Domain Names Technology [How to Choose and Purchase a Domain Name]

In my previous post, I made it very clear that domain names are important aspects, and must be treated carefully. Everyone in the place of hosting or owning a website needs to put the vital time in picking a domain name. Many will have a problem with how to do that, and I will try to draw attention to some aspects to put in mind. Let's look at how we can choose a domain name for our website, be you a developer or non-developer hoping to own and host a personal website.

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1.) Domain Registrar:

Domain registrar is a web platform where we can secure domains for our websites. It is important to log into any of the domain registrars online to secure a domain name for your website.

Well, this is the point where you decide if you are going for a free domain name or pay domain name. Some website builders offer free domains, and the problem with the free domain is that it has a limitation of services. Free domains are subdomains to the providers, and an example is WordPress. They offer you a domain name "mysite.wordpress.com" including their brand to your domain.

This option is not the best when you plan to brand your website with its unique identity. So to have a more professional and customized domain name, you need to go for the option of an actual domain register.

• Where can I have a domain name?

We have two options, either from a standalone domain register or a web hosting provider. Standalone are companies that sell just domain names which the DNS will be configured to point to the server (host). The second option, you don't have any need to configure. The job is been done for you by the hosting provider. With the second option, your domain name and host are offered by the same provider making it easy to manage.

I still go back to the fact that hosting is as important as the domain name. The primary finding of the hosting provider and feature offer is vital to your site. Check if the host supports unlimited traffic, a secure SSL/TLS certificate, storage capacity, can you install WordPress and other web software. You can go as far as checking even the programming languages supported by the host.

2.) Research your Domain name

Before getting any domain name, you need to do some research on the domain name. Check that the domain name matches your website to carry the identity and brand.

Research domain names can be very complicated that you might need a tool like Google Keyword Planner. This tool can help put keywords together to have a unique brand name easy to remember for visitors.

The domain name of your website needs to be accurate and related to the content published on the site.

Lastly, try to keep the domain name short, simple, and easy to remember for your visitors. The long domain gets complicated, boring, and confusing for visitors.

3.) Check Availability and Purchase.

After picking your domain name register, research the domain name you want to be used. It is time to check if the domain is available for you to buy and use for your website. There are millions of websites online, with each holding a unique domain name. So possible you can have a domain name in mind which is taken.

You will not need to go online checking one after the other, that will be stressful for human comprehension. Most domain name registrars and web hosts offer tools to check domain name availability. This is done by typing your desired domain name and checking the availability, the tool will scan the internet for you and give the result.

If your desired domain name is already taken, the tool provider will suggest alternative domain names under different top-level domains. If you find what you want, you can go ahead to click the buy now button.

Some of your personal information will be demanded to confirm your buying order. If you are buying your domain name from your host provider, you will also have the option of picking your host plan. For other cases, you have to personally configure your DNS to point to your host provided.

In simple terms, here is the three-step you should put in mind when choosing and purchasing a domain name for your website. What I will be talking about next time will be understanding Different Types of Domains.

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