“So you want to buy a website domain… First and foremost, what IS a domain?”
A domain is your website name and the address where Internet users can access your website.
“So what is important about having a domain?”
A domain is typically the first impression a user has with your online brand. It affects several aspects of your online business such as:
- Search Engine Optimization (or SEO) and the overall visibility of your brand on search engines.
- It affects your branding by adding (or taking away) professionalism, visibility, and overall marketability around the world.
- Buying a domain establishes your corner of the internet! It is your personal slice of the pie and important for any business in the 21st century to have.
“I know I want a domain, so where do I buy one?”
From many places! You can buy a domain from a domain broker, a hosting company, or any reliable domain registrar! When choosing a registrar, make sure they are the following:
- Includes Total Feature Set (domain name management, renewal, transfer, and domain privacy protection via WHOIS.
- User Friendly to ensure management of the domains is easy.
- Customer Support in case of issues.
- Domain Protection, is it included free of charge? Are there additional privacy services you can purchase?
- Price. Price is important, but choosing a higher quality registrar will save you heartache.
Our favorite domain registrars are the following:
Gandi (gandi.net)OR
Bluehost (bluehost.com/domains) We always suggest centralizing all of your purchased domains with one domain registrar. This will help you avoid any future headaches when it comes to tracking down a runaway domain. If you need help with unlocking/locking domains and transferring them in order to centralize them, click here.
“How do I choose a good domain name?”
There is a step-by-step process you should always follow for purchasing a good domain:
- Keywords. The keywords in the domain that you purchase directly affect your SEO, as well as your global marketability. You always want to find a domain with keywords that are a related to your product or service. For example, hammersforsale.com would be known as an Exact Match Domain (EMD). This domain would excel on a global level if your service was selling hammers and you would most likely rank much higher than most competitors with less effort on your SEO.
- Choosing popular domain extensions. For instance, .com, .net, .org, or any popular domain extension help a ton for direct searches. However, if you cannot buy a domain you love that has a popular domain extension, don’t fret! Find a similar domain with the extension or take your chances on a less popular extension… such as .io 🙂 you found our website just fine, didn’t you?
- Short & sweet domains are king. Simplicity is key! Make your domain as easy as possible for your users We recommend 6-10 letters, 10 being the max.
Following this quick and easy guide is a sure-fire way to buy a great domain at a great price. If you are looking for an even faster way, look no further, and contact the Nativz team! Let your “Army of Nerds” do the work for you.
