What is a domain name?
A domain name can be defined as the address of your website that is unique. It is that which people use to find your website over the internet. It typically gives an idea as to what your website offers at the first glance. e.g www.fancykitchen.com.
Parts of a Domain Name
DOMAIN NAME INTRO
The importance of having a custom domain name cannot be over-emphasized. A custom domain adds professional credibility to your business and brand and makes it easy for users to single you out. It also increases awareness of that which you are promoting even without one going through your website. Hence you cannot afford not to have one.
In addition, as a blogger, publisher, or business person that depends on online traffic to thrive, your success or failure is highly dependent on your domain name. Your domain name can be likened to your identity on the web beyond your location. To stress the importance of having the right domain, I will give an example; imagine you intend to build a website that is centered around fashion and then you end up choosing a domain name like best farmer.com, You can clearly see that there is no correlation and this can lead potential visitors away because the first thing people see online is your domain name.
Hence getting it right from the start is very important. Below are some guidelines you should follow when choosing a domain name.
- Association: This means that you should choose a domain name that is related to your business or that even better suits your business. No misunderstandings should exist regarding the services your website provides. People should be able to tell at a quick glance what they can expect from visiting your website. Please make sure there are no misunderstandings.
- Ease of Searching: Ensure that your domain name is easy to find. This is of particular importance if you want to rank well on google search engines. Before you choose your domain name, I will advise that you do a keyword search and take into consideration your niche and environment.
- Simplicity: Your domain name should be straightforward in the sense that it should be simple to type, pronounce, and remember.
- Try your best to come up with a memorable domain name that is distinctive and can be branded.
Types of Domain
GENERIC TOP-LEVEL DOMAINS
- .com. A .com is a generic top-level domain which simply means that it can be used by anyone.
- .me: A .me is mostly used for a personal website.
- .Info: is used for websites that focus on information distribution.
- .net: is used for sites that offer technical services.
- .biz: is used for eCommerce websites such as online stores, businesses, etc.
- .org: is mainly used for non -commercial sites that are non-profit in nature
Country-Code Top-level Domain
- .ng (Nigeria)
- .ls (Lesotho)
- .uk (united kingdom)
- .Za (south Africa)
Third-level domain
- www (is the most popular third-level domain)
- .blogspot.com (e.gwww.bestbooks.blogspot.com)
- .wordpress.com
I will be touching on 5 domain providers with respect to Starting price, Renewal cost, and free WHOIS privacy(WHOIS privacy allows anyone to search and find domains that are registered, and it also reduces spamming)
1. namecheap.com
namecheap.com is currently providing a 50% discount for all .com domain purchases. The former price was about 13.98$ per year. so you can take advantage of the ongoing discount
- Starting price: $6.98 yearly
- Renewal price: $13.98
- Free WHOIS privacy: Yes
2. godaddy.com
godaddy.com has about 21 million users in the world and still counting. They also provide a professional email for just £1.5 per month. Godaddy does not provide a free SSL. you have to purchase it. You can also transfer your domain to GoDaddy if you want to.
- Starting price: $2.99 yearly
- Renewal price: $ 19.99
- Free WHOIS privacy: Yes
Personally, I use godaddy.com and I can attest to their WhatsApp services; I had a challenge and it was resolved via the series of communication I had with a GoDaddy representative. After buying my domain, I was automatically added to their WhatsApp service platform.
- Starting price: $8.99 yearly
- Renewal price: $17.99
- Free WHOIS privacy: Yes
Hostgator.com currently uses multiple domain registrars which are eNom, LaunchPad, and Public domain Registrar.
- Starting price:$17.99 yearly
- Renewal price:$17.99
- Free WHOIS privacy: No
- Starting price:$8.99 yearly
- Renewal price:$17.99
- Free WHOIS privacy: Yes
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