You May Find That Someone Else Has Snapped Up The Domain Name Of Your Dreams Here Are Your Options
So you have a great idea for a domain name. It will make you millions and be the beacon by which an unprecedented amount of Internet commerce flows your way. You’re excited. You go to a domain name registrar to perform a domain name search and, you guessed it, the name you want is already taken. What now? Don’t worry, you have choices.
What If I Never Received A Renewal Reminder
Registrars are required to send two renewal reminders one month and one week before the expiration of a domain name. The registrar must display on its website the methods for sending these notices.
If you did not receive renewal reminders from your registrar , please submit a Domain Renewal Complaint Form.
What Is An Ip Address
Every computer and server has its own IP address a string of unique numbers that are separated by full stops. Computers use these IP addresses to connect and communicate with each other, and importantly find and retrieve web data.
An IP address looks something a bit like this 66.220.144.0.
However, remembering strings of numbers is not possible for most humans, which is where domain names come into play. Instead of having to type in an IP address, when someone wants to open a website they simply type the domain name into their browser.
The Domain Name System then transfers this domain name into an IP address, which is the address of the server that hosts the website. The server can then quickly be contacted, and the website served to the user.
To understand this further, lets look in more depth at how the Domain Name System works
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How To Buy A Domain Name: Domain Registration Guide
What you need to know about domain names, how to choose the right one, and the steps to take to check if a domain name is available and to register your domain.
If you want to start a blog or a new online business, youll need to register a domain name, the name for your website. Getting the right domain for your needs might sound technical at first, but the process is pretty simple.
This domain registration guide will tell you what you need to know about domain name extensions, how to choose the right one for your needs, and the steps youll need to take to check if a domain name is available and to register your domain.
Difference Between Domain Name And Url
Usually the two terms, domain name and URL are used interchangeably. Technically speaking however the two arent the same.
As mentioned earlier, a domain name is used for identifying computers on the Internet. These computers though use IP addresses, which are a series of numbers, such as 185.113.25.55. Since humans find it easier to remember a string of characters rather than numbers, the pioneers of the web devised domain names to identify entities on the Internet rather than IP addresses.
On the other hand, a URL or a uniform resource locator is made up of the domain name as well as some other pieces of information, including the protocol and the path. For example, https://techradar.com/pro is a URL in which techradar.com is the domain name, while https is the transfer protocol and /pro is the path to a specific section on the website.
In most modern browsers, you dont need to enter the complete URL to visit a website. Simply enter the domain name and the browser will add the protocol and other pieces of information required to bring up the website.
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What Can I Do With A Domain
There are lots of things you can do with a domain name. We’ve picked out the most popular reasons for wanting a domain name below.
Set Up a Website at your Domain
To create a website, you will need to set up web hosting and assign your domain to it. Then you will need to add content or upload your files and publish. Web hosting isbasically storage space on a server. You upload your content to the storage space and publish it to make it available for others to view online.
Whether you are looking to design your site from scratch or would like to use WordPress to build your site, Freeola has a selection of hosting options, which are suitable for everyskill level. We even have our easy-to-use website builder, InstantPro, which makes it easy to build a responsive site in just minutes.
Every GetDotted domain comes with a free one-page website to get you started, with use of our easy-to-use website builder InstantPro.
Set Up Unique Email Addresses at your Domain
You can of course create custom email addresses at your domain. Whether for personalor business use, its a great way to ensure that you stand out.
Your GetDotted domain comes with one free email address at your domain, if youd likemultiple email addresses and the ability to synchronise email across all of your devices,EmailPro is our cheap email service, offering you unlimited addresses at your domain.
Protect Your Identity and Ideas
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Connecting Your Domain Name To Mailchimp
Whether youve bought your domain through Mailchimp or a third party, you can transfer your domain name and connect it to your Mailchimp account. Once connected, you can use that domain with a custom landing page or Mailchimp-hosted website. If you dont already have a website, Mailchimp offers a free website builder that you can use to make your brand stand out with no coding skills required.
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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.
Get Branded Email Based On Your Domain
Wondering I have a domain name, how do I get email?
If thats an yes, youre at the right place.
You can simply map your domain with your email address and get a new professional and branded email address.
Having a professional email address makes your contact information more credible, easy to remember and branded.
For example, instead of yourname8648@gmail.com or Sam.somestupidtext@hotmail.com you can easily get a professional yourname@yourdomain.com, contact@yourdomain.com, hello@yourdomain.com and even billgates@yourdomain.com seems to be a good email name idea :D.
You just need to signup for Gsuite . It just costs $7.5 per month.
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Verify Your Site With Google Search Console / Webmaster Tools
Google, as you may know, isnt actually the internet, nor does Google actually search the entire World Wide Web.
What Google actually does is search their index of the internet. This index is created by relentlessly scanning the web for new sites, pages and content. This is how Google can provide search results so quickly.
This makes Search Console an absolute necessity for any website looking to get found online via search.
Not only does it help Google find your site in the first place , but it also helps them keep track of changes and updates to your site, such as new pages and content.
Since Search Console spots any errors Googlebot may find with your web pages, you can easily identify and fix common problems including
- 404 pages
- Server error
- DNS errors
- Thin content
- Penalty notices
You dont need to use Search Console in order to be included in Google search results, but you get a heck of a lot more control over how Google processes and views your site and its content so why wouldnt you use it?
Setting up Search Console is pretty straight-forward, and it wont take you long to get to grips with the basics either.
Your Domain Name Should Be Easy To Type On Mobile Devices
Do you know what happened on June 29th, 2007?
Ill give you a few hints: Apple. Steve Jobs. iPhone. Yes, you guessed it: on that day Steve Jobs presented the first iPhone, which changed the world forever.
Now, a little bit more than a decade later, we are all struggling with smartphone addiction, and we got to the point where dumbphones are making a comeback. But what does this have to do with domain names?
Well, in the first quarter of 2019, mobile traffic accounted for 48.71% of global website traffic and its safe to say that this number is only going to increase.
This means that its best if your domain name is easy to type on a mobile phone.
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How To Buy Domains
If you were investing in real estate, youd begin by buying properties. Similarly, when investing in domains, you need to start by buyingdomain names. These are the online properties you aim to sell for more than you paid.
But how exactlydo you buy domains? Here are the main options.
Domain auctions Similar to an auction on eBay, youll place a bid on available domain names. As people make their bids, the price goes up. The players in a domain name auction tend to be other investors, companies no longer using that domain, or companies with expiring domain names.
Buying expiring domains There will always be domain names expiring. The person or business doesnt want the name anymore or doesnt realize it has lapsed. After a certain amount of time, the domain name registrar puts the domain up for sale again.
Competition is fierce for decent domain names that expire. So this can be a challenging area for the entry-level domainer. However, some companies can help you get into this drop catching approach to domain investing.
Direct purchase If you can track down the actual owner of the domain name, you can avoid paying service fees. It may take more time, but you could end up getting a better price.
There are so many people in the domain investing business that there are sites devoted to buying and selling domain names. You could do a domain name search and make offers on the ones that you like.
Secure Matching Social Media Handles
Getting social media handles that match up with your website will help to establish your brand online. Even if you dont plan on using the social media platform right away it can be helpful to lock down specific usernames.
If the branded version of the username is already taken, then trying adding a qualifier to the end of it. Getting an exact match isnt the most important thing, but try and get it as close as possible.
For every social media profile, it can be helpful to try and match your usernames across various accounts. This will make it easier for your fans to find you across different platforms.
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Get Contact Info For The Decision Maker
Once you have the email contact, do some basic research to learn more about the domains current owner. You want to get in touch with a decision maker. Chances are, if you email a companys website administrator, they will ignore you.
Youll have better luck if you can get in touch with the business owner or a domain investor.
If you can only find the general email box of a medium- or large-sized company, dig around some more for ways to contact the decision maker of the company about the domain.
Dont Let Your Domain Expire
While this might seem like an obvious one, youd be surprised by the amount of people who let their domains expire without even realising it has happened and we dont just mean hobbyists and small business owners either.
Back in 2003 software giant Microsoft forgot to renew its Hotmail.co.uk domain name. Luckily for Microsoft the guy that re-registered it after expiry was kind enough hand it back. Disaster averted just.
The chances are, whatever happened, a huge company like Microsoft would have got their domain name back eventually anyway, but for hobbyists and small business owners this could prove a lot more difficult and stressful especially if you havent gone through the proper copyright and trademark procedures.
The easy way to avoid all this is to just remember you need to renew your domain, and do it nice and early. Most domain registrars, like us at LCN, give you 90 days notice prior to expiry.
Not only that, but in most cases you can register or renew your domain name for up to 10 years, usually whilst making some big savings for renewing over a longer period.
As well as setting up auto-renewal, you can make sure your contact details are always up to date, this way we can always reach you to notify you of any services close to expiry.
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Check For Trademark Infringement
Both major and minor brands alike take issue with others using their trademarked names. Even if youve just made an innocent mistake, the legal hassle involved in a lawsuit and having to rearrange your web presence could be costly.
You can avoid these situations by using a trademark lookup tool before you finalize your choice.
Can You Buy A Domain Name Permanently
Securing your domain name is important for businesses.
Much like the trade name that you register with regulatory bodies, securing a domain name is important because someone else might beat you to it.
Domain names are easy to get but need periodic maintenance, such as the renewal of the annual lease.
But your domain name is your identity, isnt it yours for good?
Is it possible to buy a domain name permanently?
While you can negotiate to buy a domain name with a one-time payment with the domain registry, this is still not counted as a lifetime purchase. The lifespan of a domain depends a lot on the existence of the domain registry. Hence, as long as the company is in existence, your domain name is safe.
If the registry shuts down for any reason, the domain name you registered also goes with it.
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