OK, getting a domain name is pretty easy these days, you can just go to a domain registrar and search for a name you would like to have. I like using a company called GoDaddy.com, I use them because their pricing is good, and they have an easy to use dashboard, that makes working with your domain names a breeze, along with the reliability, I have received over the years of using them. And if you need to talk to someone, they even have a phone number to call. I say this because some don’t.
Some Things when Selecting a Domain Name:
- While I use GoDaddy.com for my domain names, I mainly host with another service, like HostGator.com. Mainly because I like keeping my domain system separate from my hosting. And I find GoDaddy’s great at handling domains and HostGator.com is better at handling the hosting. That’s just the way I like doing it.
- When you start thinking of names, keep in mind your keywords for your product or service. If your keyword is, “dog walking” a good domain name would be: dogwalking.com, where a not so good names would be: iwalkdogs.com or bigmikesdogservice.com
- Also it’s best to get the, .com, .net. or .org over the other TLD’s. (See Below for the Technical Jargon)
- Of course some times you just like the name, like SmallTimeMarketer.com. Not the best SEO name, but I liked it, and it does have meaning to what I do.
- Try and keep it short, some services have trouble with very long names.
- Make it easy to remember. Try not to use spellings like, dogz to be cool, most people won’t think of that.
Getting Started:
- First go to www.GoDaddy.com
to create an account.
- Click on Create Account.
- Enter your information into the form.
- Then click the Create A New Account button.
- Follow their instructions to confirm your account.
Now that you have an account, you’ll want to get your domain name, log in and then, click on the “Start Domain Search box, shown here, and type in the name you would like to get.
Let’s say you typed “ilikeshoes.com” here is the results at this time:
As you can see, ilikeshoes.com is already taken, but there are some alternatives like, ilikeshoes.org and others. If you like one of these, you can just click the box next to the name and then click on the Continue to Registration button.
Or just click in the search box, fill in another name and click the Search button, to do another name search, until you find just the right name.
TIP: Make sure to check your spelling, before purchasing your name, I left out a letter one time, and had already clicked purchase. Luckily, I caught it and called support at GoDaddy and they fixed it for me, before too much time had passed.
Technical Jargon: Read if you dare…
A domain name is a Web address, such as smalltimemarketer.com, linked to an IP address (which represents a physical point on the Internet). When someone types a domain name into a Web browser, the requested Web page displays.
A domain name consists of a top-level and a second-level domain. A top-level domain (TLD) is the part of the domain name located to the right of the dot (smalltimemarketer.com). The most common top-level domains are .COM, .NET, and .ORG. Some other popular top-level domains are .BIZ, .INFO, .NAME and .WS. These TLDs have certain guidelines but are, for the most part, available to any registrants, anywhere in the world.
The part of the domain name located to the left of the dot — “smalltimemarketer,” in this case — is called the second-level domain (SLD) name. The second-level domain name is the “readable” part of the address and refers to the organization or entity behind the Internet address. Second-level domain names are registered with an Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) accredited registrar. Such as GoDaddy.com.
Keep in mind, this is only a quick overview on getting a domain name. Other factors to consider, like Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Trade Mark Names, and more.
Well, that’s about it on getting a domain name, I hope you liked it, if you have any questions, please use the comments below, of contact me. I’ll be happy to help.
Until next time,
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