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.
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:
Tips To Choose The Right Domain Name
Keep it simple. If your domain name is too long it will be hard for visitors to remember, read, and type. Make it easy to spell and try to avoid using numbers and hyphens.
Choose a domain extension that goes with your website. The domain ending you choose will tell customers more about your business. For example, “.co.uk” shows that you’re UK based.
Use keywords that match your business or service. This will help customers find your site. For example, if youre a wedding photographer from Texas then weddingphotostexas.com might be a good option.
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Registering A Domain Name With Godaddy
GoDaddy is one of the oldest and best known domain providers, so its very easy to find information on integrating your domain with all kinds of third-party services. If youre looking to register your domain with GoDaddy, here are the steps youll need to take:
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 To Set Up A Domain Name
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Whether the site is for an individual or a business, a website is always better off with an exclusive domain name. Having a domain name not only makes it easier for people to remember your site, it gives it that much more credibility. This article will outline the necessary steps to set up your very own domain name.
Registering A Domain Name With Ionos
Headquartered in Germany, Ionos is one of the oldest players in the information technology industry, having been around since 1988. Ionos offers domain registration along with website hosting plans.
To register your domain with IONOS, go to the IONOS homepage:
After completing your order, your domain registration is complete.
Read Also: Do I Need Private Domain Registration
Check The Availability Of Your Domain Name
Its now time to verify whether your top domain name choice is available for you to register. In order to do so, use a domain name search platform that enables you to try out an unlimited number of options for free. If your desired name is unavailable, it will come up with additional ideas so you can play around with alternatives until you find the perfect one.
Another good tip to consider if your domain name is already taken, is to try out your domain with different extensions – likelihoods are youll find an available option that way. Additionally, you can add a keyword to your domain name or opt for an abbreviated version of your business name.
Which Rules And Restrictions Apply To Domains
Which domain name you want to register is completely up to you. You have the freedom to register almost any domain you want, if it’s still available. But there are a few restrictions you should keep in mind:
- A domain name can only consist of letters, numbers and a hyphen. You can not use any other special characters.
- The minimum length of a domain name is 3 characters, excluding the domain extension.
- The maximum length of a domain name is 63 or 64 characters, depending on the domain extension.
- Some domain extensions can only be registered by specific organizations such as government bodies or academic institutions .
- Some country specific domain extensions, such as .no, .fr and .ca, can only be registered if you or your business resides in that country.
Another thing to consider are other brands and companies. You could violate a trademark if you register a domain name that is too similar to an existing brand or company.
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Purchase Your Domain Name
If you’ve done the hard work of finding a good domain name that is available then the hard part is over.
You’ll simply purchase your domain name with the domain registrar of your choice and complete the transaction.
Keep in mind most domain name registrars will try to upsell you a lot of additional services that may or my not be necessary for you or your business. Also remember that you don’t have to host your website at the same place you purchase your domain name.
One additional service you may want to opt-in for if you have privacy concerns is “WHOIS privacy” which prevents making your contact information public record.
Set Up The Blank / Naked Version Of Your Domain
When we think of the web, we tend to assume all websites start with the www prefix. However, the chances are you probably visit websites on a regular basis without using www at all.
For example, you can visit LCN by either using www.lcn.com or simply lcn.com the latter address without the www is often called a naked domain.
What is actually happening here is lcn.com is merely redirecting to our proper www.lcn.com address. However, without setting this up, users will just get an error page when visiting your sites naked domain variant and this isnt a good experience for anyone.
lcn.com naked domain redirecting to www.lcn.com
You should be able to do this easily enough at most domain providers. Naturally, here at LCN its super straight-forward.
Simply find your domain name from the Domains section of your account, look for DNS settings, and from here selectAdd an A record.
When adding your new A record, ensure you leave the hostname field blank, and add the IP address for your server .
As with everything at LCN, if you get stuck, just give us a call or get us on LiveChat and well have the problem fixed in minutes.
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Tips For Choosing A Registrar
Determine which services you require
You may want services like email hosting or support offered in French, so find out what each registrar offers. Remember, if you registered your .CA domain name as an individual you have free WHOIS privacy protection already included.
Check references
Seek out customer reviews and testimonials, and ask friends or colleagues for a recommendation. You may find that some registrars come highly recommended by your peers. If you make a mistake, you can always transfer your .CA domain to another registrar.
Shop around
Shop around to get a good understanding of how much your domain name, and additional services, will cost. Registrars may offer bundles, packages, or special promotions. Keep in mind that cheapest isnt always necessarily best.
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.
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Find A Custom Domain For Your Site
Whether youre working on a blog, an online portfolio, or an online shop, Mailchimp offers custom domains that can make all the difference to your online presence. And theres no reason to stop there. Use Mailchimp to build your website and connect it to our all-in-one marketing platform to really make your offerings stand out from the rest.
Learn more about how to get a free domain name from Mailchimp and how our offer compares to the competition.
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.
Recommended Reading: What To Do After Buying A Domain Name From Godaddy
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 Type Of Domain Names Can I Register At Domainscoza
We offer all South African ccTLD and gTLD domains International TLD’s and gTLD’s domains are also available, including all the most popular .com .net .org .biz and .mobi.With more than 1000 new gTLD domains being added to the internet, we will constantly update our list of available domain extensions.
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