Important Tips for Domain Registration
Are you a small business desiring an online presence but finding the process quite daunting? The first step in this direction is acquiring a web address or domain name for your online business. Your domain name is an important part of your online business identity and should be chosen with a lot of care.
Choosing a Domain Name
You probably already have a name in mind which could be the name of your existing business. You will now need to check its availability with a domain registrar. For example, if the name of your existing business is Premier Tissues, you can choose premiertissues.com as your domain name. However, it’s highly probable that this name could already be taken. You can try out variations to your business name by adding special characters to it, such as premier_tissues.com, premier-tissue.com, premier1tissues.com etc.
Domain Name Extensions
The next step is adding the extension to your domain name. This would depend on your area of business. If you are looking at a global market, use a .com, .net or .biz extension. A ‘.com’ extension in particular, is very popular and should be your first preference. Only if this is already taken, should you even consider a .net or .biz extension. You can also go for a country specific extension like .uk, .us, .au if your business focus is limited to a country.
Cost of a Domain Name
The cost of a domain name would mainly depend upon the type of domain name and the registration period and would vary between registrars. Domain names can be registered for a period of 1, 2, 5,10 or even 20 years. The base cost that is paid to the Registry is approximately $5 per year. The registrar will add their margin to the base cost depending upon the additional services they provide. A well reputed and established registrar would definitely be more expensive than a newcomer or upcoming registrar.
Rights and Privileges
A domain name cannot be owned by you. It is only licensed to you for a period of time and is subject to certain terms and conditions. Although domain names cannot be sold, they can be transferred to another entity. By registering your domain name, you have exclusive use of the domain name within the registration period. You will also be protected from domain name hijacking, unauthorized transfers and cyber-squatting activities.
Your selected registrar would be able to put you through all the above process with ease. Many web hosting companies also offer domain registration services. Some will also provide free domain name registration for a commitment to host your website. Your business success also depends on your choice of a good registrar.