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Having your own web presence is mandatory these days whether you own a business or just a blog. It is therefore important to choose a domain name for your blog or business website which can enhance your web presence incredibly.
Three years back, I too had to learn all about website making from scratch when I wanted to start my own blog. That’s when I came to know about the importance of having the right domain name for my website.
Initially, some recommended free domain providers but that did not work out for me because of certain demerits I encountered.
I have shared these demerits below in the article, for you to understand what’s best for you when it comes to creating your website with the right domain name.
So, if you are in the process of making a website, then don’t you think you must know all about domain names?
What is it to have a domain?
How is it important?
How or what must be used as a domain name and which domain name can suit you the best?
You must use the right judgment when selecting your domain name that would serve as your address over the internet.
If someone has to find out about you or your business on the internet, they would have to search with your domain name to get a brief about you.
While a lot about acquiring a domain still confuses many, here we try to simplify a few things regarding domain, domain names, and how you can choose a domain name that works best for you.
Ideally, domains are said to be either free or paid ones.
Many people may find domain registrars that offer a free service alongside premium services.
In the process of our discussion, we would also see how these free domain names are different from premium domains? But, first, we must and must know why it is so important to choose the right domain name?
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Tips to Choose a Domain Name for your Blog
Well, if you think what the heck is it with a domain name, after all, it’s nothing more than another internet address? Think twice.
Thus, if we would tell you that a domain name is a crucial choice you would make for your business, then we must also point out, that you might need to use your judgements to choose well.
- Now, a good domain name can be anything that represents you rightfully. It could be your name if you hold a distinctive position in society, or it could be your business name. For example, photographyonline.com would be a good domain name example if you are trying to sell your photographic skills or your photographs.
- The name should be something very innovative and easy to remember so that your customers can quickly identify you with it.
- It is not at all a hard and fast rule to use a .com in the end, but most people prefer a .com (as their TLD ((top-level domain)) address) and given, nowadays, .edu & .gov are not allowed for general use.
- If the above mentioned upper TLD addresses are unavailable, you can also choose from hundreds of local/regional TLDs like the ones ending with your country’s initials. Few like the residential country domain, photographyonline.us, or personal blog domain like the photographyonline.me can work well.
- Domain names interestingly nowadays, too have a secondary market like any other product. GoDaddy or Sedo are website builders where expired domain names are available for sale. They also offer access to those domains that are offered for sale by their current owners. So, follow your requirements and choose wisely.
- Evergreen domain names are not easy to obtain. It would help if you could get into your customer’s heads to know what suits them for acquiring such domains. Additionally, brand-ability, generic keywords, readability, pronunciations, and domain extension choices also matter when deciding on an evergreen domain name.
Now that we know the itsy-bitsy details around domain names, let’s find out the steps using which, you can buy a domain name. Oh! But before moving on, let understand if there is any difference between a free and a customized domain name.
Difference between Free and Custom Domain?
Usually, many website builders offer a free domain name but, instead a free domain provided by them is a free subdomain name. So, whereas your free website address would be photographonline.wix.com, your custom domain name would be photographonline.com.
Limitations of acquiring a subdomain instead of a domain are,
- A subdomain is always free and is not under your ownership.
- If you have a business wherein you are using a subdomain, customers might not want to do business with you given the impression you create on your customers who might not trust your business given you don’t even have a proper domain name.
- Additionally, whenever the website builders want, they can take away the sub-domain name from you. This way, you can lose all your customers, and eventually, you might have to rebuild again from scratch.
Though custom domain names are not free, you can yet try to get one from Website.com.
The price of a domain name depends on where you buy it from and also on the choice of your TLD.
So, a ‘. co.us’would cost more than a general ‘.com’ domain name.
Every website registrar has different offerings, and you might have to go through their websites to find out which TLD’s are free and for which you have to pay.
How to Select a Domain Name for your Blog or a Business?
If you are planning to buy a domain name for your business, check for a few things before moving into buying it further.
- Research around social media platforms for your customer’s needs well.
- Keep easy, flashy names that can be easy to remember.
- Double-check not to select a domain name that is similar to famous brands in the market.
- Avoid numbers & hyphens, use suitable keywords in your domain name whenever possible.
- Go with .com whenever possible.
- Think of a futuristic name.
- Always look for different alternatives.
Now, let us jump onto the steps that you might need to address before that favorite domain name is yours.
Here is a checklist for the steps you need to complete beforehand.
1# Pick an Approved Domain Registrar
The first thing you require for your website is a hosting registrar that acts as a domain name generator for you. The ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) registrars can offer you a suitable domain somewhere between $0.99 to $92.99.
I recommend using either GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Porkbun
2# Use Domain Availability Checker.
The domain availability checkers of domain registrar GoDaddy, Namecheap, and Porkbun can quietly come to your rescue and are some of the best in the market.
My personal favorite is InstantDomainSearch
3# Run a Domain Name Search
Finally, let’s end the puzzle. Now, punch your desired website name into the search box of your domain availability checker to find out if it is the right one for you.
You can also figure out if the domain is under any domain infringement zone (your domain name is similar to famous website names) or check for a trademark
4# Choose from Available Domain Names
You would have a list of available options to choose from right in front of you!
Pick one you like among the ones suggested or move on, conduct another search to find out the right one.
5# Registration Process
Once you locate a particular name, ‘Add it to Cart,’ and if you are not planning any further variations, you can checkout and complete the transaction process.
6# Finish Domain Registration
As soon as you have paid up, filled, and submitted all the correct details, the domain registration requirement process would be completed. Keep in mind, any changes to your domain ownership details can only be done from the domain management section from the control panel.
It would take somewhere around 24-72 hours to display the updated domain details.
7# Verify the Ownership of your Domain Name
The last step, Phew! After so much, you are finally in the endgame.
So, let’s see what awaits us next.
Verification of your email address, well, of course. Ahh! Simple enough! Isn’t it?
But sometimes the email domain verification might take as long as 15 days to reach you. Request for one, if you have not received it by the 15-day timespan.
So, if you ask us which of the domain registrars can help you the best, we would recommend
- GoDaddy,
- Namecheap and
- Porkbun among many.
Now that we are at the omega of our journey, it would be great to say that if you are keen on having a business, it would be necessary to have a website. A website is an official way of declaring what you’re up to, in short, identifies your business.
Hang on!
Did I tell you that you can have different websites for different businesses with another domain name for your blog or website? No?
So, a single person can have multiple websites, each representing a side of your business personality or it could be one available website where you collate everything and create different pages.
If you want to reread it again, please do.
If you want to leave your comments or wish to add up something valuable, please feel free to use the box below. The above-mentioned information can help you choose the right website and begin fresh! Begin again and live your business to the full by following the guidelines mentioned above.
