Learning how to buy a domain name is necessary for your business to have an online presence. Whether you want a website for your business, personal blog, or portfolio you first have to register a domain name. It can be a little tricky for first-timers or beginners but in this article, we’ll guide you on how to buy a domain name in a step-by-step process.
We’ll cover every aspect of how to get started and what are the things to keep in mind while buying a domain. Some of the terms like domain, TLD, and hosting can be really confusing for beginners. So, we’ll explain everything to make it easy for you to understand.
- What is a Domain or Domain Name?
- What is a Domain Name Registrar?
- What is Meant by Domain TLD/Extension/Suffix?
- Things to Keep in Mind While Choosing Domain Name?
- Use Domain Name Generator to Get Ideas
- Cost of Buying A Domain
- Step-by-Step Guide to Buying A Domain
- How to Get A Free Domain Name?
- What Is Website Hosting?
- List of Best Hosting Providers
- Can I Get A Free Web Hosting?
- How to Get Started? | Launching Your Website?
- Conclusion
What is a Domain or Domain Name?
Domain or Domain Name is the address of your website on the internet that anyone can use to visit your website. For instance, “facebook.com” is the domain name of Facebook. This is what anyone would type in their browser or search engine to access your website.
The domain name actually represents an IP address. Let’s consider that your website’s IP address is 109.284.222.64 then it would be very hard to remember this for everyone. So, this IP address is represented in the form of domain name to make it easier for people to remember.
To explain in simple words If someone wants to visit your house then they would need an address. Similarly, to visit your website the domain name would be your address.
What is a Domain Name Registrar?
If you want to buy or register a domain name then it can be done by a domain name registrar. So, consider “Domain Name Registrar” as a website through which you can register/buy a domain name. Domain name registrar are accredited by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) responsible for handling all the rules and regulations of domain name registration.
Let’s take an example of “Namecheap.com” which is one of the domain name registrars. When you visit this registrar website you can search for a domain name that you want to register and then buy it from there. Consider it as a marketplace for buying domain names.
Since there are many domain name registrars. We’ve listed down some of the best that you can opt for while buying a domain.
What is Meant by Domain TLD/Extension/Suffix?
Now that you know what a domain name is and who are the top 5 domain name registrars. The next thing to decide is your domain TLD/Extension/Suffix. This is part of the domain name after “.” Symbol.
For example, “Instagram.com” is the domain name, and “.com” is the TLD/Extension/Suffix. The TLDs can be distinguished into three main categories. We have country-specific TLDs, generic TLDs, and sponsored TLDs.
Generic TLD (Top Level Domain)
This is the common and most used type of TLD that anyone can register. Examples of generic TLDs include (.com, .co, .org, .net, .xyz, .biz, .info).
Sponsored TLD (Top Level Domain)
These are the TLDs reserved mostly for government or education institutions and the most common examples include (.gov and .edu).
Country-Specific TLD (Top Level Domain)
This is the type of TLD which are reserved for countries, territories, or states. For instance (.us for the USA, .uk for the United Kingdom, .ca for Canada, and .pk for Pakistan).
As a beginner, you must opt for generic TLD to get started. Since the most commonly used is .com think of it as your preferred option when you register a domain name.
Things to Keep in Mind While Choosing Domain Name?
There are certain factors that you must keep in mind while choosing a domain name as a beginner. This can help your website in search engine rankings as well as create brand value. We’ve gathered a few tips that can help you choose the domain name.
- Short Domain Name Length: The first and most important thing is the length of your domain name. Try to keep it as short as possible and use words that are easy to understand (have meaning) and complement your brand or business.
- Don’t Use Numbers or Hyphens: Using numbers or hyphens can have a negative effect on your visitors and rankings. No one would remember the name of a website if it is “delightful-3532colors”. Search engine prefers website which has short and meaningful names without numbers or hyphens.
- Don’t Use Generic Names: Instead of using generic names like “printingservice.com” or “printingforyou.com” choose names like “printzmedia.com” or something that can be thought of as a brand.
- Easy to Remember: Take the example of different popular websites that have a very unique name but are easy to remember like Amazon. Brainstorm some ideas and try to find such domain names.
Use Domain Name Generator to Get Ideas
If you are stuck or can’t find any name that is available and suits your business as well then don’t worry. You can use one more way to find many domain name ideas. Domain name generators can give you many ideas that you can use for your domain name. So, all you have to do is visit a domain name generator and enter your keyword + your TLD and it’ll give you a lot of ideas to get started.
To save you from trouble we’ve gathered a list of the best domain name generators of 2022 that you can use to get domain name ideas.
Some of the domain name generators might tell you about the availability of the domain name and some might not. So, make sure you open Domain Name Registrar in one tab and Domain Name Generator in the other to check its availability side by side.
Cost of Buying A Domain
The cost of buying a domain can vary depending on several factors. Short length, TLD, and, premium names can highly influence the price of a domain. Usually, the cost of buying a .com domain starts from as low as $12.99 and can go up to $100K+ if you want to get a premium name like “digitalmarketing.com”.
For some TLDs, you might even get a domain name for even less than $12.99. Most of the domain name registrars offer discounts on first-time purchases but when it renews after one year, you’d be charged the original cost. So, make sure to check out the renewal cost for your domain.
Step-by-Step Guide on How to Buy a Domain Name
Now that you’ve built a complete understanding of all the basic terms related to when you want to buy a domain. We’ve made a simple and easy-to-understand step-by-step guide to help you register your first domain as a beginner.
- The very first step is to choose the Domain Name Registrar from which you want to buy a domain name.
- Finalize which TLD you want for your domain name and choose your domain name by brainstorming ideas. Once you’ve selected a few domain name ideas visit the domain name registrar website.
- Now enter your domain name ideas in the search bar and see if they are already taken/registered or not. If that domain name is already registered, then search for second priority.
- If you find a desired domain name that isn’t registered yet, then click on add to cart and confirm our order after the signing-up process is finished.
- After that, you’ll be asked to enter your payment option and then make the payment for your domain. Once the payment is confirmed you’ll get the ownership of your domain and your domain will be registered.
Although all the Domain Name Registrars have slightly different procedures generally, you’ll be required to perform similar steps.
How to Get A Free Domain Name?
If you are just getting started with your blog or website. Then purchasing a domain name would cost you around $13 per year and hosting would be around $4-$15 a month. This could get out of your budget so many times the question is asked “How to get a free domain name?”.
Well, this is possible and Yes you can register a domain name for free. There are a few hosting providers that allow a free domain name for the first year with their hosting plan. Two of them include:
If you buy a hosting plan from them, you’ll get a free domain name for the first year. This means that you won’t have to pay a single penny for registering a domain name, but you’ll just have to pay for your website hosting.
What Is Website Hosting?
Some of you must have been confused when we talked about how to get a free domain name because we mentioned website hosting. Whenever you buy a domain name you need to host your data somewhere that you post on your website so that it is accessible on the internet. Website hosting is like renting some space online to host your data that will be visible on your website.
So, just learning how to register a domain name isn’t enough to launch your website. You need a website hosting plan to store your data. This way it will be accessible online all the time. All the data that is visible on your website is actually present at your hosting, so you need a hosting plan to launch your website.
List of Best Hosting Providers
There are several hosting providers available online and everyone claims to be the best in business. However, it’s not true. So, we’ve listed below some of the best and most reliable hosting providers that you can opt for. All these hosting providers like SiteGround hosting would have different hosting plans that you can choose from. Find the one that matches your requirements and you’re good to go.
These are the top 10 hosting providers to choose from as they all are reliable and have been providing quality services for many years. For beginners, we’d suggest that If you are learning how to buy a domain name with Namecheap then also avail the hosting plan from Namecheap. This way it will be very easy for you to connect your domain name with hosting.
Can I Get A Free Web Hosting?
Web hosting can be very expensive for beginners. The most frequently asked question is if I can get free web hosting or not. Yes, you can but with a lot of limitations. If you want to test your website or want to host it for a month then it’s fine. Otherwise, it’s best to get a paid hosting plan.
The limitations of free web hosting can be low disk space and bandwidth along with data security. However, we’ve mentioned some of the free web hosting sites below:
- 000WebHost
- InfinityFree
- ByetHost
- Google Cloud Hosting
How to Get Started? | Launching Your Website?
Once you’re done with buying a domain and hosting your website it’s time to launch your website for the public. Before that make sure that all your landing pages and web pages are loading properly. Write very engaging and persuasive copy for your landing pages instead of dummy content. Finally, now that everything is ready you can make your website public.
If you have a custom website, then you can ask the developer and he/she will make it happen. However, if you are using a WordPress website then go to the WordPress dashboard. Then select settings and go to privacy. There will be three options Private, Hidden Public. Select public to make it visible for your visitors.
Conclusion
As a beginner learning how to buy a domain name and getting started might seem like a daunting task but it isn’t. You can easily buy or register a domain name and get started. All you need is accurate information that we hope was provided to you in the form of this article. If you still have any queries regarding buying a domain or hosting, then do mention them in the comment section down below.
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