Domain Names & Extensions: A Brief History
Before 1984, when University of Wisconsin technicians developed a name server, there were no domain names, only numbers like to designate a website address. Imagine that on your business card!
Suddenly in 1985, domain names using the extensions .com, .net, and .org were available to the world. And today, tens of thousands of new domain names are registered every single day — with over 300 domain extensions ranging from .ac to .zw!
Your domain name will probably cost around $10 a year, but premium domains can go for up to $20,000 and in 2010, sex.com sold for $13 million. Ooh-la-la!
Why Buy Or Transfer Your Domain Club To Infomaniak
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Accredited Swiss registrar
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Support 7 days a week by email, chat and telephone
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Swiss quality with the best prices on the market
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Automatically renewing your domains
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Easy-to-use management console
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Easy transfer of domains to Infomaniak
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Climate-neutral hosting service provider
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Over 450 domain extensions available
How Do I Buy A Domain Name
Its easy to get a new domain. Here are the steps:1. Decide on a domain name extension. The extension is the part at the end of the domain name .net, .biz, .org or .com, for example.2. Think about what you’d like on the other side of the dot. It could be your business name or your specialty.3. Type the domain you want into the box at the top of this page. We’ll tell you if that particular domain is available and show other you may like better.4. Pick a domain, add it to your cart and check out. You are now the proud owner of your very own domain. As long as it’s registered to you, no one else may use it.
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Use Domain Name Generators When Stuck
At this point, you should have at least a general idea of some possible words to put in your domain. Some of those words may already be taken, trademarked, or just dont have the sound youre looking for.
Thats where domain name generators come into play. These generators can turn your ideas into fresh, available domains.
Here are some of our favorite domain name generators to try out:
The Perfect Domain Name For All Kinds Of Clubs Groups Communities And Passions
.CLUB is the ideal domain extension for the social world we live in. The Internet has connected us in ways we never dreamed of. Every day, communities and groups are forming around every imaginable interest. Whether a tribe of two or two thousand, theres never been a better, easier time for people to come together around a common passion.
Yourname.club is a URL that has meaning and marketing value a URL that immediately tells the world you are about people sharing a common interest, whatever that passion may be.
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Get Your Domain Name And Hosting From Itx Design
No matter which you choose between the .com and .org, you will need hosting. With ITX Design, you get the best hosting in the industry starting as low as $4.95 per month. Whether you need shared, VPS or dedicated hosting, we can help.
At ITX Design, you receive hosting on the best and fastest servers. We also provide you with 24/7 technical support, a 99.999% uptime guarantee and a money back guarantee. Whether youre starting a new business or a new organization, our team of experts is ready to help.
If you have any questions about our hosting or about domain names, contact our support team today for answers.
Buying Your Domain Name And Starting Your Website
Whether you choose to buy the .com, the .co or both, you need hosting to start your website. A parked domain name wont do much for you, but with the right hosting, you can turn it into a functional website.
At ITX Design, we provide a variety of hosting packages to fit your needs once you decide between .com vs. .co. Our team of hosting experts provides 24/7 support with a 99.999% uptime guarantee. We are available to answer any questions you might have and you can contact us for hosting recommendations today.
Also Check: What Is The Domain For A Website
Choose A Brandable Name
We all know that branding is crucial to long-term success, but what exactly makes a domain name brandable? There are many factors that come into play here, but the most important ones are as follows:
- A brandable name has no specific meaning .
- Its unique your competition doesnt use anything similar.
- Its easy to memorize not too wordy, no complex vowel combinations.
- Its easy to pronounce and dictate over the phone.
- It sounds trustworthy some names can be a little shady by definition, for instance, WinTheLotteryToday.com may be too bold, but Lotterio.com sounds way better.
To make the brainstorming process easier, you can experiment with some combinations of actual words and random suffixes, like I did with the Lotterio.com example above. The main goal here is to create a potential for the domain name to build brand value over time.
In other words, as much as possible, try making sure the name has a good ring to it. It should be fun to say out loud, and not difficult to memorize immediately. Think about the likes of Uber: Its short and snappy, and theres no confusion as to how to spell it even when mentioned in passing in a conversation.
Which Domain Extension Should You Choose
If youve narrowed it down to the .com or .org domain extensions, you may be struggling to choose the right domain, but out of the two, it really doesnt matter much. It depends on what type of company or organization the domain will represent.
Those starting an online business or getting their personal name as a domain, should choose the .com extension. This works best for established companies, new companies, blogs, affiliate marketing and any other type of website.
However, if you plan to start a non-profit organization or any other organization, the .org domain extension makes the most sense. This will make it easy for members of the organization and outsiders to recognize your website as an organization.
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How Much Does A Domain Name Cost
The exact cost of your new domain name will vary based on the registrar, the specific top-level domain you’ve chosen, and the quality of the domain name. Domain.com is proud to offer more than 300 unique TLDs to help your new website stand out. Some domains may be pricier due to their intrinsic benefits, like being short and memorable, or the use of very competitive keywords such as cars.com. Browse our premium domains to jumpstart your website performance.
Proper Accreditation And A Solid Reputation
We mentioned earlier that registrars need to be accredited by ICANN. Its important to look for that accreditation. There are plenty of unscrupulous entities out there that are pretending to be reputable registrars in an attempt to take your money. To gain that seal of approval from ICANN, companies have to meet a number of requirements. This helps to keep the industry regulated and honest.
ICANN keeps a list of accredited registrars for convenience. It can be used to quickly identify which companies to work with. However, when it comes to reputation, youll need to do a bit more research on your own. Its a good idea to check with the Better Business Bureau and see how long the company has been in business. A good track record of service is always a good sign.
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Use The Right Domain Name Extensions
When you choose your domain name extension, you can be sure of one thing: .com is still the best.
According to research from Domain Name Stat, 43% of all domains have the .com extension.
Why? Well, .com is the most familiar and easiest to remember.
While there are many successful websites with a .net and .org, your website will probably do better if it has a .com extension. Its the safest bet.
Our advice: Go with .com. If thats taken, try .net or .org. If these are taken too, youd be better off brainstorming a new domain name. And oh! Avoid those weird extensions like .club, .space, .pizza and so on.
How Much Do Domains Typically Cost
The price of a domain is influenced by many different factors. The biggest is the popularity of the domain extension and overall availability. For a cheap domain, you can expect to pay around $15.00 a year. During your first year, prices can be as low as $0.99. Many registrars and hosting companies offer attractive introductory fees to get new customers in the door.
After your first year, you will have to renew your domain on a yearly basis to keep it active. At this point, you will be paying the normal price, which is usually between $10.00 and $20.00 for cheap domains. Some registrars also allow you to register the domain for many years at once, which is a great option if you dont want to worry about forgetting to pay renewal fees.
Now, those prices reflect the average cost of cheap domain names. If youre looking to invest in a popular domain, you might have to spend a pretty penny. Popular extensions can cost hundreds of dollars a year. If you want to buy an existing domain, the price goes even higher. Some .com domains have sold for several million dollars. In our digital world, domains are a hot commodity, so some of the best and most recognizable have a significant price tag.
Also Check: How To Own Your Domain Name Forever
Here’s The One Domain Registrar I’d Recommend And Why I Use It
Want to jump straight to the answer? Need hosting too? Get a FREE domain name with the best web hosting. You can instantly get a free domain name when you This is highly recommended if you need a hosting account for your new domain name, which most people do.
Just need a domain name without hosting? Domain.com is the best domain registrar for people that just need a domain name and already have hosting. Its the most affordable and easy-to-use. QUICKSPROUT.
A domain registrar can make or break your website building experience.
Luckily, you dont have to sweat it.
Below, Ive reviewed it along with six solid contenders based on years of experience. Over the course of my career starting, running, and selling businesses, Ive bought hundreds of domain names.
Check If Its Not Trademarked Or Already Used
Before you move forward with a specific domain name, check to see if the name is available on social media sites, as well as if there are any trademarks already registered to the name.
To build your brand, its ideal to have the same name across your domain and social networks. This builds familiarity and makes it easy for your visitors, fans, and customers to find you around the web.
Avoid legal issues you should stay away from names that already have trademarks.
How can you quickly check social networks and trademarks for your potential domain name?
Its quite easy with a tool like Knowem. Search your potential domain name itll show you if its available throughout over 25 popular social networks and if there are any trademarks already registered to the name.
If its taken, consider tweaking it so that you can create original social media profiles.
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Check The Domain History Via Wayback Machine
Note: This one is worth checking even if youre getting a new domain name. In some cases, the domain name youre trying to register may have been registered in the past but then abandoned by the owner. Its still good to have a look at what was on it.
There are a couple of ways in which you can look up a domain names history. One of the more popular ones, and one thats also within anyones reach , involves Wayback Machine.
This is one of the first tools of its kind. Quite simply, it lets you enter a time machine, so to speak, and have a look at how any website used to look in the past.
When I say any website, its not actually any website. But you can expect to find most websites that had any noticeable traffic at any point in time. In our case, doing a check via Wayback Machine allows us to see whether the domain were interested in has ever been used for anything significant, and, if so, whether it was all kosher or not.
For example, if you look up this site, youll get records dating back to 2013:
Its safe to assume that this site didnt exist before then . When you click on any of the records, you get a snapshot of the site back then. Quite handy, isnt it?
If youre buying an existing domain name, it would be a good idea to go to Wayback Machine and browse through every month of the domains history, just to make sure there wasnt anything shady going on at any point.
Club Domains Good Or Bad
ulterios said:The .club extension isn’t going to matter as far as how you get your site to rank. Just worry about what’s on your site and don’t even think about the extension.As far a resale value the new extensions aren’t going to fetch the top prices should you decide to sell it, but for development purposes just do everything that you would do as if it was a .com.
SEOPub said:Just a side note to this. For SEO, the TLD is really not going to matter other than if you grab a geo-specific TLD and are trying to rank outside that area.For paid advertising or any kind of click through ads you are running, it also will not matter. However, if you are planning on getting people to return to your site on their own, I probably would not use any alternative TLD without also owning the .com version also. People are very used to typing in .com at the end of domain names. If you build up a following, you are likely to also inadvertently generate traffic for the .com version as people type that in out of habit when meaning to visit your site.
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