In today's world of e-business, one of the biggest
advantages you have as a domain name buyer is control. The industry is
chock full of companies offering domain name registration services,
empowering you to seek out precisely what you are looking for.
Let Rackspace make the difference with reliable managed hosting solutions backed by Fanatical Support.™ 100% Network Uptime Money-Back Guar., 1-hour hardware replacement, 24/7 LIVE, MS and LNX certified technical support.
But although you are ultimately in control, buying a
domain name still requires careful consideration. After all, you want
to buy a useful domain that is backed by a reliable registrar.
Obviously, the first step in purchasing a domain is to
think of a name. When searching for a name, forget about purchasing a
single-world .com, .net or .org domain name; virtually all of these
have already been snapped up. Instead, try to think of word variations
or word combinations that are easy to remember and spell.
If you can't think of a suitable name on your own, there are several tools available that can help you. (Nameboy
is one of the most powerful and popular tools; simply enter two
keywords in to the site's interface, and it will return several dozen
domain name ideas.)
Once you've settled on a domain name, be sure to shop
around for a reasonable price before committing to a registrar. The
days of the $100 domain name are over; many reputable companies now
offer domains as low as nine or ten dollars. When shopping, keep your
eyes peeled for any value added services you may find useful,
including:
Domain name parking/temporary one-page sites
URL forwarding
Free e-mail forwarding
Technical support
Online control panel
Remember, the industry is so saturated that you are in
control. Therefore, shop around for a deal you feel best suits you
prior to registering. You'll want to make the right choice the first
time, as transferring your domain to a new registrar is rarely a
pleasant experience.
When shopping for a domain, it is also important to keep
an eye open for domain name scams. The surging popularity of domain
name affiliate programs has created countless "fly by night"
operations; dozens of domain name resellers worldwide cease operations
every month, often leaving the administrative status of the domains
they leave behind up in the air. Making a purchase from a reseller is
not a bad decision, but make sure to research the company's history and
credentials. There are less than 170 ICANN-accredited registrars (that
is, non-resellers) for .com, .net and .org domains worldwide; a full
list is available here.
Once you've picked a domain and a registrar, you will
need to decide how long to purchase it for. While shorter lengths of
time can initially appear cheaper, they also require more frequent
renewals, and can therefore be more expensive over the long haul - so
consider the future of your domain before you buy it. Will you still
like the domain name in six months? How about a year? Do you ever plan
to use it? Is it worth buying at all? These are all important questions
to consider before committing funds.
And finally, keep a record of everything. Make sure you
know when your domain will expire, who you registered it with, and even
the name(s) you registered (you would be amazed at how easy they are to
forget). The last thing you want to do is scramble to renew a domain
you forgot about.
