There are two leading registrars where you can buy a domain name; from a hosting provider or a domain name registrar. All you have to do is:
-Visit a domain registrar
-Find the domain you want to purchase
-Follow the instructions to buy it
They consider buying a domain name as one of the most critical steps of starting an online business, personal website, or blog. Without a domain name, users won’t be able to easily access and find your business or website on the Internet.
The good news here is that the registration process is easy and beginner-friendly and can be completed in a few minutes. You will get to understand all the steps to this process and present some tricks to make it easier.
Beneath you will find a video tutorial on how to buy a domain name:
Let’s dive in and take a nearer look at this process…
The first thing to know when registering a domain name is to remember that the only way to register a domain name is by using a valid domain extension that other businesses don’t already own.
Below is a step-by-step direction on how to buy domain names:
1.Find a credible domain registrar
As you can learn by the name itself, a domain registrar is a company or business responsible for registering and managing domain names. In addition, the company must be accredited by the ICANN, a non-profit organization that controls the rules of website domain name registration rules.
When choosing a domain registrar, you must be careful and choose a reliable one as it will impact your project or business for years. Picking the wrong domain registrar can make you pay hidden fees, or you may get scammed. There have been many cases where a domain name registrar pressured a user to purchase domain names identical to the ones they hold under pretenses.
As you can see now, picking the right domain name from hundreds of domain registrars on the market can be very challenging. Adding here also the fact that all these domain registrars offer almost the same or similar services. Here are some aspects to believe when choosing a domain registrar:
- Pricing – Before you make a website domain purchase, pay attention and carefully read the registrar’s terms of service and check if there is any hidden domain cost. Another thing you need to consider is upfront and renewal fees – avoid any registrars that offer low upfront fees for the first year of registration but charge higher renewal rates.
- Domain expiration policy – Another crucial element when buying a registrar is the domain expiration policy. You need to renew a domain name before its expiration date to prevent other businesses or people from registering it. The best would be to pick a domain registrar with auto-renewal and reminder features.
- Add-on services – Focus on registrars that provide other valuable add-ons such as domain parking or domain privacy.
- Domain transfer policy – Moving domain names from one registrar to another is always possible, but some registrars might charge you extra fees and make the process difficult.
You can also purchase a custom domain from a hosting company that offers domain registration services, such as Hostinger. When creating a website, buying web hosting and domain name from the same hosting provider is better. Hostinger offers low upfront and renewal costs for the most known domain names and provides you with a dedicated support team that will assist you 24/7. In addition, with Hostinger, you will be able to have domain privacy protection activated, which will help you hide specific details from being discovered through WHOIS domain lookup tools.
Hostinger also provides a web domain checker, and that’s a perfect tool for buying a domain.
2.Run a domain name search
Once you’ve decided which domain registrar you will choose for your domain, it is time to do a domain name search. When choosing your domain name, you also need to make sure to select the correct extension as well. The extension is the suffix at the ending of a website address. Domain name extensions are also known as TLDs (top-level domains).
Here are some different types of domain extensions available:
- Country Code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) – this kind of TLD represents a country that lets users and search engines know that a specific website is designed for visitors from a particular region. For example, the .us domain is the ccTLD for the United States.
- Sponsored Top-LLevel Domain (sTLD) is a type of TLD restricted to specific types of organizations or groups. Here are some examples of sTLD: .mil, .gov, .edu, etc.
- Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) – is the most common type of TLD. gTLD does not rely on a country code and is used for general purposes. Some examples of gTLDs include .com, .org, .net, etc. Some other extensions are included in this category, like .xyz, .club, and .online.
When choosing the right extension that is suitable for your domain, you need to look for that TLD that better represents the purpose of your site or business. For example, if you have an eCommerce business, the best would be to choose a .biz, .com, .store domain. On the other hand, if you desire to create a blog, you have to select a .me or .online domain.
If you are not sure about the right domain extension for your website, you can use a .xyz or .icu domain name. That’s because these generic TLDs are not associated with any specific website type or niche.
Once you’ve chosen the domain and the extension that you will use, it is time to use a domain checker to find your desired name. You can do that by entering the name into the search bar, and the Hostinger tool will deliver you a list of available domains. This tool will also display more tile suggestions and extensions while showing a wide range of domain names.
Image by Hostinger
3.Pick your domain
Now that you found the best domain name for your project or website, you need to continue with the checkout process. This step acquires you to choose the domain registration period. As you can understand, domain registrars will offer you a variety of durations (1-10 years). And right before the initial registration period ends, the domain registrar will alert you to renew it.
Domain registration companies will require you to pay for a minimum of 1 year. But other registrars have a more extended minimum registration, i.e, two years.
Image by Hostinger
If you want to purchase a domain at Hostinger, you can continue the process from the domain checker web page and press the “Add to cart” button next to the domain. Next, click “Continue to cart.”
Image by Hostinger
Then go to the shopping cart window, select the Period drop-down list, and choose the registration period. On this page, you can also choose to add the privacy protection “add-on.” Next, click the “Checkout Now” button to finish the order.
Image by Hostinger
The following step is to create or login into an account to complete the payment process.
Image by Hostinger
Then, continue the checkout process and choose a payment processor.
Next, provide your billing information, review the order, and finish the website domain purchase.
4.Complete the domain registration
Image by Hostinger
Once you’ve completed the payment, you will automatically be redirected to the control panel. There is a setup box that you will need to fill out to complete the domain name registration with the correct details (your name, address, and contact information). All this data will be stored on the official domain ownership database, WHOIS.
Image by Hostinger
After submitting your details, who will process the domain registration.
If you want to modify the domain ownership details, you can do it by using the domain management section within the control panel. After making all the changes you wish to, you must confirm them via email.
5.Verify domain name ownership
The final step to buying a domain name is verifying the domain ownership through your email address (the one you used when registering the domain). Normally, the email will arrive within a few minutes after finishing the domain setup. Then, you have to click the verification link in the email to verify your contact information. If the email doesn’t arrive, go to the control panel and resend the request. The best is to send the request as quickly as possible because waiting for 15 days, or more will cause a temporary suspension from the registry.
And here is all you need to know about buying a site domain name and completing the initial registration process.
15 most useful Tips before buying a Domain Name
The main reason why having a good domain name is crucial is that it can spread brand awareness, add extra credibility to your website site, and also make sure users find you on the Internet. That’s why it is so important to research before choosing the best-fitting domain name for your website.
Below you will find 15 tips to review before choosing the right domain name:
- Study your niche – Focus on the most popular search terms and keywords in your niche. This will help you find a domain name that fits your business/website.
- Aim for a short and memorable domain – A catchy, short domain name is easier to remember and type than a long one. A catchy domain name should be from 6-14 characters long.
- Go with .com if possible – it is the most popular top-level information. If you use this suffix, most web users will instantly recognize it,
- Check for trademark infringement – To prevent any legal issues, you need to claim a domain name that is not similar to popular or well-established brands. You can use a registered trademark lookup tool to avoid such situations.
- Avoid hyphens and numbers – URLs with hyphens and numbers are hard to remember and type. It is challenging to verbally communicate a name with numbers and/or spaces. Instead, stick to a domain name with a single word or a set of words.
- Look for close alternatives – consider buying the common mistyped variation of the domain name that you have in mind if you want all the potential traffic to reach you—for example, amazon.com, fb.com, etc.
- Research social media platforms – now that you have a strong idea of your domain name, it is time to look it up on the most popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, etc. Then, reserve a web page for your project to prevent other businesses or people from taking that name.
- Think future-proof – domains are considered a long-term investment, so you must remember that your business/brand will be in that domain for at least 5-10 years.
- Avoid double letters – double letters in the domain name increase the chances of people misspelling it, resulting in lost traffic.
- Leverage a domain name generator – you can find more ideas by using a domain name generator – enter a word/phrase that describes your project, and you will receive a list of suggestions.
- Choose a premium domain – they are high-value names with the potential to become very popular web addresses with strong branding opportunities. Purchasing a premium domain name will help you rank higher on search engines and get organic traffic quickly.
- Check the domain’s history – use Wayback Machine to ensure the domain is not associated with a fake website. This tool will provide information about the previous owners and the background of the domain.
- Use local TLDs – this will help your website acquire more targeted traffic – through localization.
- Opt for new domain extensions – use a new gTLD, for example, the .xyz domain used by Alphabet INC.
- Discuss your ideas – Present them to family, friends, or colleagues and ask them for advice.
Domain Name Pricing Table (Most Popular)
| TLD | Registration | Renewal | Transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $8.99 | $13.99 | $9.99 |
| .co.uk | $6.99 | $8.99 | $1.99 |
| .info | $3.99 | $19.99 | $13.99 |
| .net | $12.99 | $13.99 | $12.99 |
| .xyz | $1.99 | $13.99 | $9.99 |
$0.99 Domain list:
| TLD | Registration | Renewal | Transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| .website | $0.99 | $20.99 | $16.99 |
| .uno | $0.99 | $19.99 | $16.99 |
| .tech | $0.99 | $48.99 | $38.99 |
| .store | $0.99 | $51.99 | $44.99 |
| .space | $0.99 | $20.99 | $16.99 |
| .site | $0.99 | $27.99 | $22.99 |
| .shop | $0.99 | $34.99 | $26 |
| .press | $0.99 | $59.99 | $54.99 |
| .online | $0.99 | $34.99 | $27.99 |
| .host | $0.99 | $74.99 | $72.99 |
| .fun | $0.99 | $19.99 | $17.99 |
A domain is crucial, especially if you are creating a new website or starting a blog. When buying a domain name, you must consider choosing the perfect domain name for your website and picking the correct extension. Then, the domain registration process will take you only a few minutes.
