Monday, March 25, 2024

Why Pay For Domain Name

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To Send Users To The Same Website As A Primary Domain

Why You’ll Be Paying More for .COM Domain Names Starting in 2021

As mentioned, a parked domain can serve as a secondary domain for another primary domain. This parked domain points to the same IP address as the primary domain, and serves the same website as the primary domain.

Its common for companies to purchase multiple parked domains with similar names to their primary domain for example, a website with the primary domain product.com might also register other domains like:

  • getproduct.com
  • product.co

These domains are then set as aliases for product.com.

This tactic directs those who misremember or mistyped the primary domain to the correct website. Its also useful for marketing campaigns an alias like the getproduct.com domain can be a clever promotional tool.

Lastly, reserving aliases protects against cybersquatting. Cybersquatting is the practice of purchasing domains that are variants of a business primary domain name, then attempting to sell them back to the business. This may damage brand credibility, as cybersquatters can do whatever they want with this domain until your buy it back. Purchasing several related domains at once and connecting them to your site reduces the chances of this happening to you.

How Do You Buy Premium Domain Names

If youre thinking of possible premium keywords, theres a strong possibility that they might be available on new domain extensions such as .tech, .store, .site, .online, .space, .fun, .press, etc.

Related: Domain extensions guide What you need to know before you pick a domain name

While the registry reserves some of the top-tier names on the new domain extensions that it operates, most of them are still available. If youre keen on exploring or buying a few, check them out on GoDaddys domain search.

Go ahead, give it a try:

A premium domain name might be just what your business needs to get to the next level.

Your Domain Name Should Be Optimized For Search Engines

A keyword in the domain name wont give you a huge advantage over your competitors in terms of search rankings.

However, it can give you a slight edge, which is nothing to scoff at given how crazy the competition to appear on the is.

That being said, it is not necessary, so if you cant find a way to incorporate a keyword in your domain name then dont push it.

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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.

Types Of Domain Names

Why do we have to pay for Domain name?

A domain name is usually broken up into two or more parts, each of which is separated by a dot, such as techradar.com. The section to the right of the last dot in the domain name is the top-level domain . These are usually one of the generic TLDs such as .com, .net, and .org.

Then there are ccTLDs, which are country code top level domains such as .uk and .in. Theyre meant to be used to identify sites meant for specific regions, such as bbc.co.uk or abc.net.au.

Unlike gTLD, many TLDs are intended for a specific use case. For instance, .edu is meant specifically for educational institutions, while .gov can only be used by Government agencies. You can view a list of all valid TLDs here.

Also Check: How Much Should A Domain Name Cost Per Year

Your Domain Name Shouldnt Break Any Legal Terms

There was a time when the Internet was the Wild West.

Those days are long gone. Now its full of corporations with deep pockets that will sue you into bankruptcy if you even look at them the wrong way. Thats why its important to be careful.

Imagine this. You come up with a great name. You register it. You launch your website. And then, just as your business starts gaining momentum, you are hit with a cease and desist letter.

What the ?? is your first thought.

But then, as you decipher the legalese, you realize that apparently your domain name is trademarked, which means that you are in a world of trouble.

You can avoid this by doing due diligence.

For example, you can check US trademarks on the United States Patent and Trademark Offices website.

Alternatively, you can check for the trademarks for whatever country you want to operate in through the local equivalent of the USPTO.

And, of course, Google can help you as well, because if nothing comes up on it, then you probably dont need to worry.

Now, unfortunately, if you came up with a cool name, the chances are that you are not the first person to do so, which means that you might end up having to go back to the drawing board.

However, keep in mind that finding yourself back at square one is much better than getting hit with a lawsuit, so dont cut corners here.

Why Should I Own One

As I learned first-hand, having a custom domain gives you an instant credibility boost. It doesnt matter whether youre using a personal site to help you land a job, increase your visibility in your field or industry, find freelance gigs, showcase your work, or promote your brand: The more credibility you have, the better.

Plus, custom domains are usually far easier to remember than generic ones. Imagine you told someone you met at a networking event to check out your site, janedoeportfolio.squarespace.com. Hell probably forget the link by the time he gets in front of his laptop. However, janedoe.bio will be a cinch to remember. These names also look much more sleek when you put them on business cards, in the header of your resume, or anywhere else you might be directing people to learn more about you.

A domain that incorporates your name also helps others find you in search results. When someone enters your first and last name into Google, theyre much more likely to see your website if its domain matches their search. When you search Aja Frost, for example, my site is the first thing that comes up:

This gives you the chance to really own the conversation around your personal brand, making sure people see what you want them to see first.

Also Check: How To Sell Your Domain Name

To Protect A Valuable Domain Name

A fitting domain name is a rare and valuable asset. Unfortunately, anyone whos tried to secure one for their website has likely found that their top choice has already been purchased, and that their only hope of getting it requires spending hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

For this reason, many people will buy a domain early on in the process of starting a new business, even before theyve started building their website, to take the domain off the market. Given the importance of a good domain name, its worth the cost of holding the parked domain until your website is ready to launch.

How Do I Buy A Domain

Why Do You Need a Domain Name And a Hosting Plan?

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!

Also Check: How Do You Transfer Ownership Of A Domain Name

Why Would Anyone Pay Thousands For A Domain Name

Its not cliche to say that today every dollar counts. Times are tight for some, times are very tight and business owners across the country are looking at every dollar they spend to make sure they are getting the return they need from the money they invest.

So why then, in times such as these, would anyone be willing to pay thousands of dollars for a simple domain name? The answer is easy: because those simple domains can make a difference.

THE AGE OF THE PREMIUM DOMAIN

A premium domain is a domain that has been registered previously and is back on the market for resale .

You see, today there are about 76 million dot com names registered worldwide. That means the chances of finding a very intrinsic dot com are slim. These names were snapped up years ago but now, these early domain registrants are increasingly willing to part with their prized domain names for the right price. Some of these sales live in infamy but the average premium domain price tag ranges from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.

SO WHAT CAN A PREMIUM DOMAIN NAME DO FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

About 80% of US adults are online. Thats an audience size thats hard to reach through traditional offline marketing.

Whats more, the brand you build online can keep working for you long after your most recent flyer has been discarded.

At a time when every dollar counts, a premium domain might just be the best way to put your marketing dollars to work for you.

Why Do You Need A Domain Name

Whether you have a one-page website or an online empire your domain name will help people find you. And choosing it carefully could hugely increase your web traffic!

If you want to create a website most web hosting sites will provide you with a free temporary domain name. This will often contain the name of the host site. But you can usually alter this at a price to make it specific to your company.

Having a specific domain name makes your website easier to find. This is a great way to increase traffic to your website and promote its content.

Having your own domain name also protects your website. This means no one else can use your domain name. So anyone looking you up will find you rather than someone pretending to be you!

Picking the right domain name could also help increase traffic to your website. This is why a lot of generic domain names that already exist are worth thousands of euros!

Don’t Miss: How Much Should A Domain Name Cost Per Year

What Should You Look For In A Domain Registrar

We discussed this in-depth in our How to Select the Best Domain Registrar article.

Here are the most important things that you should look for:

  • Low pricing. You dont want to spend more money than you have to. Fortunately, the competition in this industry is fierce, so all major companies offer affordable pricing.
  • Free WHOIS protection. People can look up the details of any domain name and find out who owns it. This might present privacy issues. Its best to use WHOIS protection which prevents snoopers from seeing this information.
  • Auto-renewals. If you dont renew a domain name it eventually goes back on the market. This might cause serious problems if some enterprising individual snatches your domain name and then offers to sell it back to you for a substantial amount of money. Thats why its best to go with a domain registrar that automatically renews your domain name.

Also, if a domain registrar is not transparent about their pricing, you should see that as a red flag and stay away.

Another thing to watch out for is a bad user interface. You shouldnt need a computer science Ph.D. to figure out how to do basic tasks such as parking or transferring domains.

Finally, if a domain registrar doesnt offer 24/7 customer support, it might be too risky to use their services. What if something goes wrong and you need immediate assistance? You can lose a lot of money in potential revenue if the problem isnt solved right away.

To Maintain The Service

Why Do We Have to Pay for Domain Names?

The name that you think and invented for your domain is not yours for the whole life. It is as similar as you have rented it for a specific period. You will need to specify how long you want to use that particular domain name in your contract, and once you pay for it, no one else can buy the same name. Once the period is expired, you need to renew it to use the same name further.

Read Also: How To Transfer Squarespace Domain To Shopify

Why Do They Cost Money

Purchasing domain names helps to regulate them.

It means that only one person at a time can own a domain name. And we can trace the ownership of a domain name through the purchase history.

This helps to resolve any disputes over ownership of domain names.

When you pay for a domain name subscription through a web hosting site you might also pay a premium to use the site. Their servers will store your website and domain name.

For small businesses using a web hosting site makes financial sense. You pay a monthly or annual subscription to the website for your domain name.

In exchange, they register the domain name as yours. The subscription also covers the cost of website support and basic software use.

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