A lot of clients come to me with questions about domain names. What is it? Why do I need one? Where can I buy one? Below you will find the tips I give my clients when they purchase a domain name.
What is a Domain Name?
If your website was a brick and mortar store, the domain name would be your street address. It’s where your customers go to visit your digital storefront or office space.
Domain Name Costs
Compared to hosting, domain names are very inexpensive: NEVER pay more than $20/year.
If you have a domain name idea, I recommend purchasing the domain right away. You can always release ownership of it (or try to sell it) later on, if you decide not to use it.
A few Do’s and Don’ts
Do…
- Do think carefully about what your website domain will be. Make sure it’s easy to say, easy to spell, and makes sense for your website.
- Do brainstorm on paper and come up with your top choices. Choose a backup incase your top pick is not longer available. When you are ready, head to one of the providers below and make your purchase.
- Do choose the right TDL. That means Top Level Domain. AKA, the “.com” “.org” “.net” or “.me” part of your website address.
Don’t…
- Don’t search for different domains days prior to purchase to see if they are available. This can sometimes alert others that the domain is about to be purchased and they will purchase it and try to sell it to you at a higher rate.
- Don’t buy your domain with your hosting. Instead, purchase from separate sellers. Then, it’s less complicated if you decide to change providers later.
- Don’t pay extra for privacy. If you can get it for free elsewhere, why would you spend money on it?
- Don’t buy the extras at the check out page. Like I said, if you really need it, it should be included in the price of the domain.
Domain Registrar Recommendations
NameCheap
A great, and budget friendly, option. AnnaScovel.com was actually purchased through NameCheap. My only complaint was I have found them a tad more difficult to point to my hosting.
Hover*
I’m a fan of Hover. They make it very easy to register, renew, and point my domains. They do charge a couple extra dollars per year, over NameCheap.
*Full disclosure: if you use the link above to make a purchase from Hover, it will NOT cost you any extra, but it will give me $2 to cover costs for this website.
Hopefully these tips are helpful to you as you’re deciding on your domain name. As always, I’m happy to answer your questions!