Chris Harris

How Do I Buy a Website Name?

Have you ever thought about owning your own website domain name? Maybe <yourname>.org or myotherwebsiteisaschoollibrary.com? This post will start you on the steps that can turn your website dreams into a reality (for a small price). Here we are talking about buying a domain name, next time we will cover the actual website itself.

TECH BREAK: A domain is the website name, like the domain name for this site is schoollibraryjournal.com. The .com is the TLD or top-level domain (like .edu, .org, .gov, etc.). You can buy the same domain name in multiple top-level domains like slj.com, slj.net, slj.org, etc.

The first step is to come up with an idea for your domain name. This may not be the same as coming up with the name you want. One of the barriers to getting a domain name is that so many are already claimed. In many cases, domain "speculators" have bulk purchased any domains they think someone might want to use. They will gladly resell the domain to you for a few hundred dollars, but there are other ways to proceed. 

A great way to get started is to brainstorm words you might want to use in a domain and then use a domain name browser like Instant Domain Search to see what might be available for a word or word pattern. It helps to get creative here, as well. There is a reason why so many new Web2.0 tools I talk about on here have very odd names or misspelled names - those were names they didn't have to worry about being taken!  

So why else should I use a tool like Instant Domain Search to check domains? This tool also shows you the big three TLDs, .com, .net, and .org. It would be awful to finally get a great domain name and then have an unsavory website take up residence using your name at a different TLD. In the end, if you can spare the money (about $10 a year/each) it is a really good idea to go ahead and register all three TLDs at the same time.

Okay...you have a name and are ready to move forward. Now you need to find a domain register - a company that acts as a broker between you and the Internet. I use GoDaddy.com and have had great service. This is a statement of fact, and not an endorsement of the company (or their Super Bowl ads) because I hesitate to fully recommend them. Their website is VERY confusing to look at and they spend way too much time trying to sell you other products. Other choices that I have read positive reviews of (but haven't tried as it is easiest to have all your domains together) are Moniker.com and NameCheap.com (don't be fooled, this one gets the best reviews!).

While you will have to go through the interface and shopping cart for whatever registrar you pick, here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to reviewing pricing and additional service offerings.

• Domain names should run you around $9 to $10 a year. Sometimes it is cheaper to register more than one domain at a time or to register a domain for more than one year.
• You probably want to select the option to auto-renew your domain so that your credit card will be charged at the end of your registration period. If you fail to renew on time, someone else can grab your name!
• You have to provide your personal information to register a domain, but you can avoid having that information publicly available by using private registration (sometimes called private whois) to hide your private details. Expect to pay about $5 - $7 for this.

The other service you will see on some of the registrars pages is an offer to provide hosting along with your domain name. This will be covered in more depth in my next post about actually having a website, but the short answer is that you probably want to skip these offers and look for a more customized solution.

Posted by Chris Harris on June 13, 2007 | Comments (8)