Buy a Domain Name
"I want to create my own website, but I don't know where to start. Where can I buy my own .COM domain name, and how much does it cost?"
How Do I Register A Domain Name?
When you own a home, it's yours. It's your castle where you rule as the unchallenged king or queen. On the Internet, your home is literally your domain. And fortunately, unlike a home with a roof, an online domain is not expensive - typically under $10 a year.
You don't actually buy anything physical when you buy a domain. You buy the right to use a domain name for a period of time, one year or more. A domain name is your address on the Internet, i.e., askbobrankin.com. You buy a domain name from a domain name registry, an outfit that registers domain names with the Domain Name Service that route traffic across the entire Internet. There are many domain name registrars.
The oldest and best known registrar for the most popular types of domain names - .COM, .NET, .ORG - is Network Solutions LLC. But I recommend that you DON'T use Network Solutions to buy a domain name. First, Network Solutions charges more than other registrars for no good reason, and their domain management interface is not as friendly as other registrars. Go elsewhere to see if the domain name you want is available.
Selecting and Registering Your Domain Name
Other popular registrars include GoDaddy and SimpleURL. You can register a domain name for as little as $6.95 per year, and discounts are available for registrations of more than one year. It's advisable to register your domain name for two years or more because Google search looks favorably upon longer-term registrations; your domain will show up in Google search results sooner.
Choose a domain name carefully. It should be as short as possible and unambiguous in its spelling, so that people will remember it easily and accurately. Recite potential domain names aloud to friends. If someone says, "What's that again?" or "How do you spell it?" then try again. Also, avoid hyphens in your domain name, even though they are allowed, because people are likely to omit the hyphen and wind up at some other site.
Bust a Name is a tool to help you find available domain names. Just enter a few keywords and Bust a Name will combine them in interesting ways to show you which are available. You can also use SuperWHOIS to find out who currently owns a domain name. If you just gotta have it, it might be worthwhile to contact the domain owner and make an offer. If you do buy an existing domain name, I recommend using a domain escrow service such as Escrow to make sure the transfer is hassle free.
Most of the obvious domain names are already registered. Be prepared to check the availability of many names and to compromise a bit before finding one that's available. But if at all possible, stick to the most popular top-level domain, .COM. People expect a domain name to end in .COM. If you register your name in any other top-level domain (see below) they may remember it but tack on ".COM" automatically - and then they won't find your domain.
Other Top-Level Domains
The .ORG top-level domain was was originally meant for non-profit or non-commercial organizations , and .NET for Internet service providers and network infrastructure companies. But these rules have never been enforced, and anyone can register a .NET or .ORG domain name.
Other TLD's such as .BIZ, .INFO, .NAME and .WS are also available to anyone who wants them, but they are generally considered to be "poor cousins" of the .COM family, are confusing to many Internet users, and tend to have low quality content. I consider them a failed attempt to expand the domain name space, and do not recommend them to anyone.
The .EDU top-level domains are reserved for educational institutions, .GOV for government agencies, and .MIL for the US military. These rules are actually enforced, so don't try to register one unless you really qualify.
Hosting: The Next Step
Once you register a domain name, you've taken only the first step to creating an actual working website. The next step is to find a host for your domain. A host is a physical server, a computer connected to the Internet. It's where you store the data and software that is used to run a Web site, email service, and everything else that your domain is about.
Typically, the same people who register your domain name can provide hosting service, too. But you don't have to host your domain with the same people who register its name. Popular hosting companies include Westhost, BlueHost, and HostGator. Most people use a "shared hosting" package that costs under $10/month, where your website is hosted on the same server as many others. I use Rackspace to host AskBobRankin.com, because they offer dedicated servers that are better suited to high-volume sites, and world-class customer service.
Do you have something to say about buying a domain name? Post your comment or question below...
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Posted by Bob Rankin on December 14, 2009 10:54 PM
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Article information: AskBobRankin -- Buy a Domain Name (Posted: December 14, 2009 10:54 PM)
Source: http://askbobrankin.com/buy_a_domain_name.html
Copyright © 2005 - Bob Rankin - All Rights Reserved
Most recent comments on "Buy a Domain Name"
Posted by:
Brad Phillips
15 Dec 2009
Good post! Buying a domain name from a good registrar is vital. In my case, I bought it from LimeDomains.
Posted by:
Joe M
15 Dec 2009
Good article, Bob. I've reserved names via Yahoo and Godaddy. Yahoo was easier than navigating Godaddy, and Godaddy likes to spam the heck out of you with offers to register new domain names.
While it's not worth it if you're only looking to have one domain name, it is worth mentioning that you can use "freebie domain names" (host names on freebie domain names, actually). My personal favorite is dyndns.com. They allow up to 5 names for free. I use so many (currently 29) that I purchased the service. For example, I create a host name for each of the teams I coach for parents to have access to info. I also create and host sites for my friends on my server.
Another benefit is that I can create a dynamic host name for my netgear home router that works with dyndns.org and I can set up a "webhot" that points to the port it listens to (like 2222, 8080, etc) without having to remember which port I put it on.
OK, that goes way beyond the scope of your article, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
Posted by:
Harry Skelton
15 Dec 2009
How about places where you can get a domain with a non-US top domain? Such as lewes.de or heyimon.tv?
What other unique top level domains are available and how do we get hold of obtaining a domain with them?
Posted by:
Digital Artist
16 Dec 2009
I paid Yahoo web hosting for a website, about twelve bucks a month. Yahoo provided the domain name. I chose one, they said it was not available and suggested some alternatives. I wanted a dot ORG, and got a good one for my purposes, but other than paying Yahoo for the site hosting, I never paid for the domain name. I kept the site for about four years and even though I got occasional emails from domain registry companies, I assumed that Yahoo had already taken care of whatever was necessary as part of the web hosting service.
Posted by:
Shashi Bellamkonda
16 Dec 2009
Hi Bob, I work for Network Solutions. Network Solutions delivers a quality of service that far supersedes some of their competitors’. We want our customers to make the best decision when it comes to selecting their domain registrar and our goal is to deliver a quality of service that well justifies the price that they pay. Your feedback is valuable to us and I will be communicating this to the right team at Network Solutions.
EDITOR'S NOTE: You can say what you like about your "quality of service" but clearly the marketplace is speaking louder. Even though NetSol started out for many years with a monopoly on the domain registrar business, they now lag behind GoDaddy, eNom and Tucows in terms of market share. Consumers compare price, service and quality, then make the best choice for them.
Posted by:
JoeM
16 Dec 2009
Reply to Harry Skelton: godaddy does offer .de and .tv (among dozens of other) tld options.
Posted by:
JohnK
18 Dec 2009
How about .ca? Can we get that outside of Canada?
Posted by:
Rez
18 Dec 2009
I used GoDaddy as my domain registrar for several years but I'm sick of their bloated website that takes forever to do anything and constantly assaults you with advertising. I am in the process of moving all my domains to 1&1, which has a much more efficient control panel, and never tries to sell you anything extra. I also use 1&1 for hosting (and have done so for 6 years now) -- presently just $7/month for 150 GIGS of space and unlimited traffic, and this is not their cheapest package. http://www.1and1.com/?k_id=6761404 for those interested.
Posted by:
himagain
18 Dec 2009
WARNING! Some of the biggest Domain Registrars actually specialise in stealing names.
Their trick is to have you check and see if a domain name is available.
They - under the mexican bandit rules of the Internet - can and will register your name under an absurd procedure called "tasting" and then offer your choice back to you at an often absurd price hike.
One of the few safer ones to register with - (been tested deliberately - is http://1and1.com
No, I don't act for them - just use them!
P.S. THey are also the cheapest out there who also throw in a name privacy service that others charge up to ten bucks a year for!
Posted by:
Chris F.
18 Dec 2009
One very important thing to remember is to keep your contact information up to date with your registrar. I spent some unhappy months as a customer support rep for Network Solutions (a very unpleasant outfit to work for, but that's another story), and a day didn't go by when somebody would call after losing their domain name to someone else because they never got the renewal notice. Why? Because they moved AND changed their email address and/or phone number.