nameHow to Register a Domain Name for Your Website (Beginner’s Guide)
Want to register a domain name for your website? Domain name registration is the first crucial step in the website building process as it’s vital for growing your business and creating your unique online identity. A domain name is akin to your business name.
In this article, we’ll show you how to register a domain name for your website and also share a tip on how to get it for free.
What’s a Domain Name?
A domain name is your website’s address on the internet where people can access your site. It’s your website’s name that internet users type into their web browser to visit your site. For example, nameboy.com or google.com.
A domain name can have letters and numbers which combine with domain extensions like .com, .net, .org, etc. The first part of a domain name is your brand name, like Nameboy, and second part is the domain extension, like .com.
Every domain name is unique; only 1 site can use a specific domain name. If you type nameboy.com into your browser, you’ll see this website each and every time.
A domain name is needed to start a website, along with web hosting. You can register a domain name for a year and renew it every year or extend your ownership up to 10 years. If you don’t want to use your domain at any time, you can sell it to someone who’s interested or simply let it expire.
How to Choose the Best Domain Name?
Choosing the right domain name is crucial for your website’s growth and success as it’s the main gateway to your site. If you pick a bad domain name in a rush, it can be hard to promote, brand, and drive internet traffic to your site.
Besides, it can be a hassle switching your site to a new domain name later. So, we’ve shared some useful tips to choose the best domain name right out of the gate:
- Choose .com domains: Most popular sites have the .com extension, so people tend to automatically add .com to every domain. So, always choose a .com domain and make it easy for users to find your site.
- Keep it short and easy-to-remember: One of the top reasons for lost traffic is typos. To avoid such typos, you should pick a short and easy-to-remember name. If you plan on using numbers in your domain name, you’ll want to see our guide: Can Domain Names Have Numbers?
- Use keywords in your domain: Having a keyword in your domain name helps improve your site’s search engine rankings. It’s a fantastic idea to have your main keyword in your domain name.
- Make it brandable: There’re thousands to millions of websites just like yours. You’ll need to make your domain name unique and brandable to get users’ attention and stand out from the crowd.
- Avoid hyphens and double letters: You’re allowed to use hyphens in your domain names, along with alphabets and numbers, but it’s not advised to have them because most spam sites use them. Just because you can use them doesn’t mean you should. To further our point: domains with hyphens and double letters are prone to losing traffic because of typos.
How to Find the Best Domain Name
With the above tips in mind, you can start brainstorming a new domain name for your site. It can be really overwhelming as you’ll find most of the “good” domains are already taken.
That’s why we’ve created a handy tool, Nameboy, to help you find the best domain. It’s the oldest and most popular domain name generator in the world.
You can search for fresh domain name ideas by entering your keyword(s) in its search box. You can type in 1 or 2 keywords and click the Submit for new company name ideas.
For example, we entered 2 keywords. cafe and New York. and Nameboy’s generator returned multiple company name ideas:
Once you’ve viewed these results, you can choose the best one following the tips given above.
You can also check the domain availability by clicking the Check domain availability with Bluehost box below the Submit button.
How to Register a Domain Name (Step by Step)
There’re multiple ways to register a domain name for your website. First, you can do your domain name research with Nameboy and then register your selected domain with 1 of the top domain registrars.
However, you have to make sure the domain provider company is ICANN-accredited. ICAAN manages and monitors the Domain Name System (DNS) to maintain domain registration standards.
Here, we’ll show you how to register a domain name from the 2 most popular domain providers.
1. Register a Domain Name for Free with Bluehost
Bluehost is, in our opinion, the best web hosting and domain company in the world. They provide popular top-level domains (TLDs) as well as quality hosting services for websites.
If you’re planning to register a domain name for a building a website, Bluehost is the best option available. It provides the best deal on web hosting and domain names for new businesses starting a website.
Normally, a domain name costs $14.99/ year and a web hosting plan costs $7.99/month. When these costs add up, the total amount for starting a website gets so high that beginners will often give up because it goes beyond their budgets.
Luckily, Bluehost has agreed to provide an exclusive discount on web hosting and a domain name to Nameboy users. Now, you can buy a web hosting plan at just $2.75/month (60% off!) and get a FREE domain name.
To purchase a web hosting account and get your free domain name, you’ll need to go the Bluehost website using our link and click the Get Started Now button.
Then, you’ll see the pricing page. You can review the available plans and choose a plan you like. All the plans include a free domain and SSL certificate.
For a new website, you can choose the basic plan. As your website grows, you can upgrade your account at any time later on.
Simply click the Select button to continue.
On the next page, you’ll see a domain registration page. All you need to do is to enter your selected domain name in the new domain box and click the next button.
After that, it’ll take you to the signup page to complete your purchase. If the domain name is not available, it’ll show you a few alternative names to choose from. Then, you can enter your new domain name again and click next.
On the signup page, you’ll need to provide your account information. You can use your Google account for quick signup.
As you scroll down, you’ll see a package information box where you can view your account plan, price, your domain name, and SSL.
After that, you’ll see another box for package extras. These’re included in your hosting plan by default but you can uncheck them if you don’t want to buy them.
Then, you’ll see the payment information section. Enter your payment details and check the box to agree to their Terms of Service and click Submit.
That’s all. Bluehost will now register your domain name, set up your hosting account and send you an email with a link to access your hosting account.
2. Register a Domain Name with GoDaddy
GoDaddy is the largest domain name provider in the world. It has over 18 million customers worldwide and 77 million websites under management.
GoDaddy lets you register a domain name before you start building a website. Thus, you can reserve your selected domain before someone else takes it and connect it with any hosting account later on when you’re ready.
Now, let’s see how to register a domain name with GoDaddy, step-by-step.
First, visit GoDaddy’s website and enter your chosen domain name in the search box.
Now, you’ll see the results for your domain search. If the domain is available, you’ll see the available message with the domain’s price.
You can simply click the Add to Cart button and continue.
Next, you’ll see some extra domain-related services offered to you. You can select a plan or click No Thanks to save money.
Then, scroll down to Continue with these options button and click that.
On the next page, you’ll the checkout page.
First, you’ll have to create an account. Second, you need to enter your billing information. In the third step, you’ll have to make the payment and then domain registration will be completed in the fourth step.
GoDaddy will register your domain name and send you an email with a link to access your domain account.
3. Other Ways to Register a Domain Name
Since you need both hosting and domain for building a site, Bluehost is the best platform to start your website project thanks to its highly discounted deal.
But if, for any reason, you don’t want to use it, you can register a domain from other domain registration companies like GoDaddy or NameCheap.
If you want a free domain along with web hosting, you can get 1 from these Bluehost alternatives:
Domain Name Registration FAQs
Our team has helped millions of users to build websites, so we’ve identified the most commonly asked questions about domain name registration. Below are the top-asked questions and their answers:
1. Which is the best domain name registrar?
We believe that GoDaddy is the best domain name registrar as they’ve come a long way and still hold the most popular position. However, we recommend you start with Bluehost as they provide the best web hosting plus domain combination deal.
2. Can I buy a domain name permanently?
No, you cannot buy a domain name permanently. Normally, domain names are registered and renewed for 1 year at a time. However, you can pre-pay for up to 10 years with some domain companies and secure your domain name for a decade.
3. How can I get a domain which is already taken?
You can get an owned domain name only if the seller agrees to sell it to you.
Or, you can go to a marketplace like Flippa.com or Sedo.com and purchase existing domain names that are for sale. Already established (premium) domains and old domains are very expensive, so it’s better to buy a new one for businesses that’re just starting out.
We hope this article helped you to learn how to register a domain name for your website. For more articles and insights on domain names and website making, keep following our blog.
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