Avoid Numbers And Hyphens
Imagine asking your 10 friends to spell or pronounce a domain name filled with numbers and dashes. It wont work.
If you choose a domain name with these elements, youre likely going to lose traffic to people who cant remember your domain or effectively tell someone else how to find it. We probably wouldnt have Facebook today if you had to go to Face-Book.com to reach the site.
How To Buy A Org Domain
Lets now look at how you can buy a .org domain. Here is how you do it on Bluehost:
Note: .org domains on Bluehost cost $8.99 per year, while .com, .net, and .co.uk domains cost $11.99, $12.99, and $11.99 per year, respectively.
Before acquiring a domain name on Bluehost, you will have to register for a Bluehost Web Hosting Account. Once youre signed up with our web hosting services, you can register a domain in two different ways: from the Register subtab or the Domains page.
Names And Ip Addresses
The first step in acquiring a host is to register a name. These are regulated and maintained by name registrars, which ensure that there is no repetition. The actual registration can be done directly through the registrar but most likely will be done by a third party like a hosting service. They are easily readable by people, but for computers to understand them, domain names have to be linked to binary IP addresses through special servers called domain name servers . This system allows for a them to be transferred to another server should the webmaster decide to use a different platform.
Recommended Reading: What To Do After Buying A Domain Name
The Best Domain Registrar: How We Choose Them
- Pricing structures can be complicated. A low headline figure could become expensive on renewal, for instance. Prices vary between domain extensions, too, so a registrar that offers great value for a .com domain might give you a poor deal on when it comes to .org.
- There may be extra costs for tasks like transferring your domain to another registrar, too. Read the small print before you sign up.
- Look for any bundled or optional extras. A Whois privacy service prevents your address, phone number and email address appearing as public contact details for the domain, something which could otherwise get you a significant amount of spam email and phone calls. We’ve seen this cost as much as $11.20 a year, but several registrars provide it for free.
- Many domain registrars offer hosting as an extra, but keep in mind that web hosting companies can also register domains. If you have an idea of which web host you’d like to use, check the details of its plans: you may be able to register a domain for free when you buy hosting, and that’s often the cheapest option.
- Finally, take a look at the support a registrar offers. You may never need any help at all, but if anything critical crops up maybe an issue which might cause a problem with renewal it’s important that your provider is on hand to ably assist.
- Balancing all these priorities can be tricky, so that’s why we’ve created this list of top domain registrars to help point you in the right direction.
Fostering Credibility From Day 1
There is a certain level of sentimentality and trust attached to .org websites. This extension is popular with charitable causes and, in general, are not used for commercial purposes. Whatever the sentiment might be, if you want to establish trust, then you should consider buying a .org domain. You will still have to do a lot of work to gain your visitors confidence, but beginning with .org as your websites extension is a step in the right direction.
Don’t Miss: How To Transfer Wix Domain To Shopify
Next Step 3 Register Your Domain And Verify That You Are The Owner Of It
Next, you must register your domain name. Your registrar will do the most of the heavy lifting for you behind the scenes, and it can take several days for them to do all that work.
You must ensure that all your details have been verified in order that your registration is complete. Depending on the name of your website, you may need to verify your email address or phone number.
You may also need to provide extra documents to buy your certificates, such as the ones that are provided by edu. If that is the case, you should follow the instructions of the clerk to verify your identity.
How Do I Buy A Domain
Youve got a couple options. Domain registrars like GoDaddy and Register.com let you choose a domain name and register it for a fee . That gives you the right to the domain name for a year. If you want it for another 12 months, you pay a renewal fee thats often a little higher than the registration one. Youll also have the option to pay extra to get an email associated with your domain, and to add privacy protection that keeps things like your address, phone number, and email from being listed in a public database.
The challenge with this approach? You still need to connect your domain name to a website, which requires choosing a host and then transferring your domain name. It can be a little trickyespecially if you dont have much of a technical background .
Many website-building platforms let you avoid the hassle by purchasing your website and domain name at the same time. Thats actually how I got my domain name: When I signed up for Squarespace, a custom domain was part of the package. In fact, Squarespace makes your custom domain free for the first year if you sign up for an annual plan, after which its an easy flat fee that includes that privacy protection.
Now that youve got a name, why not consider building a website? It doesnt have to be a huge endeavor in fact, well show you how to create your personal site in just seven days!
You May Like: Domainnamechecker
When Should I Buy Domain Names
According to Verisign, there were over 367 million domain registrations close to the second quarter of 2021, a 0.7% decrease from last year.
There is a slowdown in domain name buying, but that should not comfort you. It is much easier to buy domain names from an owner than to register them yourself. So, it is very important that you buy your domain name as soon as you know that it is going. You dont want someone else to take it.
If you have already decided to set up your domain, you are on the right road to choosing the domain name.
When you buy the domain name, you should also consider buying any other domain names that you want. It also includes domains for your:
- Lines of products:
- Our customer support program.
- A loyalty program for customers.
If you want to use a domain in the future but not immediately, you can install a coming soon page on your domain with a WordPress extension like SeedProd. You are also permitted to park your domain. Domain parking is widespread, as ICANN estimates 52.95% of domains are currently parked.
What Is A Domain Name
A domain name is the URL of your website that visitors type into their browser to access the site. For instance, take a look at tosinajy.com.
In other words, if your site were a structure, your domain name is its address. Domain names can contain both letters and numbers, making it easier for business owners to come up with unique names for their websites address.
Don’t Miss: How Much Does It Cost To Get A Domain Name
Dynadot Domain Registrar Service
A quality registrar that excels everywhere
Reasons to buy
Most domain name registrars offer a simple identikit service with little to separate them from the competition, but Dynadot is an interesting exception which has some unusual advantages.
This starts right at the beginning, with your initial search. You can use the website much like any other type your preferred domain, press Enter, read the results but you also get Bulk and IDN search tools, and advanced options allow defining which domain extensions to include in your searches, as well as setting those as defaults for all future searches.
These searches can optionally return results from domain auctions, Dynadot’s Marketplace and other sources. There’s also a Backorder option to try and grab a domain that isn’t currently available, if it’s not renewed.
Prices are on the low side, with Dynadot offering both special deals on some extensions and good value at renewal. For instance, .com sites is priced at $7.99 for initial price and same for renewal. If youre after a .co.uk domain, thatll set you back $2.49 initially , .org is $8.99 initially, $10.99 on renewal, and .mobi domains are $5.99 initially, $17.99 on renewal.
This requires a small fee and won’t always be allowed , but it’s still a welcome extra you’ll rarely find with other registrars.
Reasons to buy
Founded in 2000, Namecheap is a popular domain name registrar and web host which now manages more than five million domains.
Reasons to avoid
Use Escrow To Complete The Transaction
You might be apprehensive about purchasing a domain name, especially one for a large quantity of money. What if the seller accepts your payment but fails to deliver the domain name?
Using a service like Escrow.com is the best option. You send the site your money, which they keep safe until you confirm youve gotten the domain name. They then hand the payment over to the seller.
Escrow.com has been used to buy some of the most well-known domain names, including WordPress.com and Twitter.com. Its worth noting that youll have to pay a fee to Escrow.com.
Dont try to save money on Escrow costs by cutting corners. Unless the domain owner agrees to move the domain to you before the money is sent.
You May Like: How Much Does It Cost To Buy A Web Domain
Tips When Registering A Domain Name
Obtaining the right domain name from the start is important, especially if youre creating a business or personal brand website. Changing domains is not only expensive but also potentially damages search engine rankings and conversion rates.
With this in mind, here are some things to consider when buying a domain name:
Do Consider Your Budget
If your site is for your freelance business or your personal blog, then the cost of purchasing multiple domains can rapidly add up. If you are investing approximately 15 USD for each domain name, purchasing 10 more domains can be a considerable expenditure that several people dont wish to retain. However, for an enterprise that spends a lot of dollars on advertising, salaries, or a countless of other expenditures, some dozens of domain-names is costly in the huge method of things. If the price of additional domain-name is not something that you required thinking about then you might also play it very safe and purchase the misspelled domain-names.
Also Check: Transfer Domain From Wix To Shopify
Dont Buy It If You Cant Support It
Suppose you own several dozen domain namesare you actually going to be able to keep all those sites updated, much less fresh, relevant, and promoted? Even most full-time bloggers cannot keep up with more than 4 without a team and those are typically people who really know what they are doing.
And what kind of budget are you looking at when buying these domain names?
20 mediocre sites with chronic under-investment will never go anywhere and will never compare to 1 website done well.
If you can and you plan on supporting the new site buy the domainotherwise wait for another day. There will always be another domain name.
How To Buy A Domain Name In 5 Steps
Before we go any further, its worth noting that its only possible to register an existing domain name with a valid domain extension that other people or businesses dont already own.
Were going to dive deeper into the steps to register a domain name from finding a trusted registrar through which to buy a websites address to finally getting into the registration process.
Here are the five steps to buy a domain:
Also Check: Transfer Shopify Domain To Godaddy
Editor’s Note: Looking For Ecommerce Website Design For Your Company If You Would Like Information To Help You Choose The One That’s Right For You Use The Questionnaire Below To Have Our Partner Buyerzone Provide You With Information For Free:
Editorial Disclosure: Inc. writes about products and services in this and other articles. These articles are editorially independent – that means editors and reporters research and write on these products free of any influence of any marketing or sales departments. In other words, no one is telling our reporters or editors what to write or to include any particular positive or negative information about these products or services in the article. The article’s content is entirely at the discretion of the reporter and editor. You will notice, however, that sometimes we include links to these products and services in the articles. When readers click on these links, and buy these products or services, Inc may be compensated. This e-commerce based advertising model – like every other ad on our article pages – has no impact on our editorial coverage. Reporters and editors don’t add those links, nor will they manage them. This advertising model, like others you see on Inc, supports the independent journalism you find on this site.
Inc. helps entrepreneurs change the world. Get the advice you need to start, grow, and lead your business today. for unlimited access.
Institutional Memory Is Fragile
What made this situation particularly painful for my client is that
- the domain was purchased nearly 13 years ago for a 20 year period a challenging length of time for any organization to keep track of login information.
- In 20 years or even 5 years people change jobs they change names, they change software and computers, they retire, they die
- Even without any big changes, how many people can put their finger on an email message they got 5, 10, or 20 years ago?
- the email account used to purchase the domain was defunct , so a password-reset link from the registrars site wont work.
Also Check: Io Domain Name Meaning
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