What Is A Domain Name And How Do They Work
Are you thinking of setting up your own website or starting a blog but feeling a bit daunted by the prospect? For those new to web design, there is a lot to learn and think about but dont worry! In this article, we cover the first step of any web project the domain name.
Read on to find out exactly what a domain name is and gain an in-depth look at how they work. We will explain technical terms like IP addresses, the Domain Name System , and top level domains . We will then share some top tips on how to choose a domain name, where to purchase one, what you can expect to pay, and much much more. Are you ready to get started?
Verify Your Email Address
After you buy a domain, you must verify your email address to complete your domain registration. Check your email account for several emails from Shopify that you need to review. These emails include details about the following:
- confirming your purchase
- verifying your email address
- managing how your data is shared.
If you don’t receive an email about verifying your email address, then check your email inbox’s spam folder or resend the verification email from your Shopify admin. If you don’t verify your email address, then your domain might be suspended.
Note
If you already own a domain through Shopify that’s registered with the same first name, last name, and email address, then your email address might be verified automatically. If your email address is verified automatically, then you won’t receive an email about verifying your email address.
Register Domain Name Variations
Even if your domain name is catchy and easy to remember, typos happen. The last thing you want is for a hiring manager or potential client to get an error message because they missed a letter when typing in your web address.
That’s why you should consider registering domain name variations that redirect people to your website, even if they’ve mistyped something. For example, a lot of people misread or mishear Codecademy as “Code Academy.” But, when they type in CodeAcademy.com, they’re automatically redirected to the correct domain, Codecademy.com.
Similarly, say your domain ends in “.org,” “.edu,” or “.net.” You might want to consider registering the “.com” variant as well to prevent competitors from doing the same.
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What Is The Difference Between A Domain Name And A Website
Its easy to think of a domain name and a website as being the same thing. But while theyre closely connected, theyre different things.
When you register a domain, you get a web address but not a website . So while you can have a domain and choose not to use it for a website, you cant have a website without a domain.
For example, if you want to get started online and youve picked a name, youll first need to register it, then build your website and then find a host so your site is visible on the web and people can access it. As your business grows, you can always change the look or design of your website while keeping the same domain name.
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Summary: How Domains Work
In this guide, weve covered what a domain name is and their technical background. Weve discussed different types of domains and basic terms that are associated with domain names. Weve also shared tips on how to choose the best domain name for your website and gone over the steps of buying and registering a domain name.
The only thing left to do now is to register your desired domain name and start working on your website. Happy launching!
What factors do you consider when choosing a domain name? Anything to add to the above? Let us know in the comments section below!
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What You Should Consider When Buying A Domain Name
8 Minutes, 9 Seconds to Read
Where can you buy a domain name? What other things should you be thinking about when you buy your domain name? If you find yourself wondering that, youre not alone. Many business owners dont know where to buy a domain name, or even what a domain name is.
Were going to explain the domain name and things you should be thinking about when youre registering a domain. By the end, youll not only understand what a domain name is, but youll know how to find the best deal , and how the domain name relates to a hosting service, email server, and database server.
Lets get going!
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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Does It Matter Who You Buy Your Domain Name From
When you register a domain, its yours and it doesnt matter which service you bought it from. You can usually buy a domain wherever you want. Some of the services and advantages that others dont offer are offered by some of the domain registrars.
A Domain Name Gives You Your Own Corner Of The Internet
There are many reasons why you might want your own domain name. Maybe you want a place to feature your resume or portfolio. Maybe you’re looking to showcase a complex website you built yourself with languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
No matter what you intend to use it for, having your own domain name allows you to build a web presence that’s entirely about you. There are no social media templates, word count limits, or distracting sidebars competing for readers’ attention.
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Transfer Your Domain To A Different Domain Registrar
If your domain is managed by a provider that doesnt support all the necessary DNS records, you can transfer it to a different registrar. When you transfer the domain, you change who you send payments to in order to renew and keep your domain name.
Request the transfer at the registrar that you want to move your domain to. Look on their website for an option such as Transfer DNS. Be aware that after they make the changes, it can take a few days update across the Internet.
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Create A Website With A Website Builder
A website builder is a tool that lets you create and design a website without having to deal with code. It uses a drag-and-drop editor to alter the sites appearance and offers plenty of pre-made template options to get you started.
To access the platform, youll have to pay a subscription fee. However, one of the advantages is that it includes hosting, simplifying the process of website creation. Some website builder platforms even let users register custom domain names.
The only limitation is that you will be bound to the features that come with the subscription plan, making it tricky if you want to build a more complex site.
Therefore, we recommend using a website builder if youre looking for the simplicity of the process and aiming to create a simple site with few pages, such as an online portfolio and a personal blog.
There are plenty of website builders in the market, but we will demonstrate the process using Zyro.
1. Set Up a Zyro Account
First of all, sign up for a Zyro account. You can create a new account with your email or using a Google or account.
Then, you have to subscribe to one of the four plans. The Basic entry-level plan costs $2.90/month and comes with 3 GB of bandwidth and 1 GB of storage, suitable for small websites.
We recommend the Unleashed planif youre not planning on creating an online store. It comes with unlimited bandwidth and storage, as well as advanced features like Google Analytics,for $3.90/month.
2. Choose a Template
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Pricing And Domain Options
Domain names arent generally going to be a huge expense. Most of the common domain extensions are available for in the ballpark of $10 to $20 per year. But something that you might want to consider are additional options for your domain, such as bulk registration, domain privacy, theft protection, etc.
But what do those options mean? Lets take privacy, for example. While privacy isnt required for your domain, it can go a long way in protecting your personal contact information.
Domain registrars are required to provide valid contact information for registered domains on WHOIS searches.
While there is a benefit to having valid contact information available there, the unfortunate downside is that spammers and scammers love to gather email contact information from WHOIS directories. In other words, privacy on your domain is a great way to protect your personal contact information. Make sure its available with your domain registrar before purchasing a domain.
What about additional extensions? While many businesses choose .com domains for their primary web address, there are tons of interest-, industry- and geo-specific domain extensions available that you might find more appealing.
Not all domain providers will have a wide selection of domain extensions, so if this option is important to you, make sure theyre available through your selected registrar.
Set Up Your WordPress
After installing and logging in to your WordPress dashboard, you have to set up your WordPress website by doing some basic settings.
So here in this article, I will show you some basic and important settings that you must do before starting your work on your website.
Install a good Theme
A Theme makes a website attractive and due to this users will stay on your website for a long time.
In your WordPress, you will get a panel on the left side, which is called the WP side panel.
There you have to go to the themes section under the Appearance section.
There you will be able to see the installed themes and activated theme .
If youwant to add a new theme or want to upload your custom theme, which you have downloaded from external sites, so for this you need to click on the Add New button .
After this, you can see there are many free themes available over here. If you want to upload your custom theme, you can even do this, by clicking on the upload theme button.
WP Theme we use and Recommend
- Best Low-cost Theme
If you want to go with a free theme, you can, but I will recommend you to go with a Premium theme, as it will load and upload your website very fast, as premium themes are very lightweight.
Install some basic Plugins
Below the Appearance section, you will find the section of Plugins, where you can simply install or delete a plugin.
Plugins are basically some software that makes your website work smarter and they help in many ways.
Customize your website
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Start Promoting Your Website
Once your website is live, you need to promote it to let your customers know about your website.
Here are a few things you can do to promote your website.
- Hire an SEO expert to drive organic traffic. You can do it yourself if you have SEO knowledge.
- You can go DIY and use social media or try other paid advertising methods.
- If your business has a strong local flavor, you should also consider putting up flyers and posters and even the odd billboard if you have the budget for it.
- Order a set of business cards solely for your business which should have details of how clients and customers can get in touch with you.
What If My Domain Is Already Taken
If someone already has your domain, you might still be able to buy it, but it will cost more. This is because instead of buying it from a registrar for a standard price, youll have to buy it off of whoever has it. Many people register domains they think could be profitable and then sell them on domain marketplaces like Sedo and Afternic. You can try searching those services if you need that specific domain.
The cheaper thing to do though is to try a different top level domain . There are many mainstream ones like .org, .net, and .co, but also some more obscure ones like .xyz, .biz, and .business. Often these wont be taken, and you can find a domain with the same name by buying one of these.
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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:
What Is A Domain Name
A domain name is a unique string of text that’s used to identify a specific resource on the internet. This could be anything from a website to an email or FTP server.
When you access a website, its domain name is converted to a set of numbers to communicate with the website server to send requests for and receive website content.
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Add Pages To Your Website
To add a page on WordPress, go to Pages -> Add New. Every site requires a different set of pages, but generally, here are the five must-have pages:
Homepage
Whether you use a website builder or WordPress, the homepage provides the first impression about your business to visitors.
That said, you shouldnt add too much information to it. Cluttered and messy homepages will deter visitors from continuing to browse as its harder to find relevant information.
Instead, keep it organized and concise and put visuals to guide visitors to the section or page that contains the information they want.
About Page
This page should provide information about your company history, vision and mission, team members, and testimonials. It helps customers, investors, or potential new hires to know more about your business.
However, avoid overexplaining your products or services. You can provide contact information here, but we recommend using a dedicated page for it.
Product or Service Page
The product or service page is crucial and decisive to convert your visitors into new customers. Provide details like features, benefits, and prices.
Product photos or videos also help make the page more visually appealing.
Blog Page
Adding a blog to your site can help drive traffic and increase conversion rates.
When writing blog posts, use relevant keywords to help your site rank higher on search engines.
Contact Page
Drive Traffic To Website
To earn from Affiliate Marketing, Google AdSense, Sponsorship, Membership or any other way, all you need is Traffic on your website.
Because if Content is King, then Traffic is Subject and without Subject, King is useless.
First, you should drive traffic to your website. There are multiple ways through which you can easily drive a good amount of traffic to your website for free as well as paying.
Here are some Top ways to Drive Traffic:
SEO
SEO is the best and long term way through which you can easily get a lot of targeted traffic in bulk.
But SEO takes time to rank your website on top positions of Google.
To rank your website on Google you need to optimize it according to the search engine. So that search engines can crawl it, index it and rank it.
When your website starts ranking on Google, then you will start receiving traffic and then you can easily convert that traffic into revenue.
Watch this video for a complete practical guide to On-Page SEO
Email Marketing
Email Marketing is a gold mine method to drive traffic to your website.
In this powerful and working method, all you need is just the email list of your websites subscribers.
Follow these steps to become successful in Email Marketing:
Here are some Top Email Marketing Service providers:
Quora
You must do SEO, but as you know it takes time.
But, if you want to get quick traffic to your website, then Quorais the best option.
Quora is basically a QnA website, where many questions are asked almost in every category.
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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.
What Is A Domain Name And How Does It Work
Almost everyone who uses the internet has heard of a domain name. But what exactly is a domain name, and how do they work? Should you have your own domain name?
No matter which Development Career Path you’re following, it’s important to understand the fundamentals of domain names. In this article , we’ll answer all of your domain name-related questions. Use the table of contents to jump to a specific section.
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