How Do I Get a Web Domain?

The domain name is a very important part of your online business. You will want to have a memorable name that people will remember easily. A terrible domain name only makes your business look bad and hard to find online. Here’s a list of dos and don’ts I personally follow when I getting a web address.

• Get a .com domain whenever possible. People will remember a .com name than a .net or other types of domains. Many people type in .com as the default domain type anyway, therefore it is best to use a .com.
• Use your company name if possible as your domain name.
• Use your first and last names as your domain name if your name is very important to the reputation of your business.
• Do not use dashes in between words in the desired domain names as they look kind of ugly, hard to type out and remember.
• Use short domain names whenever possible.
• Don’t register weird and hard to remember domain names like “io.us” and advertise your web site like “del.io.us”. Can you even remember how to type Delicious’ web address?
• Don’t use trademark names and terms for your domain name or buy a non .com version of a trademark term.
• Try not to use numbers in your domain name.

Getting a Web Site Domain

Once you have decided on a potential domain name, you need to proceed to a web domain registrar to purchase a domain. At every web domain registrar, you should see a form asking you to enter your desired domain name. Once you enter your desired domain and submit the form, the web site will let you know if your desired domain is in the pool of available web domain names. If so, you may proceed to register and pay for the web domain.

I prefer to get my web domains from NameCheap.com or Netfirms.com. I always try to get discount coupons from DNCoupons.com when I purchase web domains from NameCheap.com. Domains start at USD $9.29 for a .com domain. However, if you enter a coupon that works, you could get a .com domain at only USD $8.41. It isn’t the cheapest in the world but they are reliable and have great customer service. Regardless of where you purchase a .com domain, never pay more than USD $9.99 for a new domain registration.

What if My Desired Domain Name Has Been Taken?

If you want to get a web address and the web site address is already in use, fear not, as there is still a way to get the domain. Firstly, try to contact the owner of the web domain. You should be prepared to pay a lot of money to buy a domain from the owner. Another way to backorder the domain name. This is only a good idea if you can wait a while for the domain name to become available. You can go to BackorderDomain.eu or GoDaddy’s DomainAlert Pro to backorder your domain name. Both of them include the domain name’s registration for the first year. Others might ask you to pay the 1st year’s fees on top of the backorder fee. Remember there are no guarantees that you will the domain name you want. The worst case is someone else gets it before you do and you have to reuse your credit on another web domain.