The very first step of starting any online business or creating a website is having the right domain name that exactly reflects the goals and ideology of your website.
If you are looking to buy a domain for your website, then you might be confused with lots of choices and options. This article will guide you on how you can buy the best domain name for your website at the cheapest price from the best provider in the market.
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Best Domain Name Registrars in 2022
Godaddy – Definitely a well-known brand that comes into your mind, the moment you think about buying a domain name. And their customer service is exceptional. Most expensive on the list. Free whois protection.
Namecheap – It is great not just for domain names but also for web and email hosting.
If you are planning to buy both domain name and hosting services, then Namecheap is the best choice. The user interface is beginner friendly and you can manage your domain as well as hosting in a single panel.
Cloudflare – You probably would have known Cloudflare for its amazing CDN service. But, not many are aware that they offer an amazing domain name service at a much cheaper price than the market price.
The cheapest on the list. And they are one of the reputed and trustworthy tech brands. But one thing to be aware of is that if you buy a domain from Cloudflare you can use only Cloudflare’s DNS which is free.
But you should have some basic knowledge about how to set up DNS. Also, there is no live customer system. If you have good technical knowledge then Cloudflare is your must-go option.
Porkbun – You get .com at $9.49 with free whois protection included. The renewal price is cheaper than other providers. The support system is not 24×7 but a chat-based system. If you are quite comfortable with domain management, it is a good option.
Google Domains – They offer .com domains for $12 a year. Simple interface and they don’t upsell you with unnecessary extra add-ons.
With Google Domains it is extremely easy to integrate your Domain Name with popular platforms in a single click. Need not copy-paste the nameservers back and forth. The price is a bit on the higher side compared to other providers, but it is worth paying for the ease of use.
What to look for in a Domain Registrar
Here is a list of features that can help you evaluate the trustworthiness of any domain registrar. With a lot of companies offering domains at the cheapest price, it becomes a tedious task to find the best from the rest.
This list will make the filtration easier. Here is what you should look for in a domain registrar before making your choice of purchase.
SSL Certificate – A domain registrar must offer an SSL Certificate for every domain you purchase. SSL certificate is mandatory for the security of your website and a domain registrar should offer it.
Privacy Protection – The domain registrar should offer a privacy protection feature. A Privacy Protection feature is used to hide the contact details of the owner of the domain from the whois database. This acts as a layer of security and spam protection. Though it is optional whether to choose it or not, a reliable domain registrar should offer you this feature in the first place.
Renewal Rate – The renewal rate is the rate at which the domain name renews after the initial subscription period gets over. Most people fail to notice the renewal rate while purchasing a domain. Certain Domain registrars charge the cheapest initial purchase fee but their renewal rate will be 3 times the initial price. A good domain registrar should charge a reasonable renewal rate.
Customer Support – Domain Registrars should offer timely customer support in case of issues or problems. Not many people are technically equipped to solve a domain-related issue. Therefore, it is essential for the domain registrar to offer reliable timely help at times of technical issues.
Security and Reliability – The Registrar should be a reliable and well-established brand name in the market.
Mistakes to avoid when you buy a domain name
Here are a few mistakes that people often make while making their domain name purchase. People are not even aware of these and continue to do it on consecutive purchases as well. That is why we have pointed out some of the common mistakes that people make while purchasing a domain.
Buying from CMS platforms – CMS platforms like Wix, Squarespace, web flow not just helps you build your websites, but also offers your hosting and domain name.
But if you compare the pricing of these domain names in these CMS platforms with the market price, these CMS platforms charge you extra dollars for the convenience they offer.
When you buy a domain name from these CMS there is no need to integrate the domain name servers. Everything is taken care of by the CMS platform itself. But this doesn’t come free, it comes with that little additional charge. If you are looking to save money, it is better to buy your domain name outside and integrate it with these platforms.
Check the Renewal Price – Whenever you buy a domain, the prices for the first 12 months are going to be very cheaper. But most people fail to notice the renewal price rate that is charged after the initial 12 months. It can be several times your initial price. You might end up spending a lot more money in the following years.
Ignoring Privacy Details – Always enable the Privacy Protection feature (whois protection). Invest some extra money in protecting your contact details and other private details. Every reliable Domain Seller will provide you with this option.
Many people ignore it as an unnecessary expense. But it will protect your details whenever someone tries to whois your domain name. Without Enabling privacy protection, your data including your email address will be available to everyone and you can get a lot of spam emails.
Cheap Provider with Limited Support – Don’t fall for cheap domain service providers, just because they provide domains at a much cheaper price. These domains can cause you a lot of headaches in the future and also these providers never provide legit customer support at times of problems. Always go with trusted domain name providers even if the price is a bit higher.
Tips for Choosing your Domain Name
Choosing something is always cumbersome. Whether it is food, travel destination, or even the domain name. But there are some tips that can help you choose a better domain name. Here are some of the tips:
Always go for .com – Everyone has a good association with .com domain names. Using a different extension will make your website not just look unprofessional but also creates hesitation in people’s mind.
Whenever we hear a domain name without an extension, we automatically associate it with a .com extension. With the explosive use of the .com domains, most of our brains got wired that way. It is quite hard to break the wiring. That is why it is highly recommended to go with the .com extension.
Short and Memorable – Choose a short and memorable domain name. A Long and descriptive domain name is difficult to remember and the chances of people misspelling it is quite high as well. Try to have a short domain name that is easy to remember. Don’t come up with complicated terminologies or phrases that the general audience is not even aware of.
Start with a 1-year registration – With the increase in the number of years, the overall registration fees get lowered. But don’t fall into the trap of a many years plan. Always start with a 1-year plan and if everything goes as planned and your website performs well, renew it.
Just like gym memberships, people also buy domains for several years and just completely forget about them in a few months. So, it is always better to start with the one-year registration plan and upgrade when required.
Look out for Copywriting issues – Before finalizing a domain name, make a simple google search to find out if there is any other influencer, celebrity, people, or any brand associated with it. Going with such domain names can land you in copyright issues in the future. Also affects your domain ranking.
Use Namechecker – Use tools like namecheckr to find out if the domain name you are going after is already being used by someone else on all the available social platforms. This gives an overall insight into how good or bad the name you have chosen is.
Don’t use numbers or other special characters – Avoid using numbers or other special characters in your domain name. At the very first look, it makes your domain look spammy, also websites name with special characters are hard to type and search for.
Use Keywords if possible – Try to incorporate keywords related to your niche in your domain name. Don’t use many keywords, but having at least one is essential and is also good for ranking. It gives your website an initial boost and it becomes a bit easier for your site to rank for the chosen keywords.
Conclusion
This article is your go-to guide before you choose to buy a domain in the future. With the tips and steps in the article, you can make better decisions on your next domain purchase.
