Negotiate A Price That Works For Both Of You
When you get in contact, negotiate a fair price. Look up the domains history on the Wayback Machine and check out the domains Domain Authority to get a sense of its value. You can use tools such as Moz or Ahrefs to get this number.
Once you settle on a price, use Escrow to facilitate payment. Do not use your personal PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle account.
Cost To Buy A Domain Name
While you can get a domain for free, you may want to purchase one instead. A free domain will contain a designated prefix of the registrar, which is best if youre establishing an online presence or only temporarily need a website.
If you want your website to professionally stand out and grow with your brand, however, then invest in a domain name.
With Wix, the cost of a domain name depends on several factors, including:
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The plan you purchase
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Local currency
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Local VAT laws
However, all Wix premium plans come with a domain for one year, which cost between $14 and $39 a month. After a year, you can renew your domain for anywhere between $13.95 and $15.95 a year.
You can also purchase a domain that already exists from another person or business. This is why having a desirable domain name can be good for your bottom line if you ever want to sell it, you can make significant money. For example, in 2001 hotels.com was sold for $11 million. In a 2012 interview with BBC Today, hotels.com CEO, David Roche explained that at the time, this was considered a crazy sum of money. He then added, Now we look back and think, what a bargain.
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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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Find A Domain Name Your Customers Will Remember
A strong domain name is important for any size business, at any stage of development. It will entice consumers with a snappy slogan or unique title, it should promote a sense of professionalism and satisfaction, and it should separate your business from others in your industry. Think of it like youre deciding on a company logo, because the two should go hand-in-hand. Your domain name must be a reflection of your brand, simple, and memorable.
Renew The Domain Name
Whether you purchased the domain through a registrar or purchased it from another person, you will eventually need to renew your domain. When you renew it will depend on the terms of your subscription: whether its monthly, annual, biannual, or triennial.
Renewing your domain name is critical to ensure 99% uptime and prevent any user experience hiccups. If youre afraid of missing the renewal date, dont fear most registrars will email you to notify you of the upcoming renewal.
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Build Your Business By Registering Your Domain
After weighing the benefits and drawbacks of free or paid domains, you should get started on your search for the perfect domain name. Domain names can go quickly and there’s a little more competition than Symbolics had in 1985 so it is important to register the one you want before it is too late.
Registering a domain name is quick and easy, but it does take some time to brainstorm the right name, select the optimal suffix, and find the right domain registrar for you. As such, there’s no better time than now to get started on registering your domain name.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in February 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
Originally published Jun 20, 2022 7:00:00 AM, updated August 03 2022
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Make It Easy To Type And Pronounce
If you have a slightly unconventional name, or know someone who does, youre probably well aware of how easy it is for people to misspell or forget them all together. Tony Stank, anyone? Because of this, its crucial to come up with a name that is easy to type and pronounce.
As you start brainstorming domain name ideas, you want to avoid words that are frequently mispronounced or that require a double take before typing . Additionally, you should also refrain from abbreviations and words that can be spelled in numerous ways, for example writing 4 instead of four or having users wondering whether its ok or okay.
Once you feel satisfied with the ideas youve come up with, its time to put them to test. Run your preferred choices by a few friends to see if they can get it on their first try, and check with them a few hours or days later to see if they remember it. If they struggle, go for a different choice.
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Choose The Correct Tld
Which TLD is best for your domain? Several will no doubt apply to your brand. Here are some things to help narrow down your choices.
Global vs. Country-Specific
If you have a global audience, then a .com is more appropriate than a country-specific TLD. If you choose .ie because you are based in Ireland, many searchers will think your services are only available in the in Ireland.
On the other hand, if your goal is to target a specific, geographic demographic, then a country-specific TLD is an excellent way to signal to your audience.
Google doesnt give any priority to keywords within a TLD, so your choice neednt be based on SEO algorithms.
Industry-Specific
Alternately, you can go for an industry-specific TLD as well. If you are an IT solutions company, for instance, you can select a .net TLD. If you operate a nonprofit, then .org clearly identifies that.
Does Anyone Else Have Your Name with a Different TLD?
Run a search to see if another company has your domain name with a different TLD. The domain name you want may be available. Though, youll run into search result problems if another company owns the same with one, save for a different TLD.
The ideal situation is to have a totally unique domain name. In that vein, you may want to buy all the domain names with the relevant TLDs. That way, competitor companies wont be able to acquire them.
You can publish a redirect from the other domains to lead visitors to your main URL.
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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Domain Names Allow Us To Distinguish Sites
The number of worldwide websites exceeds one billion, and that number is growing by the second. Domain names allow humans to distinguish one site from another instead of having to use the long unique string of numbers known as an internet protocol address. Domain names are made up of the domain extension , the second-level domain , and a host name . Together, these details make up a uniform resource locator .
Use The Right Domain Name Extensions
When you choose your domain name extension, you can be sure of one thing: .com is still the best.
According to research from Domain Name Stat, 37% of all domains have the .com extension.
Why? Well, .com is the most familiar and easiest to remember.
While there are many successful websites with a .net and .org, your website will probably do better if it has a .com extension. Its the safest bet.
Our advice: Go with .com. If thats taken, try .net or .org. If these are taken too, youd be better off brainstorming a new domain name. And oh! Avoid those weird extensions like .club, .space, .pizza and so on.
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How Do I Get A Free Email Using My Domain Name
Many hosting plans offer a free domain and at least one free email account with a matching email address . Bluehost offers the best value, including five free business email addresses within its ultra-low-cost plan for just $2.95 per month. It also comes with many other money-saving extras, such as a free domain name and a free SSL certification.
What Is The Domain Name System
The Domain Name System is a technical process by which domain names are translated into their corresponding Internet Protocol addresses .
As we mentioned previously, every website has a unique, complex string of numbers and letters known as an IP address that computers use to render a web address to an end user.
While humans use words, letters and numbers to navigate to a specific website, the internet uses IP addresses to identify the web pages location.
When you type in the domain name or URL that you want to visit, the DNS works behind the scenes to find the sites correct IP address, and then it connects you to the website.
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What Should You Know About Copyright And Trademark Issues With Domain Names
You always want to be 100% sure that youre not registering a domain name that has already been trademarked by someone else.
The same goes for any domain names you might buy for niche sites. For example, if youre planning to write reviews of a certain brands golf clubs, you should never buy a domain name that is xyzbrandgolfclubreviews.com without express permission from that brand. When in doubt, seek legal advice.
Be Selective With Keywords
While keywords are important for SEO, you dont need a domain name laden with keywords. A creative brand name/domain with fewer keywords in it is the better choice.
For example, if you were building a business that serves as a guide for finding the best nightclubs in Chicago, you may want to choose a domain called chicagogrooves.com over chicagonightclubguide.com.
This way, you have one important keyword included in the domain. Though, it also avoids spammy SEO. It creates a memorable domain name with branding in mind.
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How To Choose A Domain Name For Your Business In 6 Steps
REVIEWED BY:Elizabeth Kraus
Elizabeth Kraus has more than a decade of first-hand experience building and growing a boutique digital marketing agency and double that in small and mid-size business marketing management. She provides expert answers to questions related to branding, content marketing, web development, email, social media, and SEO.
Jocelyn Dimaculangan has spent 14+ years in the online publishing industry while studying digital marketing and SEO trends. As a staff writer for Fit Small Business, she shares her expertise by creating articles that tackle the latest trends in .
This article is part of a larger series on Small Business Websites.
The best domain names are short, memorable, on-brand, and can even boost your rankings in online search. To choose a domain name, first try using your business name. If that isnt possible, create a list of alternatives, incorporate keywords, choose the right domain extension, research the domains history, and finally, register your domain.
Domain Names Can Communicate Expectations
Sometimes you cant find a great branded domain name or your market is too competitive to earn business through brand recognition. In these cases, you can strategically use your domain name to set consumer expectations and increase click-through rates.
For instance, if you operate a lawn care service in a large city like Tampa, you might find it difficult to grow a brand identity due to the amount of competition. Rather than choosing a branded domain name that few people would recognize, you might get more value by picking a domain name like TampaLawnCare.com.
While you cant trademark the name because it is a general term, it does help you clearly set expectations to your website visitors. Moreover, choosing targeted keywords in your market or industry can help you improve your local SEO.
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Make It Easy For Customers To Find You
People have short memoriesthey aren’t going to remember a long web address. Try telling someone your company’s website is at yourbusiness.wix.com and you might have to explain that, yes, there’s a dot in the middle and, yes, Wix is spelled W-I-X. It’s an extra step you’ll have to take every time someone asks what your website is. Not to mention it’s not as pretty on a business card.
Buy a domain name, though, and you don’t have this problem. You can just tell people to head to yourbusiness.com, and you’re done. That alone is worth so much more than $15 a year.
Of course, buying a domain isn’t all you need to have a website the domain name is just the address. You’ll also need to buy so that your website can live on a computer somewhere, and a web host will end up costing you upwards of $100 a year. But here’s the catch: not everyone who runs a business has a website. You might only have a Facebook Page or Google Maps listing. Even if that’s the case, you should still get a domain name.
In the short term, this gives people an easy way to find your profile on those services. You can also use the domain name for a future website, if you think you might build one later. Domains are cheap, and redirects are easy to set up. Just buy the domain name, then look for the “Forward” option offered by your domain name service.
Technical Requirements And Process
In the process of registering a domain name and maintaining authority over the new name space created, registrars use several key pieces of information connected with a domain:
A domain name consists of one or more labels, each of which is formed from the set of ASCII letters, digits, and hyphens , but not starting or ending with a hyphen. The labels are case-insensitive for example, ‘label’ is equivalent to ‘Label’ or ‘LABEL’. In the textual representation of a domain name, the labels are separated by a full stop .
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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.
Length Of Domain Name
It is always better to have a domain name that is short and easy to remember. Ideally, the length should be between 6-10 letters, with 8 being the sweet spot. Simple, concise, and typeable should be the rule over longer, more descriptive names.
The longer the domain, the more opportunity there is for a misspelling when typing. Also, when combining words in a domain, beware of letters that dont normally link together or are confusing, like expertsexchange.com for the site Experts Exchange. Not ideal.
Avoid using hyphens and numbers as they can complicate and frustrate users. Always remember: simple is best.
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How Long Does A Domain Name Registration Last
Domain name registration typically lasts from one to 10 years. Be sure to note the expiration date and renew the name before then. Any good service provider will start sending notices of pending expiration months in advance, so pay attention.
Exactly what happens after a domain name expires varies by country. Some include a grace period, but be sure to check before you buy. With some registries, there is a penalty if you go past the expiry date, and it can get quite expensive once you get into what is known as the redemption period.
If you pass this point, the domain can be made available on a first-come-first-serve basis, so there is no guarantee that you will get your domain name back. The bottom line is to keep an eye on your domain expiration dates and set them to auto-renew if possible.
What Does It Cost To Purchase A Domain Name
Domain names can range from free though always with an asterisk related to later costs to tens of dollars to millions of dollars. There are many factors that will determine how much it costs to register a domain name, including the following:
Read more:How much does it cost to start an online business?
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