This article will give you answers to the important questions you forgot to ask about getting a great domain names for your websites and keeping them
Buying your first domain name can be a lot like buying your first car from a used-car lot you’ve no idea what sort of questions to ask, and therefore you’re often not sure what it is you are paying for. What you need it to take someone with you who has been through the process before, and knows the right questions to ask, and how to avoid deals that are flimsy or seem too good to be true.
Is there a difference between a domain and a URL?
Put simply, a domain name carves out a space for you on the Internet by registering your own unique name. An example is Amazon it’s one word that used to represent a particular service, but over time that service has changed a little, so Amazon becomes more like a ‘place’ in some ways, like a physical store: the owners of Amazon can change the function of the shop front at any time they can go from selling and shipping physical books to providing a Netflix alternative that you can access through your TV, for example, but it’s still the same branded shop. The URL, on the other hand, is the exact address that gets typed into browsers. This is like street address: a well-known shop or café will occasionally change street address, and hope that all its old customers will be able to find it.
How much will a domain name cost?
Pricing can vary tremendously depending on a few factors. Firstly, are you buying the domain from a separate domain name registrar, or will you be purchasing it in conjunction with a hosting service from a provider who specializes in Cloud Hosting packages as well like http://www.webdrive.co.nz/cloud-server-overview/?
Pricing will also depend on the demand that exists for your desired address, and on the sales model of the company from whom you’re purchasing it. A general rule of thumb though, is that unless you’re a celebrity trying to buy back your own name, a domain won’t cost you more than about US$15 per year. There are even a few great websites out there to help you compare: Regselect.com and DompComp.com.
Where should you go to buy your domain?
Unlike at a used car lot, all the sales vendors selling domain names are essentially selling you the same thing he same service and access to the domain name that you want.
So that means there’s no reason not to just pick the cheapest option, right?
Not quite. Sites like the popular GoDaddy sell extremely cheap domain names most of the possibilities you’ll find through their site will cost you as little as one dollar for an entire year. But this dirt cheap upfront price disguises hidden costs ongoing fees, and a tendency to increase the cost of renewing your domain name year after year. Don’t underestimate the extent to which signing a bad deal could affect your business down the line if you agree to the possibility of discretionary price hikes at the vendors will, and if your business increases in popularity and traffic, you might end up in the awkward position where your vendor can essentially set the price for you to be able to keep using the website address with which you’ve built up so much of your business. You might need to pay extra to register your details privately, which is essential if you want to keep your name, email, physical address and phone number off the publicly accessible database of domain owners. GoDaddy certainly charges extra for this: check whatever provider you are considering to see whether privacy is included in their standard domain price.
Is it possible to get back your old URL / domain name?
Yes. The first step is to check whether or not it might have already been bumped back into the pool available for public purchase. Visit Domcomp.com or Google Domains to check. If your preferred domain has already been snatched up by someone else, then this may or may not be bad news: they might have purchased it with the intention of selling once an offer came along, or they might be using it and be unwilling to sell. The best way to make sure that you get the domain name you want is to purchase it in advance, and lock it in for ten fifteen years upfront.
Buying your first domain name can be a lot like buying your first car from a used-car lot you’ve no idea what sort of questions to ask, and therefore you’re often not sure what it is you are paying for. What you need it to take someone with you who has been through the process before, and knows the right questions to ask, and how to avoid deals that are flimsy or seem too good to be true.
Is there a difference between a domain and a URL?
Put simply, a domain name carves out a space for you on the Internet by registering your own unique name. An example is Amazon it’s one word that used to represent a particular service, but over time that service has changed a little, so Amazon becomes more like a ‘place’ in some ways, like a physical store: the owners of Amazon can change the function of the shop front at any time they can go from selling and shipping physical books to providing a Netflix alternative that you can access through your TV, for example, but it’s still the same branded shop. The URL, on the other hand, is the exact address that gets typed into browsers. This is like street address: a well-known shop or café will occasionally change street address, and hope that all its old customers will be able to find it.
How much will a domain name cost?
Pricing can vary tremendously depending on a few factors. Firstly, are you buying the domain from a separate domain name registrar, or will you be purchasing it in conjunction with a hosting service from a provider who specializes in Cloud Hosting packages as well like http://www.webdrive.co.nz/cloud-server-overview/?
Pricing will also depend on the demand that exists for your desired address, and on the sales model of the company from whom you’re purchasing it. A general rule of thumb though, is that unless you’re a celebrity trying to buy back your own name, a domain won’t cost you more than about US$15 per year. There are even a few great websites out there to help you compare: Regselect.com and DompComp.com.
Where should you go to buy your domain?
Unlike at a used car lot, all the sales vendors selling domain names are essentially selling you the same thing he same service and access to the domain name that you want.
So that means there’s no reason not to just pick the cheapest option, right?
Not quite. Sites like the popular GoDaddy sell extremely cheap domain names most of the possibilities you’ll find through their site will cost you as little as one dollar for an entire year. But this dirt cheap upfront price disguises hidden costs ongoing fees, and a tendency to increase the cost of renewing your domain name year after year. Don’t underestimate the extent to which signing a bad deal could affect your business down the line if you agree to the possibility of discretionary price hikes at the vendors will, and if your business increases in popularity and traffic, you might end up in the awkward position where your vendor can essentially set the price for you to be able to keep using the website address with which you’ve built up so much of your business. You might need to pay extra to register your details privately, which is essential if you want to keep your name, email, physical address and phone number off the publicly accessible database of domain owners. GoDaddy certainly charges extra for this: check whatever provider you are considering to see whether privacy is included in their standard domain price.
Is it possible to get back your old URL / domain name?
Yes. The first step is to check whether or not it might have already been bumped back into the pool available for public purchase. Visit Domcomp.com or Google Domains to check. If your preferred domain has already been snatched up by someone else, then this may or may not be bad news: they might have purchased it with the intention of selling once an offer came along, or they might be using it and be unwilling to sell. The best way to make sure that you get the domain name you want is to purchase it in advance, and lock it in for ten fifteen years upfront.