Domain registration is relatively painless compared to other web design project tasks. Let's go over it together.
Why you need a domain name
The bottom line is you don't need to to buy a domain name to get on the web. You can sign up on one of the many free blogging services and have a web site in minutes. But you won't have the traditional yourdomainname.com, rather something like this url: yoursmallbusinesswebsitedesign.blogspot.com/.
The main reason you want a traditional domain name is it shows you are reputable and professional. If you can't fork out a few bucks for a domain name how profitable does that make your business look? My company name is i-contact web design so I use icontactwebdesign.com for my business web site.
Which domain type should you get?
By that I mean a .com/.net/.org/.something else. Back in the old days .com was pretty much the only domain type you should purchase. While it is still the case that your primary domain name should ideally be a .com [if you live in the States anyway] you should also snap up a few others to cover all the bases: get the .net,.org,.biz,.info and whatever others take your fancy. All these domains can be pointed to your primary name so that visitors don't have to try and remember what your web address really is.
Where to buy a domain name
There used to be just one place for domain names - register.com, and they were expensive. But now you can buy domain names all over the internet and you are not getting scammed if you pay just $1.99 for one [usually a promo price]. I like to use name.com and godaddy.com but there are many others.
When you go to a domain provider there is a search box that you can fill out with your desired domain name. You then choose the type [.com etc] and as if by magic a result will appear telling you whether it is available. Most often the disheartening words 'Not Available' show up - the result of the proliferation of web sites over the last decade. But don't give up hope - keep typing out choices till one is available.
What domain name should I choose?
Well I can't tell you that but what I mean is what type of domain name should you choose - business or 'snappy'. It depends on your business - if you are a law firm then you would want your business name, like AndrewsYawleyKrugerAndAssociates.com as opposed to SueAndGetRich.com. You get the idea. However, if you are the owner of Joe's Pizza and joespizza.com is taken then something snappy like pizzayouwannaeata.com might work for your customers.
Some pointers to remember:
Keep your domain name as short as you can get away with and check it reads OK when the words are all strung together, e.g. A pen shop owner might think a snappy, catchy name for his site would be the pen is mightier than the sword.com. Now push those words together. Do you see anything x-rated in there?
Depending on where you buy your domain name you will get different options and different pricing. Most registrars now offer Private Whois, a feature whereby your details are not available to everyone on the net. At the time of writing name.com did not charge for this option which is a nice little saving. Some registrars will also offer you 'free' hosting and a myriad of other things at time of registration, so read up on what they offer, as you likely won't need half the stuff they are pushing.
And lastly, after you have made your purchase remember to PRINT OUT your receipt and the emails you are sent after sign up that tell you all about how to login to your domain management panel - you will need to make some changes to it when you set up your hosting. Harking back to my pet peeves: this information is important. You might think you'll remember it, but I come across clients regularly who don't have a clue where they bought their domain name anymore!
I'll touch on hosting briefly as I'll go over this in another post - you need it. It is not expensive but you need a reliable host. Look at godaddy.com and hostgator.com and Google's first search page should bring up some other good ones. Often the features are many and you don't need all the bells and whistles - even for most business accounts.
And finally after you have your domain name bought and hosting covered you can now start to think about web design. :)
Which domain type should you get?
By that I mean a .com/.net/.org/.something else. Back in the old days .com was pretty much the only domain type you should purchase. While it is still the case that your primary domain name should ideally be a .com [if you live in the States anyway] you should also snap up a few others to cover all the bases: get the .net,.org,.biz,.info and whatever others take your fancy. All these domains can be pointed to your primary name so that visitors don't have to try and remember what your web address really is.
Where to buy a domain name
There used to be just one place for domain names - register.com, and they were expensive. But now you can buy domain names all over the internet and you are not getting scammed if you pay just $1.99 for one [usually a promo price]. I like to use name.com and godaddy.com but there are many others.
When you go to a domain provider there is a search box that you can fill out with your desired domain name. You then choose the type [.com etc] and as if by magic a result will appear telling you whether it is available. Most often the disheartening words 'Not Available' show up - the result of the proliferation of web sites over the last decade. But don't give up hope - keep typing out choices till one is available.
What domain name should I choose?
Well I can't tell you that but what I mean is what type of domain name should you choose - business or 'snappy'. It depends on your business - if you are a law firm then you would want your business name, like AndrewsYawleyKrugerAndAssociates.com as opposed to SueAndGetRich.com. You get the idea. However, if you are the owner of Joe's Pizza and joespizza.com is taken then something snappy like pizzayouwannaeata.com might work for your customers.
Some pointers to remember:
Keep your domain name as short as you can get away with and check it reads OK when the words are all strung together, e.g. A pen shop owner might think a snappy, catchy name for his site would be the pen is mightier than the sword.com. Now push those words together. Do you see anything x-rated in there?
Depending on where you buy your domain name you will get different options and different pricing. Most registrars now offer Private Whois, a feature whereby your details are not available to everyone on the net. At the time of writing name.com did not charge for this option which is a nice little saving. Some registrars will also offer you 'free' hosting and a myriad of other things at time of registration, so read up on what they offer, as you likely won't need half the stuff they are pushing.
And lastly, after you have made your purchase remember to PRINT OUT your receipt and the emails you are sent after sign up that tell you all about how to login to your domain management panel - you will need to make some changes to it when you set up your hosting. Harking back to my pet peeves: this information is important. You might think you'll remember it, but I come across clients regularly who don't have a clue where they bought their domain name anymore!
I'll touch on hosting briefly as I'll go over this in another post - you need it. It is not expensive but you need a reliable host. Look at godaddy.com and hostgator.com and Google's first search page should bring up some other good ones. Often the features are many and you don't need all the bells and whistles - even for most business accounts.
And finally after you have your domain name bought and hosting covered you can now start to think about web design. :)
Note: This post was put together using a mind map.I wrote yesterday about how to use them for helping you when writing web content.
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