Building a website or an online presence often begins with a domain. Here is a beginner's guide that answers all your questions.
Building a website or an online presence often begins with a domain. But if you are just starting out, domain registration and management may feel a bit daunting. We got you covered, here is a beginner's guide that answers all the fundamental questions.
What is a domain?
A unique domain name is your address on the internet, it tells people where to find you on the world wide web. If your website was a house, your domain would be the address.
A wisely chosen domain name is important for businesses as it helps you to stand out among hundreds and thousands of websites.
Pro Tip: Simplicity is key. But there is more to it - we gathered tips around picking the right domain name here.
What does a domain look like?
Here is an example: domaindiscount24.com
A domain consists of your chosen name (domaindiscount24 in this example) and a domain extension (.com here). There are generic extensions such as .net or .online, as well as country-specific ones like .de. If you feel unsure, you never go wrong with the most popular - .com.
Pro Tip: At domaindiscount24 we offer over 1,000 endings to choose from.
As for your name, keep in mind that domains are case insensitive, which means upper and lower case characters are considered the same. Spaces, underscores, and special characters are not allowed.
How do I register a domain?
You can buy your domain name through a registrar, a company that manages the registration of domain names such as domaindiscount24. All registrars are authorized by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the global governing body for domain names.
When your desired domain name is already taken, you can patiently wait for it to expire (we definitely wouldn’t recommend that), make a tweak, or change your top-level domain e.g. from yourdomain.com to .yourdomain.biz. If you want to go further, you can find out who registered the domain here to see if the owner is interested in selling.
How much does a domain cost?
Most domain names cost anywhere between $2 and $30 a year. Generally, newer domain extensions are on the higher-end of the price range, whereas legacy domains like .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz are cheaper, but more likely to be taken.
Can I change my domain?
Yes, you can. In case the name of your company changes, you are planning to merge, expand or retarget your business, it is possible to change your internet address. Your website will be linked to a new domain. The provider usually remains the same.
However, this isn’t recommended as you’ll lose all the SEO benefits (that help you rank higher on google search) associated with your domain name and moving a website across domain names is a tedious process that requires several checks.
Can I move or transfer my domain?
If you are not satisfied with your provider e.g. due to poor support, price increase, or insufficient web space, you can transfer it to a new one. A domain transfer is free of charge, however, most domain transfers like .com, .net, .online include a 1-year renewal so you’ll be charged a 1-year renewal fee when transferring a domain from one provider to another.
The rules for country-specific domain names vary from domain extension to domain extension so best to check with your domain provider before initiating a transfer.