Have A Domain Name But Want To Make Some Changes
Transferring Your Domain Name Between Registrars
You might get the impression that once you buy a domain name with a registrar or hosting company, its stuck there and you have to use that domain, with that company, forever. Thankfully, thats not the case. All domain name registrars offer the ability to transfer domain names from one service to another.
So you can move your domain around from company to company, if youre not happy with the service you have now. Just keep in mind that every transfer will cost extra cash. Thats one reason why some people might choose to register their domain name with a domain-focused company like GoDaddy or Namecheap, and buy their hosting from a company like Hostinger.
That way, if one day you find a hosting company youd rather use instead of Hostinger, you can just log into GoDaddy and direct your domain to the new hosting companys DNS servers. No transfer fee required.
But if you do want to transfer your domain name between services, its usually easy enough. The actual process for transferring a domain name is different for every company. You often have to tell the company that currently has the domain name that you want to move it, as well as telling the new company that you want to transfer your domain to their service.
Actually, its a lot like keeping your same phone number while switching phone providers.
Using a Different Domain Name for an Existing Site
People do like their conveniences.
Selling Your Domain Name
We Take Care Of Your Privacy
With Hostinger, you can keep your personal information safe. Spammers won’t be able to see your domain name or personal information if you use our domain privacy protection service.
Your personal information is normally made public when you register a domain name using databases like WHOIS.For optimum domain privacy and security, we’ll substitute your personal data with generic site information.
Initial Prices And Renewal Pricing
Most domain registrars require you to pay one year at a time, or you can choose to pay for multiple years to get a discount. The price for your first year of registration is often lower than the rate for subsequent years. So, while a low year one rate might catch your eye, youll want to make sure that the subsequent renewal prices are both affordable and in line with those of other registrars.
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Consider Experimenting With Non
As mentioned in No. 1, these days you can get yourself a multitude of different TLDs that werent available just a couple of years ago.
For example, you can get domain extensions such as: .shop, .club, .store, .blog, .design, .xyz, and so on. Also, you can experiment with some of the TLDs that were originally intended to be local TLDs, but, because of their unique appearance, can be used for various other purposes as well. These are domain extensions such as .is, .io, .fm, .it, .ly, .cc and others.
Just to give you an example of the latter, if it makes sense for your brand and intended name, you can try making it seem as though the whole domain, including the TLD, is one complete expression. You can achieve that by choosing your TLD creatively. For example, Microsoft Translator is available under translate.it thats the whole domain name and quite a creative use of the Italian TLD, .it.
However, the thing with these TLDs is that not every domain registrar offers them. Currently, GoDaddy gives you access to the largest catalogue.
Nevertheless, if youre after some specific TLD, its still smart to shop around with other registrars, too. Heres our other resource, where we talk about the top registrars in the market, plus some of the TLDs they offer.
The Best Places To Buy A Domain Name
Anthony Heddings
Anthony Heddings is the resident cloud engineer for LifeSavvy Media, a technical writer, programmer, and an expert at Amazon’s AWS platform. He’s written hundreds of articles for How-To Geek and CloudSavvy IT that have been read millions of times. Read more…
Unless youve got a connection at ICANN, the organization responsible for managing the creation of domain names, youll be buying your domain name from a Domain Name Registrar, a company accredited by ICANN to sell domain names.
You can buy your domain name from any one of these registrars, and it will work the same. The only thing separating these companies from each other is their services ease of use and the other features they include with the domain, such as email service, WhoIs protection, as well as the quality of their nameservers.
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Add The Domain To Your Cart And Complete The Registration Process
If your chosen domain is available, congrats! All you have to do now is add it to your cart and complete the registration process. If you dont yet have an account with the registrar, youll be prompted to sign up.
Be sure to follow the steps we outlined in the How to Register Your Domain Name section to ensure youve successfully registered your domain name.
What Do The Different Domain Extensions Stand For
The most popular domain extension, .com, stands for commerce. Other commonly seen ones include .net for network, .org for organization, .edu for education, .gov for government, .info for information, .biz, for business, . mil for military and .pro for professional. Many countries also have domain names that end in letters related to them, such as .uk for the United Kingdom, .ru for Russia and .cn for China. Some less-common domain extensions include .aero for the air transport industry, .museum for museums, .name for individuals, .coop for cooperatives and .travel for businesses in the travel industry.
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Why Should You Get A Domain Name
The online world is rich with opportunities to create a business or blog on free or paid hosting sites, or even on social media. Free Facebook pages and blogging platforms like BlogSpot or Medium allow users to claim a space for posting content and images of all kinds. Online marketplaces like Shopify and Etsy provide storefronts for entrepreneurs to sell physical and digital goods. Sites like Squarespace make it possible for creatives like photographers and designers to set up an online portfolio without creating a whole website from scratch.
These sites demonstrate that its possible to have an online presence without owning your own domain. But if your aim is to be widely visible and build authority for your brand, these platforms and social media sites have considerable drawbacksproblems that can be avoided with the purchase of your very own domain name.
How Long Does A New Domain Name Registration Last
Domains must be registered for at least one year. After finding a great domain, you can also register TLDs like .com, .in, .net, etc for three years with Hostinger.
You can set up automatic renewals to ensure that your website name will always be registered to you. The first renewal will occur after one or three years depending on the domain registration duration.
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Do You Need A Web Host And A Domain
Its common for domain registrars to offer web hosting services. Its also common for web hosting providers to offer domain registration.
These bundles might seem tempting, but in most cases you should keep each service separate. Why? Separation gives you a lot more flexibility if you want to change web hosts and/or domain registrars in the future. It also improves the quality of service on both.
Id only recommend registering a domain and getting hosting with the same company if youre not planning to buy more domains in the future. Companies that offer domains and hosting together will tout the ability to save money by doing both together. However, when you are purchasing a large number of domains, you often can receive a better deal by shopping around and separating the two services.
If you are doing something simple, like starting a blog or personal website, using the same company for both web hosting and for purchasing a domain can work well. When you have a simple website in your plans, you can save some money by using the same company.
If you do decide to bundle your domain registrar and web host in one provider, you should use Bluehost. It is the best service when it comes to delivering both of these services at an extremely high level, while offering both of them a great price.
Here Are Just A Few Guidelines To Help Make Your Transition A Smooth And Pleasant Experience
- You should know that as you move from Wix to BlueHost, Wix will not track the status of your transfer once itâs been initiated. The receiving domain registrar for updates on your transfer.
- If transferring to Network Solutions, let them know you are transferring your domain from Wix to BlueHost. They should provide you with a form to fill out.
- To transfer a .co.uk Wix domain away from Wix to BlueHost, you must submit a special request.
- If youre looking to transfer a domain thats expired, click here to learn what you need to do.
- If you change your contact information in admin, youll be unable to transfer your domain for sixty days.
- As soon as you click I Still Want to Transfer, well send a transfer authorization code to your domainâs registrant contact email address.
- Once you get the code, follow the instructions from your new domain provider to transfer your domain.
- It can take up to 7 days for the transfer to complete.
Read Also: How Much Is A Custom Domain On Wix
Also Check: How To Secure A Website Domain
A Domain Name Has Authority
Hosting your content on a third party blogging or social media platform can seem unprofessional, and undermine your efforts to build a business or professional identity. Since these hosted platforms are often used for personal blogs and other kinds of informal sharing, it can be harder to establish your site as a trustworthy, authoritative source in your niche. Thats where domain name registration comes in. Your own domain name can let potential customers and clients know that youre a legitimate business with long term plans.
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.
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Make Sure Its Easy To Spell And Pronounce
The days of calling your website something like Flickr are over, and thanks be to all the gods for that. No one should ever have to guess how youre spelling a word. Just use the actual spelling.
Of course, its probably also a good idea to stick to more common words when you can. If someone has to google how to spell your domain name, thats not great. Put down the dictionary and thesaurus. Keep it simple.
Avoid Special Characters
Hyphens and number characters are not really your friend. Think of it this way: if you can just say, The website is at penguinsrock.com, and people know how to get there, youve done well.
But if you have to say, Well, the site is at penguins-rock123.com, but thats with a hyphen in between penguins and rock, and the numbers
You get the idea. You shouldnt have to explain a domain name, if you can help it at all.
Whats This About Anyway
Just to make sure were on the same page :
When youre in the market for a website domain name, youll naturally need web hosting as well. Therefore, there are two main approaches you can take: Either get the domain name and the hosting from two separate companies, or get them both from the same company your web host.
Interestingly enough, pretty much all of the leading domain name registrars now offer web hosting services as well. This means that even if you go to a company such as GoDaddy known primarily for domain registration you can still walk out with a bundled deal of hosting and domain.
However, you can also do things the other way around. You can go to a well-known hosting company and get the same bundled package from them as well.
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Google Domains Review The Best Free Security And Privacy Features
is as powerful and easy to use as you would expect from one of the worlds most recognizable companies.
The prices for domains are very competitive, starting at $9/year, but its everything that comes with that low price that sets Google apart.
You get privacy protection for free, for all your domains, forever. Instead of putting contact information for your or your company on the WHOIS database , Google Domains will let you keep that information masked.
You also get a comprehensive selection of tools for DNS management, and you can enable DNSSEC with a single click. DNSSEC protects your domain from spoofing, cache poison attacks, and other common threats.
Google 2-Step Verification is also included with every purchase, which adds an additional layer of protection to your accounts. Even if an attacker got a hold of your password, theyd still be locked out of your account unless they got a hold of your mobile device or security key.
None of these features would be worth much if they were too hard to enable or maintain. Google Domains makes it as simple as possible.
If you have experience with Chrome, Gmail, or any Google product youre going to be fine.
The interface and navigation scheme will be very familiar. Its really easy to find your way around, even if domain management is not your forte.
Google Domains has a good selection of TLDs, more than 300 in fact. Virtually any popular TLD is available and quite a few of the newer ones as well.
How To Register Your Website’s Domain Name
When you register a domain name for your site, you make it a lot easier for people to find you, ensuring that you reap the branding and marketing benefits of having an online presence.
A domain name is the address that visitors type into their browser address bar to arrive at your website. It replaces an IP address: a random, unique string of numbers that specifies where your sites files are located. While a website domain can be an investment, you can also find one for free, especially if you purchase it with hosting.
In this post, youll learn everything you need to know about registering your websites domain name either for free or for a low cost.
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Which Domain Is The Best For My Website
Finding an available domain name is only one part of choosing the perfect domain. Before performing a domain name search and registration, follow these best practices:
Length. Keep it short two to three words is ideal.
Simple. Dont use long or hard-to-spell words.
Keywords. Include a keyword from your industry. For example, if you sell soya beans in Dallas, try dallassoyabeans.com.
Avoid numbers. Numbers are hard to recall and make domains more complex.
Brand name. Include your brand name for maximum awareness.
Choose From The List Available
Once youve typed in the domain name you want, the system will do a search and see if it is available. Irrespective of whether its available or not, you will often be shown a list of the same domain name with various other extension you might want instead.
If none of these options appeal to you, then go back to step 1 and repeat the process until you find one that youre happy with and is available. Some sites allow you to search for more than one domain name at a time.
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How To Initiate An Authorization Code Transfer
Once you have completed the Domain Transfer Purchase, your domain will be available immediately in your GoDaddy account. To confirm that the domain transferred, follow these steps:
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Copying Your Wix Site Over To Godaddy
To add content to your website, hover your mouse between the content sections until you see a plus-sign icon. Thats what you need to click to add more content blocks.
Next, you choose the type of content block you need. The layout for the template I chose already had the main text-on-a-picture block I wanted, so I just added some text-and-image columns and a newsletter form below that, plus some more text at the bottom for my disclaimer.
From there, adding in the content from your old website is simple. If you see a spot with text in it, you can just copy and paste your text directly in there. You can also paste in content and change some content-block settings in the sidebar on the right.
When you click on a block or section of content, youll see a green menu bar on top. You can click on the different menu options to move blocks of content around, or delete them if you want to.
Now for the images. You cant just copy and paste them from your Wix site like you can with text, so I hope you set up that folder full of images I mentioned earlier.
To replace the templates stock images with your own images, start by clicking on the image you want to change. In the sidebar on the right, click the link that says Change image.
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