Importance of Having a Domain Name
There are several reason for you to have your own domain name:
- A domain name is easy to remember.
- A domain implies trust in your customers.
- Company with a domain name will likely be preferred over a company without a domain name!
- A domain is ranked higher in search engines than a sub-domain or any other webpage.
- Advertisers / sponsors prefer a domain as a good domain often commands respect.
Points of Interest & Tips
- A domain once gone is gone forever.
- If you come across an interesting domain name, buy it quickly. I’ve lost around 2 domains as I was busy thinking whether to buy them or not.
- A good domain can make you a millionaire instantly.
- Look out for $1 domain deals.
- Register domain with a domain registrar than with your web host.
Register a Domain Name
How to Register a Domain Name:1. Find a domain name
Think, think, think - Finding an available domain name is tough, but not impossible! Turn on your thinking cap and I am sure about you being able to think of an out of the box domain name!Consider using a domain name generator - Don’t try this until you’ve completed the first step. This is for those lazy humans who want things to happen automatically, who want to get domain name suggestions automatically. Here’s a big list of some of the best domain name generators.
Professionals to your rescue - If nothing works for you, consider hiring a professional who can suggest you some domain names of course for a price! There are some services like Picky Domains which offer risk-free professional naming services.
Shortlist a few domain names, if possible save all the names in a text file.
2. Check if the domain is available
After shortlisting some domain names, its now time to check if they are available. While all domain registrars allow you to check for available domains, it’s a better idea to use some services like Instant Domain Search or Ajax Whois 2.0 which allow you to search for available domain names instantly.3. Keep your credit card ready
To buy a domain name from any registrar you will need a credit card or at least a PayPal account. Some domain registrars also accept payment via check, internet bank transfer, money order, demand draft, etc. but that would unnecessarily delay the registration process as those payment methods often require a lot of time to be completely processed. A better idea would be to get a credit card or a debit card.4. Go to your favorite domain registrars website and register a domain
There are hundreds of domain registrars and thus you have a lot of choices. Some popular domain registrars are - GoDaddy, Enom, TuCows, NetworkSolutions, Schlund + Partner, Register.com, Moniker, ResellerClub, Dotster, etc.You can register a domain name directly from the above domain registrar’s website or buy a domain from any registrar-approved reseller.
My favorite domain registration services / registrars are GoDaddy, Internetbs.net and NetFirms.
GoDaddy: GoDaddy launches a $1 domain promo every now and then. If you are lucky, you’d be able to register a domain name for just $1! GoDaddy is so far the most preferred domain registrar not because of the discount they offer but because of their wide range of domain related services which are easy to merge with any account.
Internetbs.net: I’ve had an amazing domain management experience with Internetbs.net. Their domains are decently priced and they also give free privacy protection worth $10 with every domain for life till the domain is registered with them.
NetFirms: Another amazing domain registration service! NetFirms has always been in spotlight for its amazing offers like the $1 / year hosting, $5 per domain for unlimited registrations and more. The domain renewal price is slightly higher than the registration price, but just Google for a coupon and you’d be able to save a lot of money!
Register.com: Though a domain costs $30+ at Register.com, it’s still used by many. With a suitable coupon, you’d be able to register a domain for just $10. Country-specific domains are on sale too, but their prices are different. They usually cost a few dollars higher than .coms.
Registrar-specific domain registration procedures coming soon!
5. Rent a server / Buy web hosting
Once you’ve bought a domain name, its now time to make your website go live. For that you’d need to rent some space online. And that’s why you have to buy web hosting. There are several web hosts and for a newbie, it really becomes tough to select the best web host. Let me make that easy for you. Out of the several web hosts I’ve tried, Hostgator and KnownHost are my favorites.They may cost a few dollars more than other web hosts you might come across, but believe me they are the best for the high quality services they offer.
6. Configure your name servers
After you’ve rented a server, you’d need to add your domain to your hosting account and then point your domain to your host’s nameservers. Most web hosts send you the nameservers through email after your account has been created, in case you didn’t get your nameservers, contact your web host for the same. Now go to your domain registrar, open the domain management panel and point the domain to your web host’s nameservers.7. or alternatively park it
If you don’t your website to go live now, you can park it. By default your domain is already parked if you don’t set up the nameservers, but in case it’s nor parked by default, contact your domain registrar and their support staff would happily park your domain for you free of cost! You can easily monetize your domain by parking it with Google Adsense.This is how you can register a domain name quickly. In the days to come, we’d share some tips to monetize your website and we’d also keep you updated with the latest coupons.
No comments:
Post a Comment