How Do I Get A Domain?
To get a domain you must register it with a domain registrar. You must pay the registrar for your domain. You own it for as long as you pay for it. This is a very simple process that takes about five minutes. There are many companies on the Internet that do this. You may choose to own more than one domain in the future and will want to keep them all in one place. You can also buy existing domains from current owners or resellers. Domains are not websites.
Why Do I Need A Domain?
1. Domains are affordable to own - around $10 a year.
2. Domains increase in value over time.
3. Some one else may (or probably will) get it if you don't.
You need your own domain if you want to secure your personal web presence for the future. Think of it as a piece of Internet Real Estate. There can only ever be one "BillSmith.com" or "SuperCoolLady.net." If you host a web page (or website) at your domain and allow it to get internet visitors, your domain will be worth more in the future. The longer it is registered and the more traffic it receives over time, the more it could potentially be worth. To learn more about hosting web pages please visit Jimbo's Big Hosting Page.
Jimbo's Domain Tips
- A .com (dot com) is always best. If you can afford it you may also want to get the .net and .info of the same domain. If you own different versions of the same name you can redirect YourName.net and YourName.info to YourName.com.
- It is best not to get your primary domain name for "free" or "included with" a hosting package or something. This may make transferring or even selling it at a later date difficult.
- It is best to buy your domain from a reputable company with a free and easy transfer policy (so you can transfer your domain to a new registrar if you ever want to).
- You can "park" your domain (if you aren't going to put a web page on it) and possibly earn a few bucks from advertising.
- Registering a domain and hosting a web page are two different and separate things. Many companies do both - don't confuse the two. You can register your domain with any company and host any web pages for it with a different company if you so choose.
- The terms "domain", "domain name" and "URL" are almost synonymous. A domain or domain name is just the actual part you chose --yourname.com-- and URL is the exact web address for a web browser --http://www.yourname.com--.
- You can write your domain name with a mixture of upper and lower case letters but your URL will always be all lower case.
- Try to get a domain that has letters and numbers only. Domain names are easier to say verbally the shorter they are and when they don't contain special characters like "-" or "_".
I use Sedo to park my unused domains and find out how much they are worth on the open market. It is also a great place to look up used domains that are for sale. It is free to open an account with Sedo and there are no monthly fees. For more Internet money making ideas visit
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Where Should I Get A Domain?
I use and recommend 1&1 and DomainMonster. You can register your domain with many different companies and I've used several over the years. I narrowed it down to these two companies because I just like them better than all the others I've used. Once you've registered your domain with one company you can transfer it to another in the future but keep in mind this is a tedious process. Free domains are often offered with web hosting packages. If you don't need to host any web pages and are just buying a domain name to have for the future, don't get a hosting package you won't use.
You can use this easy form to do some domain name research right now and see if your domain name is available.
There is no need to use "www" or the "http://" prefixes, just type exactly what you would like the domain to be before the "dot". If you want to look up "Bill Smith dot com", type "billsmith" (without the quotation marks). Use the drop down menu to check other top level domains like .net or .info.
There is no need to use "www" or the "http://" prefixes, just type exactly what you would like the domain to be before the "dot". If you want to look up "Bill Smith dot com", type "billsmith" (without the quotation marks). Use the drop down menu to check other top level domains like .net or .info.
1&1 has great sales all the time on both domain names and web hosting. If you just need one domain name for now and don't have the need for much else you may like DomainMonster better.
Great prices although they will try to sell you hosting you may not need. If you see your self possibly owning more than 5 or 10 domains down the road start with 1&1.
Great prices although they will try to sell you hosting you may not need. If you see your self possibly owning more than 5 or 10 domains down the road start with 1&1.
DomainMonster is great for managing 1 domain or 100. They also give a discount if you pay for more years up front instead of having to renew every year. This makes it even more cost effective to own more than one domain for long periods of time.
DomainMonster doesn't sell web hosting which is actually better if you aren't planning on hosting very many web pages yourself.
DomainMonster doesn't sell web hosting which is actually better if you aren't planning on hosting very many web pages yourself.
All the links on this site are my affiliate links. I can honestly say I use, am very happy with and recommend all the products or services linked here. This also allows me to intelligently answer questions about them. ~Jimbo - Honesty Doesn't Suck™
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