Are you looking to buy a domain name but can’t figure out how?
Buying a domain name is the simplest way to increase acceptability and brand awareness.
Customers can easily recognize your business in search and social media from your unique web address without generic suffixes like wix.com.
However, it’s important to know the domain name basics and choose the right domain registrar; otherwise, you might end up paying hidden fees or compromising your domain privacy.
And so, in this step-by-step tutorial, I’ll show you how to buy a domain name permanently for your online business in 2022.
Buying A Domain Name (At A Glance)
Before we dive into the detailed steps, let’s answer two of the most frequently asked questions:
Can I Just Buy a Domain Name?
You can easily buy a unique domain name from the best domain registrars like Google Domains or web hosting service providers like Hostinger.
In addition, you can buy a domain name already registered by a business in a domain aftermarket through ownership transfer.
It’s better to find a unique domain name using domain search rather than buying from someone else.
Ensure the name is short, brandable, and suggestive of your business activity.
Do I Have to Keep Paying For My Domain Name Every Year?
Yes, you need to pay an annual renewal fee throughout its registration period to keep your registered domain name live and active.
This fee includes the domain registrar’s fee to protect website privacy and copyright and a small ICANN fee.
If you do not renew your domain within the due date, it will be put under pending status and subsequently get deleted so that its unique name can be again available for registration.
What Do I Need to Know Before Buying a Domain Name?
Before we learn the exact process to search and register a good domain name for your business,
it’s essential to know how to choose a domain name.
Follow the tips mentioned below:
- Keep it short and sweet: Names like “google” or “amazon” are easily memorable because they are one-word names without any complicated hyphens or numbers.
- Keep your domain names short so people can easily remember and type them in, resulting in easy discoverability.
- It should be suggestive of your business: You can sacrifice the one-word name rule to make your domain name suggestive of your business, including the products or services you sell or the demographics you cater to.
- For example, we offer in-depth blogging-related tutorials (like this one), so it made sense to keep our domain name bloggingtips.com.
- Avoid trademark infringement: While brainstorming ideas for a short and relevant domain name, ensure you do not sound too similar to a big brand, regardless of the differences in the industry or niche.
- Use the US Trademark database to ensure you’re not caught on the wrong foot in the future.
How To Buy A Domain Name: Step-By-Step Instructions
Now, we shall dive deep into the detailed process of finding the right domain name to register it legally for your business venture.
Let’s begin!
Select A Trustable Domain Registrar:
Domain registrars are companies that are allowed by ICANN to manage and sell domain names.
A good domain registrar has the following:
- Budget-friendly renewal fees.
- No hidden charges.
- Offers an easy and transparent registration process.
- Protects website privacy from WHOIS domain search tools.
- A generous domain expiration policy [giving you timely reminders and a reasonable grace period].
- Provides useful add-on services like a website builder.
The options available in the market today include GoDaddy, Bluehost, or domain.com.
You should compare and analyze domain registrars using the checklist above to find the right one.
Find the right domain name:
Once you’ve chosen a trustable domain registrar, it’s time to find the right domain name,
which will be the name and brand of your online business.
We’ve already discussed three useful tips to keep in mind for a perfect domain name.
Every domain registrar has a unique domain name search tool that lets you find whether the name you are thinking of:
- Is already taken by an individual or business
- Is a premium domain [keyword-rich domain name which carries a hefty price]
Finding the right name is often a trial and error,
so you must keep trying with different names and combinations to get the right one your prospective customers will trust and rely on.
For example: for a gardening website, names like gardener, greengold, and leafmaster all are good choices.
So you’ve to put it into the domain name search tool to see which works.
In my case, it’s greengold (see screenshot).
Also, ensure you choose the right domain extension or TLDs (Top Level Domains).
The most popular TLD is .com [short form of commercial], but .org or .gov is also good for starting a non-profit mission.
Purchase and register your domain name
Once you’ve finalized your domain name, it’s time to “continue to cart,” choose the registration period and complete the payment process.
We’ll use GoDaddy, but the steps remain similar for other domain registrars:
- Click on “Continue to Cart” in the top right-hand corner beside the search bar.
- Select your domain protection from the three options: full, ultimate, and no domain protection.
- See if the pre-filled options on starting a website and creating an email address match your requirements.
- Click on “Continue to Cart”
- Select your domain registration (1/2/3/5/10 years) from the dropdown menu.
- Click on “I’m Ready to Pay” to complete the payment.
After you make the payment, you’ll be redirected to a control panel with a setup box.
You’ve to fill in your basic details like:
- Your full name
- Email address
- Physical address
- City, State, and Postal Code
To complete your domain name registration in the WHOIS ownership database.
After you submit the details, your registration will be processed and completed within 24 to 72 hours.
Once you file your domain name registration details,
you’ll receive an email confirmation on the ID you used to buy the SLD.
You’ve to click on the verification link to verify your contact information.
Once the verification process is complete, you should authorize your domain in the Google Search Console by heading to https://search.google.com/search-console/ and following the screen instructions.
It’ll ensure that Google bots can easily crawl your website for better online visibility.
Other Buying Domain Names-Related Tutorials To Check Out
It’s better to buy a new domain name using the above process rather than transferring ownership of an already registered domain,
as there’s always a risk of spammy history.
Here are some more buying a domain name-related tutorials to check out:
- How to Start a Blog: Learn the step-by-step process to start a long, build a loyal audience base and make money blogging in 2022.
- How to Come Up With a Blog Name: Know the intricate details about blog names, why it matters,and how to come up with the right one for your website.
- How To Buy Expired Domains: Learn the entire process of buying an expired domain for a new venture or pass link juice to your existing website.
Wrapping Up
A good domain name is the simplest branding tool to boost awareness and trust among your target audience.
Though you might be tempted to buy keyword-rich names from someone else, using domain name search tools to find a relevant blog name is better.
And once you do that, complete the checkout, make the payment and fill in the contact details to legally register the domain name for your website.
