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How to Find Cheap Domain Name Registration
How to Find Cheap Domain Name Registration
Everyone has a web presence these days. If you don’t have a website, you barely exist. Whether it’s a blog, a photo site or a business address, having a website is now as common as having a phone number or email address.
Some Internet sites offer free domain registration, but as an addendum to their own name. For example, if you begin a blog with Blogger, your blog address would be http://nameyouchose.blogspot.com.
If you want real control over your website and domain name, it’s best to register your own.
Back when the World Wide Web first began, registering a domain name was a very expensive proposition that only large businesses could afford. But after the popping of the DOT COM bubble in 2001 and the advent of Web 2.0, prices have dropped significantly. This has opened the door for just about anyone to have their own personal website, plus allowed for smaller business enterprises to have web presence.
Having your own domain offers many perks, including personalized emails addresses. For example, you can add credibility to your enterprise by switching from having a @hotmail.com address to having a @yourdomain.com address. This is integral for businesses. If you purchase a domain plus hosting from most of the companies listed below, they offer free email inboxes on your domain. Each package is different, so be sure to compare before buying.
Deciding on a domain name is the first step. People looking to register a domain first have to think of what they want it to be. Some possible options include:
- Your name
- Your business name
- Your catchphrase (if short)
In many cases, your own name will not be available unless you have a very original name. Adding a word or a middle name can often solve this problem.
A domain name should be simple for others to remember, and not too close to the name of another site, where you might inadvertently send your traffic. In fact, when registering your domain, if you can afford it, purchase both the .com and .net versions to make sure your traffic doesn’t go astray.
Be original, but be simple. Adding dashes, underscores or numbers to your domain name makes it more difficult for people to remember. Make a list of names you’d like to have for your site address. Prioritize them, just in case you don’t get your first choice.
The nest step is to check for availability. Someone may have already registered your chosen name, so you might have to go with a second choice. You can verify availability at WhoIs (www.whois.net) to see if the name you want has been taken already. Domain registration services, like the ones listed below, all have this same function. Just type in the name you want, choose the suffix you prefer (.com, .net, .org, etc) and press “search” to see if it’s available.
Once you have decided on a name and have made sure it is available, it’s time to purchase and register the domain. Web host companies usually offer the best deals on domains. Some will kick them in almost free if you purchase one of their hosting packages.
Where to Buy Cheap Domain Names
- GoDaddy – Prices are as low as $1.99 if you buy one of their hosting packages. Their average price is about $11 to register a .com domain without hosting. GoDaddy is also the simplest company for transferring domains to or from another hosting service.
- 1&1 – Primarily a web hosting service, 1&1 offers all sorts of domains for various prices. Starting at just $8.99 per year, 1&1 offers .com, .net, .org, .biz and more. Hosting begins at $9.99 per month.
- Lucky Register – Offers domain registration starting at $1.99 with hosting package, or $7.49 without.
- Domain.com – Offers both domains and hosting. Domains are under $10 annually with hosting available from $5.75 monthly.
- WebHost4Life – Another hosting company that offers inexpensive domain registration. For under $10 annually you can register your domain and host your website from under $3 per month.
Domain Auctions
What if the name you want is already owned by someone else? A lot of companies will register domains and “park” them, usually with ads on them, hoping someone will buy the domain from them at a higher price than what the regular retailers would charge. It happens often with celebrities, where an unscrupulous domain dealer will buy the name of a new celeb and then sell it to them at a highly inflated price.
It’s not always so seedy, though. Sometimes a domain was bought for good intentions and the need for it evaporated. Then the owner will put it up for auction. Sites like eBay and GoDaddy have domain auctions, where you can buy domain names off other users instead of fresh from the registrar.
Other Applicable Domain Fees
ICANN is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. Basically it is a directory of who holds which domain names. ICANN is an overarching body that all domain registration companies must be accredited by. In addition to the fee you pay the registration company, there is an annual administration fee of about $0.20 that is collected for ICANN. ICANN is a non-profit governance body.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 at 10:27 am and is filed under Domains. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.