few questions to find which is right for you.
Names And Ip Addresses
The first step in acquiring a host is to register a name. These are regulated and maintained by name registrars, which ensure that there is no repetition. The actual registration can be done directly through the registrar but most likely will be done by a third party like a hosting service. They are easily readable by people, but for computers to understand them, domain names have to be linked to binary IP addresses through special servers called domain name servers . This system allows for a them to be transferred to another server should the webmaster decide to use a different platform.
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Create An Interesting Memorable And Engaging Website User Interface
Make sure your small business website interface leaves a positive impression that drives results. You can do so by implementing the following suggestions:
- Use beautiful graphics and easy-to-read fonts.
- Make sure your graphics are compressed and optimized for fast loading. If your website is slow, search engines like Google will penalize your ranking.
- Research the competition to see how they have designed and optimized their websites implement similar components that will work for your small business website.
- Research your target audience to see what they want from your site and make it easy for them to accomplish it.
- Stay consistently on brand throughout your website design.
- Design an intuitive navigation system which allows users to get to the pages they need quickly.
- Publish easily accessible contact information.
- Incorporate obvious call-to-actions .
- Create pages that are standard for small business websites, such as:
- Home
- Existence of high-quality backlinks that lead to your site
- Having lots of positive reviews online
- Using internal links throughout your site to keep people clicking and reading
- Using social media to link to your site
SEO is an extremely important ongoing process that can mean the difference between showing up on the first page of search engine results pages or page 300 .
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.
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