How To Register A Domain Name For Your Website
If you want to build a website, you need to buy a domain name. Registering one can be a daunting task for newcomers, but our helpful guide walks you through the process.
Since 2004, I’ve penned gadget- and video game-related nerd-copy for a variety of publications, including the late, great 1UP Laptop Parenting Sync Wise Bread and WWE. I now apply that knowledge and skillset as the Managing Editor of PCMag‘s Apps & Gaming team.
My career has taken me through an eclectic assortment of fields, and connected me with people from all walks of life. This experience includes construction, professional cooking, podcasting, and, of course, writing. Ive been typing up geeky takes since 2009, ultimately landing a freelancing position at PCMag. This blossomed into a full-time tech analyst position in 2021, where I lend my personal insight on the matters of web hosting, streaming music, mobile apps, and video games.
Dont Hesitate To Register Your Perfect Domain
If you already used Media Temples domain name search tool to find a web address your client will love, make sure you register it without delay. Each day thousands of domains are registered taking them off the market. Once you find an available domain that resonates with a brand, register it and any variants, and then help your client get started making their way online.
About the Author
How Long Should You Buy A Domain Name For And Why
I spend hours searching for a suitable domain name for this website. Though when I finally made up my mind, there was another hurdle to overcome. I needed to decide how long my first registration term should be.
So how long should you buy a domain name for?2 years is the best option for most domain registrations. It depends on the reasons why, and the type of website the domain is registered for. Take into account: the time for creating the website itself, its content, and how long it takes for the website/project to gain traction.
It makes sense to purchase a domain name for at least 2 years. Though there are some valid reasons for shorter and longer registration terms, as youll find out below.
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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.
How To Build An Ecommerce Website
Once you have a business and domain name, its time to build your online storefront. You have several options depending on how tech-savvy you are.
If you know how to code, you can develop an ecommerce website from scratch. If youre not so savvy or dont have the time, you can hire a web developer or website designer instead. These are professionals who can create your dream website from the ground up.
Keep in mind, website design services can be very expensive, depending on the skill and experience level of the person or firm you hire.
If youre short on both time and financial resources, youre in luck. There are a variety of excellent ecommerce platforms on the market that can help you build and launch an online shop quickly, easily, and on a budget. Shopify , WooCommerce for WordPress, and BigCommerce are all popular options.
If you create your own site, make sure you create product pages with detailed product descriptions and high-quality images. You should also make sure you have a homepage, About page, and a Contact page.
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Is A Inc Premium Domain Extension Good For Seo
According to our Whitepaper on SEO and domain extensions, there is no difference in SEO between .inc and other popular domain extensions like .com or .net. So, you can rest assured knowing that a .inc domain will not hinder your SEO efforts in any way. In fact, having an exact match domain with .inc can actually help improve your SEO.
Through A Domain Registrar
If youre buying more than one domain name or want to manage your domain and hosting services separately, you can use a domain registrar like domain.com or NameCheap.
This route makes sense if youre launching a business website and want to buy all the possible variations of your business name to prevent others from doing so. Many domain registrars offer bulk discounts but you wont be able to get your domain for free.
Check out our top domain registrar recommendations, here.
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Can You Get A Domain Name For Free
So far, weve covered two ways to buy a domain name. But can you get one for free? The answer is yes. There are three ways to get a free domain:
While you can get a good domain name for free, you should consider how professional your domain makes your website look. Your TLD conveys legitimacy, authority, and trustworthiness to visitors.
People trust familiar TLDs the most, and over 37% of domains currently have the TLD .com. So, while you might be able to get a .ml or .tumblr domain for free, investing in the .com domain may pay off better long term.
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.
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How To Get A Domain Name Permanently
While there is no way to 100% get a domain name permanently, theres no reason you cant own a domain for decades. After all, there would be chaos if Google, Forbes, or Microsoft all were forced to lose their domain names.
Its important to understand the way domain registration works to protect a domain you really want to own.
Just because you technically lease a domain name versus owning it, that doesnt mean you dont have control.
How Long Do You Own Your Domain Name
Most domain contracts are annual, which means you own your domain for one year from the date of purchase. No matter your registration period, your domain registrar will email you when your domain name is close to expiring, so you have the option to renew and keep ownership of your domain.
To get a website domain, follow these four steps:
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Protect Your Store Domain Privacy
Anyone can look up the name and address of the person who has registered a domain name. If you run your ecommerce business out of your home, anyone can find your personal address.
If you want to avoid creepy solicitations from strangers, consider purchasing domain privacy from your domain registrar. You may also want to look into setting up a P.O. box to use as your address where required in business communications .
How To Market Your Ecommerce Business
If you build it, they will come right?
Wrong.
Once you launch your ecommerce website, the real work begins. Invest time into marketing your business. Read books and articles that will teach you how to reach your target audience and identify your ideal client.
Investigate companies and resources that can help you in your marketing efforts. Youll need to put time and money into making sure potential customers can find your online shop and choose to buy your products.
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Does A Domain Name Registration Expire And What Happens If It Does Before I Renew It
When you register a domain name, youll see the registration date as well as the expiration date. Every domain name expires at some point, whether thats in a year, a couple of years, or a decade. You can save time by buying a domain with a longer expiration date. In any case, youll need to manually renew your domain when that expiration date is approaching.
The good news is that you can renew your domain name registration before it expires, which allows you to keep your domain name. This is especially important if you have a very simple domain name thats highly sought after. Typically, youll receive your first reminder to renew your domain about a month before it expires. If you still dont renew your domain name after receiving this message, youll get another reminder about a week before your domain expires.
So, what happens if you forget to renew your domain name before it expires? As long as the domain name hasnt been registered by somebody else, you can reactivate your domain name after the expiration date. Keep in mind that some domains are in much higher demand than others, and there are even some bots out there that automatically register high-profile domains when they become available.
Bring your brand to life with your own website. Design from scratch, connect a domain, analyze traffic, and optimize for SEO.
Choose The Right Domain Extension
When picking the extension or TLD for your domain name, .com is still the best choice unless you have a reason to choose something else.
While Google confirms that your choice of TLD will not impact rankings, it does affect consumer perception. Many people view other TLDs as less trustworthy.
That said, .net or .org extensions are not uncommon, so they can be good secondary options if you find the perfect name and the coveted .com isnt available.
But if you do decide to go with an extension other than a .com, make sure you take a look at what type of website is currently on the .com extension. Someone is bound to go there accidentally while looking for your brand. If the site holds fishy or offensive content, you might want to steer clear of that name altogether.
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How To Choose A Domain Name For Your Ecommerce Business
Once youve decided youre going to build an ecommerce store, its time to figure out what youre going to sell. If youre selling trending products on a general store, youll want your domain name to be generic. If youre planning on sticking with a singular niche, you might want to include it in your domain name, such as beauty.
You can do a domain name search on Shopify where you test out different names to see which is available. Since most .com domains are usually registered, a .store domain will likely have an available custom domain for you. The domain registration process isnt hard, but finding a free domain name can take some time.
You also need to choose a domain registrar. In ecommerce, some people choose Shopify, but there are many other options to choose from too. Namecheap is a popular domain registrar that specializes in domain names, that you can keep all your domain names on.
Once youve decided on your business name, you need to pick a domain name to begin domain registration. This consists of a domain name and a domain extension.
Verify Domain Name Ownership
The final step is to verify the domain ownership through the email address you used when registering the domain. The email usually arrives within a few minutes after finishing the domain setup. Simply click the verification link in the email to verify your contact information.
If the email doesnt arrive, resend the request from the control panel. We recommend doing it immediately, as waiting for 15 days or more will lead to a temporary suspension from the registry.
Thats all there is to it. Now you know how to buy a website domain name and complete the initial registration process.
Expert Tip
To make the most out of your newly acquired domain, consider authorizing it with the Google Search Console. This will provide you with important analytical insights and make it easier for Google to crawl the content of your site.
First, log into your Google account and head to the Search Console page. If you want your entire domain to be crawled, enter the URL in the bar on the left. Once thats done, click Continue and youll be presented with a code. Then, copy it and do not close the tab.
Now, log into your Hostinger account, head to the hPanel, and on to the DNS Zone Editor. Under Manage DNS Records, select TXT as the Type. Unless youre only adding a specific subdomain to the Search Console, leave @ as the Name. Next, copy the code youve received previously as the TXT Value. We recommend leaving the TTL Value as the default. To finish it all off, click on Add Record.
Darius G.
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Choose A Domain Name Provider
Choosing a good domain registerer is a very crucial step in purchasing a Domain name. I use Qservers to host my domain name. Click on this link to visit Qservers. You can still follow along this guide even if you use a different provider like Namecheap, just note that some of the process may vary. Just go to your domain name registerer website and type in the domain you want to register.
How To Register Your Domain Name For As Long As Possible
CEO, VPN.com: The $1M Domain Name – We help brands, entrepreneurs, politicians and athletes acquire premium domain names for their vision.
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A good domain name is a key element of any business’s marketing. However, there are many horror stories about registrants forgetting to renew their domain name and losing it. You might be wondering how to buy a domain name forever to sidestep this issue or, at least, to save money in the long-term. While it’s not possible to permanently buy a domain, there are leases for indefinite lengths. The reason for this lies in how domain registration works.
Domain Name Basics
Domains such as .com, .net and .co rely on registries to handle their core administrative needs. However, with well over one billion websites in the world, registries face an impossible administrative burden.
Since registries cannot possibly handle the administrative burdens involved with the millions of active registrants and billions of websites, they rely on other organizations. Registrars work as middlemen between people looking to buy domain names, the registrants and the registries that administer domains.
GoDaddy, Dreamhost and other businesses are registrars. They handle the marketing and business elements of domain registration and lease domain names out to the public. No registrant ever actually buys a domain name from the registry. Rather, members of the public pay a registrar to maintain a lease in their name.
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Keep It Short And Simple
Its an obvious strategy, but registering a domain name that is short and memorable isnt as easy as you might think. The fewer words or characters it has, the more likely your customers will spell your domain correctly and find your site. This method might require some creativity, but it will pay off.
On the simple front, make sure your it is easy to spell and avoid using numbers and hyphens.
Web Hosts That Offer Free Domains
Launching a new website can be a costly endeavor, so we want to help you save as much money as possible.
Many web hosts offer free domain names and affordable web hosting services for beginners to help you get set up and running as fast as possible. Our top recommendations for this include:
If youre on the hunt for affordable hosting that doesnt feel cheap, Hostinger is the way to go.
You can snag a free domain on many Hostinger plans. If you dont need the high-octane power of VPS or cloud hosting, look to Hostingers shared or WordPress hosting for a great deal that includes a custom domain.
Hostingers mid-tier plans for eachPremium Shared Hosting and WordPress Starterstart at just under $4 per month for a 48-month term. Youll need to commit to at least one year up front on those plans to snag your free domain.
For most people, their Premium Shared Hosting plan will do the trick nicely. You get solid speed and uptime , that free domain, and more for $3.49 per month.
The best rate is usually that four-year term, which means youd pay $167.52 at checkout to take care of your web hosting for a good while.
Whats nice is that, if the four-year commitment is a bit too much in terms of either time or money, you can get the same deal on a single-year term. Just be advised, youll be looking at a higher renewal rate after that term lapses .
All three options allow you to snag that free domain, though.
It includes:
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