.Com Registration 101: What You Need to Know
One of the first steps that you need to take once you establish your Company is to build a website that's going to perfectly depict your brand and all the products and services that it provides.
As soon as that is finished, it's time to move on to another, equally important step and that is to register your Domain name. Without it, your site becomes completely pointless. On the other hand, if you choose an original name, it's going to reflect your Business the right way.
That's why you need to carefully think things through if you want to make a well-informed decision, because, after all, you do not register it all the time, right? If you could use some advice as far as this is concerned, then just scroll below!
Start By Choosing A Domain Name
So what does a domain name represent? Namely, it is the name of your website that's actually part of the URL that you see before the “.com”. As previously concluded, when selecting a domain name, you need to be very cautious and opt for something that's unique and is going to stand out from the rest.
Besides that, use a name that isn't too long, and that, at the same time, aligns with your brand and its goals. Every marketing guru will tell you that it has to be the name that will easily grab people's attention.
Now, does this mean that it's an easy endeavor? Unfortunately, not always. That's because it can be pretty demanding to hunt down a name that isn't already taken, yet that's going to be capable of representing your company and its brand efficiently.
If this name has been used too many times, then it's better to choose something else. But how will you know this? There are numerous domain registers, such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, and many others that allow you to do so.
Just bear in mind that even if a particular name is available, you may need to spend a substantial amount of money (at times, even thousands of dollars) in order to obtain it. If you have the means, then go for it.
On the flip side, if you are currently tight on the budget, then you should surely consider more highest-quality options, like .org or .com extensions. These are either free of charge or are very cost-effective.
In some instances, the domain name registrar is going to suggest a couple of domain names that are at your disposal, that are similar to the ones you selected, but it's up to you to decide if you'll accept them or not.
Time To Pick The Registrar
Now, that you're done with the first step, it's time to move on to the second one. Everybody aspires to have an easy domain registration, but that's not the case with every registrar. It all depends on the one you selected.
You may think that the cheapest ones are the best solution, but sadly, although they are great in terms of price, we must warn you that they lack other important things, like protection, and privacy.
If you couldn't care less about these things, then feel free to pick them, however, if you consider them to be one of your priorities, then you must select the ones that aren't low-cost. Some people decide to go for the same company that's going to register their domain name, and simultaneously, host their website.
There are a lot of options as far as this is concerned, like GoDaddy, A2 Hosting, and many others. On the other hand, you can also opt for web hosting services that provide domain registration too.
The most popular ones when it comes to this are HostGator and DreamHost. Now, before you make any final decision as far as this is concerned, it would be advisable to first go through the fine print just to check for how long your domain name registration is going to last.
In some instances, it may last for up to three years, and then you are obligated to pay for some extra fees. If you want to avoid them, then you mustn't overlook it. Another thing that's worth mentioning is the fact that not every web hosting company allows you to register a domain name.
If that's the case with the one you opted for, then you will need to obtain and register your domain name with a different company and choose another one for hosting services.
What Is The Price Of Domain Registration?
You cannot get a single answer to this question, because the prices may vary depending on the registrar you choose. There are places where you'll only need to pay for like one bucks, such as Scrooge McDuck.
Of course, this also depends on the suffix and the domain name you select. On the other hand, if you would like to have a suffix that's very popular, then you need to be prepared to open your wallet and spend a substantial amount of cash.
Why is it so expensive? Well, that's because it's highly likely somebody has already taken it. Speaking of this, are you ready to be blown away by the next fact? In case you didn't know, Carinsurance.com sold its domain name for almost fifty million dollars.
How unbelievable, yet sensational is that? The point is that you can never tell how much you'll need to pay for it. One thing that we would like to warn you about is that just like everywhere else, you'll run into people who will try to trick you, in other words, to take as much money as possible.
There'll be places where they'll ask you to spend at least $500 if you want to properly register your domain name.
How To Pick A Good Domain Name?
As stated above, choosing a perfect domain, the one that's going to perfectly represent your company isn't definitely as simple as some of you may think. You need to pick a name that will immediately be recognizable and instantly remembered.
If you've never done it before, then you may find this whole process a bit overwhelming but don't worry. Below we will give you some awesome tips that may serve as guidance on this journey. They include the following:
- Think about your location – For example, if you blasted off your company in the United States, then you should choose extensions that are intended for this country, such as us. On the other hand, if it's situated in the UK, then you should opt for .co.uk extension. By doing so, you'll reach your target audience much faster and more effectively, and, at the same time, boost the Search engine optimization in the country you reside in.
- What is your area of expertise? – In these types of situations, you also need to carefully think things through because what you choose is going to influence the very first thought consumers have when they see your website. For example, those who are professional photographers, normally select extensions that end with. photography. That's because they want people to immediately think of professional photography as soon as they lay their eyes on their website. On the flip side, those who work as educators, normally utilize extensions that end with .edu. In other words, you need to pick the extension that will communicate your company's nature right off the bat.
- Don't forget the availability – It's safe to say that the .com domain ending has been one of the most popular ones (if not the most popular one) for many years and even decades, however, in the meantime, new ones have flooded the world, which means that these days, you can stumble upon a variety of interesting ones that you can use for your website, just make sure they are available too.
- It's supposed to be easy to pronounce and spell – Since you'll be sharing your domain name with others, it would be amazing if you opted for something that you can easily pronounce and spell because that's important not only for you but for the existing and future consumers as well. You do not want to create something that sounds too confusing to pronounce because if that's the case, hardly anyone is going to remember it.
- Keep it short and simple – There's a misconception among people that only if you choose something that's long and complex, that you'll have an authentic domain name. Well, in these instances, you couldn't be farther from the truth. In fact, it's much better to opt for something that's short and simple because people will memorize it much faster because it's catchy, plus, you'll decrease the chances of accidentally misspelling it which happens quite a lot when a domain name is very long and complicated. If you ask us, this should definitely be one of your top priorities when it comes to this.
Registering a domain name isn't as complicated and difficult as you may think, however, it doesn't change the fact that you still need to consider some things if you want to do it the right way.