What is a Domain Name?
Another name for “domain name” is web address. It is your dot com – where people go to find you online. Google.com, WordPress.com and chrisanesbit.com are all examples of this.
Sure, there’s a much more technical definition that I could write a very lengthy article about. But that would be super boring! and let’s face it, that’s not why you’re here.
Why do I Need my Own Domain Name?
Speaking of WordPress.com, you could just use something like MyWidgets.Wordpress.com for free. But that’s not your identity. That is WordPress.com‘s identity and when you’re blog becomes so popular that you decide to move it to MyWidgets.com you’ll have to retrain your readers to go to your new domain name. Sure, there are tools to help make that easier but they cost money too.
The reality is, most domain names can be purchased for approximately $10-$20 per year. Yes, I said year, as in roughly $1.50/month. That’s the cost of one Coke product each month. Anybody can afford something that inexpensive.
How do I Choose my Domain Name?
There is an in-depth science behind choosing the best domain name but here we are just concerned with getting your website online so you can share your message with the world. So here’s a very incomplete list of tips to get you started thinking of your very own domain name:
- Does your company already have a unique name that you could use (I’ll use Google.com again here, as an example)?
- Avoid hard-to-remember characters, like dashes and numbers.
- Unless you’re a non-profit, try to register a domain name using “.com” at the end (“.org” is common among non-profits).
- Make it short and easy to remember (no funky spelling) and easily distinguishable from other domains (don’t use MyWidget.com if MyWidgets.com is already registered to someone else).
- Avoid use words that are trademarked (like MyGoogleWidget.com)
How do I Register my Own Domain Name?
I’m so glad you asked! It’s really easy. Just Google that very question and you will get pages of websites that claim they can offer you cheaper domains than everybody else. But since you came here, I am going to recommend just one of those options to you. BlueHost.com.
When you buy a domain name from BlueHost.com, they will also offer you a web hosting package. I will go into more detail on hosting packages later. But just know that you will need a hosting package from somebody. And BlueHost.com has web hosting for as little as $3.49/month! And if you were paying someone for your hosting package you generally get better service then you would from a free web host, so it is worth the money if you can afford it.
[iframe class=”domain-widget-chrisnesbit” src=”http://www.bluehost.com/web-hosting/domaincheckapi/?affiliate=chrisnesbit” width=”100%” height=”175″]
Conclusion
So what are you waiting for? Go check out BlueHost.com to see if your domain name is available for purchase. Grab it before somebody else does!
Got your own domain name already? Share in the comments what website you purchased it from. Or ask me anything – I would love to answer your question for you!
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