Do You Need To Pay For A Domain Name

Option B: Get A Free Domain Name With A Site Builder Plan

You dont have to be a web developernor do you have to hire oneto get a professional website. All-in-one site builders, such as Squarespace, Weebly, and Wix, all give you the ability to build your own site easily and code-free. And, because these plans are all-inclusive, youll get a free domain with your plan of choice, in addition to everything else you need to build and maintain your small business website.

Why Do I Need A Domain Name

From third party publishing platforms to Facebook pages and groups, internet users have many options for establishing an online presence without a domain of their own. Whether youre starting a personal blog or building a business, owning your own domain name is a smart move that puts you in control of your brand and the content you create on the web. If you have ever asked yourself, Why do I need a domain name?, the experts at Bluehost are here to help. This guide will cover the importance of a domain name, what it is, and why you need one if you want to start a successful website.

I Bought A Domain Now What Exact Things To Do Next

1. Get a hosting for your domain

The next thing to do after registering a domain is to buy hosting for it.

If you dont already know, let me explain you what a domain is and why you need hosting.

A domain is like your address to your offline retail store. And hosting is like the brick and mortar shop where you store your goods to sell . Got it?

Now for the hosting, there are dime a dozen hosting providers. Dont ever settle with a free hosting or something that is too good a deal to be true. These do more damage to you than good.

I recommend Bluehost hosting and easy to deal with. I am not a technical guy and when it comes to online business I want a resource/hosting I can turn to when I have a glitch. Bluehost never has let me down on this.

Their basic plan starts at $2.99/month.

2. Connect Your Domain to Bluehost Hosting & Install WordPress on It

Now that you have bought the hosting, but you have your domain name bought elsewhere, all you need is to direct the domain name to point visitors to your hosting. You can easily do so by updating the DNS of the domain.

Ill share the step by step way to do so with Godaddy registered domain .

Here is how to point your Godaddy domain to Bluehost:

3. Design Your Blog

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What Should My Domain Name Be

Ideally, youre going to be holding on to this domain name for a long time, so choosing the right one is important.

When youre considering a domain name, ask yourself these questions:

• Is it relatively short? Super long domain names are hard to remember and type. Aim for 15 characters or less.
• Does it read well? If people mentally stumble over saying your URL, itll lose some of its impact.
• Is it specific to me? Youre trying to enhance your personal brand, so pick a domain name that helps with that.

To see whether a domain name is available, try Squarespaces domain search engine.

Id start by looking up your first and last name followed by .com. This format is memorable, relevant, and uniqueand as I talked about earlier, owning your name gives you more control over your online identity.

If your name isnt available with the .com extension, consider using a different extension. For example, you could use .bio or .expert if you want to keep it professional, .design or .finance if you want to tie it to your profession, or .cool or .fyi if you want to add a little humor and personality. The options are pretty endless.

You can also experiment with different variations on your name. Here are some ideas:

• first name + middle initial + last name
• first name + middle name + last name
• first initial + middle initial + last name

Alternatively, you can incorporate your profession or interests. Here are some more ideas:

Inmotion Hosting Best Vps Web Hosting

InMotion Hosting offers both shared hosting and VPS web hosting. Both types of hosting come with a free domain as long as you sign up for a minimum of 6 months.

VPS hosting is an excellent choice if youve outgrown shared hosting and are seeing considerable site performance issues.

Going with VPS ensures your site loads faster and efficiently handles dynamic resource demand. Plus, you get a lot more control over your hosting environment.

With that said, VPS hosting is a bit more expensive since youre getting more features and improved site performance.

InMotion Hostings three-year VPS plans include:

• 2 GB RAM $31.99 per month
• 4 GB RAM $41.99 per month
• 6 GB RAM $61.99 per month
• 8 GB RAM $77.99 per month

If youre switching from shared hosting, the introductory plan is more than enough and you can upgrade as you need more server resources.

You can choose from monthly, six-month, one-year, two-year, and three-year agreements. However, you have to opt for at least a six-month contract to get a free domain name. But signing up for three years in advance gives you the best deal.

InMotion Hosting also offers unmanaged VPS hosting options for developers and advanced website designers looking for even more flexibility with advanced command-line control.

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Verify Domain Name Ownership

The final step is to verify the domain ownership through the email address you used when registering the domain. The email usually arrives within a few minutes after finishing the domain setup. Simply click the verification link in the email to verify your contact information.

If the email doesnt arrive, resend the request from the control panel. We recommend doing it immediately, as waiting for 15 days or more will lead to a temporary suspension from the registry.

Thats all there is to it. Now you know how to buy a website domain name and complete the initial registration process.

Expert Tip

To make the most out of your newly acquired domain, consider authorizing it with the Google Search Console. This will provide you with important analytical insights and make it easier for Google to crawl the content of your site.

First, log into your Google account and head to the Search Console page. If you want your entire domain to be crawled, enter the URL in the bar on the left. Once thats done, click Continue and youll be presented with a code. Then, copy it and do not close the tab.

Now, log into your Hostinger account, head to the hPanel, and on to the DNS Zone Editor. Under Manage DNS Records, select TXT as the Type. Unless youre only adding a specific subdomain to the Search Console, leave @ as the Name. Next, copy the code youve received previously as the TXT Value. We recommend leaving the TTL Value as the default. To finish it all off, click on Add Record.

Choose The Best Domain Name Option

When youre checking for available domain names, youll often find that your first, second, and tenth choices are already taken. Some of the different approaches you can take when this happens are:

• Keep searching. Let your creative juices flow, and continue to search until you find something you love or at least like.
• Choose another extension. If the .com isnt available and youre set on a certain name, consider the .net or .org if you think it will work.
• Reach out to the owner. Maybe the domain is already owned, but its not being put to much use. You could reach out to the owner with an offer.

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Our Top Recommendations For Getting A Free Domain

If youre looking for an all-in-one website builder, a Wix paid plan is the best way to get a free domain name. However, if you want to go the self-hosted route, Hostinger and DreamHost are excellent choices for most users.

Equipped with your free domain and affordable web hosting, you have everything you need to get your new website up and running in no time.

Complete The Domain Registration

As soon as you have completed the payment, youll be redirected to the control panel. Inside, there will be a setup box that youll need to fill out to complete the domain name registration.

Youll need to fill in all the fields with the correct details, such as your name, address, andcontact information. This data will be stored on WHOIS, the official domain ownership database.

After submitting your details, the domain registration will be processed.

Its possible to modify the domain ownership details using the domain management section within the control panel. Once the changes are made, you will have to confirm them via email.

Also Check: How To Transfer Godaddy Domain To Shopify

Premium Domain Name Cost

Premium domain names are pre-registered high-quality aftermarket domains that are more brandable and memorable. These domain names are available for sale at a high price that can go up to millions of dollars.

People invest in these premium domains by purchasing high-quality aftermarket domains to sell later at a higher price for profit. The price depends on the uniqueness of the name, domain, length, and overall brand potential.

The difference between a regular domain with a premium aftermarket domain is the length of the domain name. High-quality domain names are often short, closely associated with a service or industry, and have popular TLDs like .com, .in, and .net.

The most expensive domain names sold include LasVegas.com for $90 million, CarInsurance.com for $49.7 million, and Insurance.com for $35.6 million.

The benefits of registering a premium domain name are:

• Easy to remember. Visitors wont misspell or confuse your website with a different name as premium domain names are more intuitive.
• Better branding. Premium domain names cast your business in the best light, giving credibility that increases visitors trust.
• Better search ranking. A business working in a specific industry can get higher traffic by having a premium domain name, such as Insurance.com.
• Investment. The more people use the internet, the higher the prices of these domains can go since they will be able to reach more customers.

How Much Does A Domain Cost

The price of your precious name will depend greatly on a number of different factors, such as:

The domain extension: .com or .org are often more expensive than .co.uk or .fr for the same domain.

Where you purchase your domain from: Not all registrars have the same prices, not to mention the variations on the aftermarket service.

The terms you select: Securing your name for one or multiple years might impact the price of your deal.

The popularity of your keywords: Not all words are worth the same – for example, CarInsurance.com was sold for a whopping $49.7 million, making it the most expensive domain ever paid for.

Privacy protection: All domain owners are required to share their name and contact to the ICANN, where they are publicly listed. Dont want to be found? Domain privacy replaces your private information with the one of your registrar.

Considering these elements, certain users will be requested to pay higher fees to acquire their domain – because its a competitive market, or because the domain is very sought-after.

But for the majority of domain names, you should not expect to pay more than $20 per year. If the price is higher, it becomes a business decision that you need to weigh out the pros and cons. A useful question to ask yourself is: how much would it cost me not to have the right domain?. Not getting the immediate recognition, reputability, organic traffic and sales resulting from owning the right domain could outweigh the higher price.

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Where Can I Buy A Domain Name

There are plenty of domain name registrars out there, but only a few are worth your consideration:

• Domain.com offers a huge range of TLDs and ccTLDs
• HostGator is both a domain registrar and a hosting company, and allows you to purchase these services together as a bundle
• GoDaddy one of the best-known domain registrars around, plus its also a hosting provider

You can also buy a domain name through a website builder. Website builders are platforms that help beginners set up professional websites, without having to know any code. When you sign up with a website builder, the domain registration process is integrated as part of that sign up making it a perfect option for beginners!

The Domain Registrar You Choose

A domain registrar is a business that sells domain names and handles the business of registering them. There are hundreds of domain registrars, and each can set their own pricing for the domain names they sell. If any registrar you consider seems overly expensive or untrustworthy, dont worry, you have other choices.

The best domain registrar to go with is one thats registered with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers , has a strong reputation within the industry, and sells domains at reasonable prices based on industry standards. Even better if your registrar packages the domain name with other services you need, like a website builder. Then you can save on additional costs of WordPress hosting and other services.

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But My Site Is Just For Fun I’ll Get A Domain When I’m Serious

“But my site is just for fun,” you say. “I’ll buy a domain when I’m serious about making a proper website.”

When I started my first website, it was just for fun. It was a place for me to post a few of the programs I’d writtenand dump my bookmarks which I had annotated with my own notes. Later, I also wrote short articles about my experienceswith creating websites to help visitors who kept emailing me for help. I never planned for that initial play site tobe anything other than a toy.

The beauty about websites you create for fun, as a hobby, is that they are genuine. They are not fake websites createdso that you can earn a quick buck. You pour your soul into it, and the love you lavish upon it can be seen inyour content. And people notice. And when they notice, they’ll come back for more.

What I’m trying to say is don’t underestimate this first website that you’re creating “for fun”.I never stopped working on that first site. It is still here today. You’re looking at it. It’s nowsplit into two,and known as thefreecountry.com and thesitewizard.com.

Your site may be a hobby site now. But who knows what will come of it in the years ahead?