Hundreds if not thousands of websites are registered daily, making it difficult to secure the best domain name for startups and longstanding businesses alike. Working on this problem can oftentimes lead to creative solutions or hefty mistakes. Here are a couple of solid tips you can use to avoid the pitfalls of registering a domain name for your business.
Limiting your extension options. If you’re keen on using a local domain, a common mistake is not considering registering the same domain names across different extensions. In the future, when you look to expand your business, the relevant extensions may have already been bought by another, even worse if it’s a direct competitor. Acquiring the .com along with local domains like .au, .info – can save you tons of money and heartache in the future.
Not registering typo domains. Much like registering other extensions, it’s wise to also get common typo versions as well. If you find that your business is hard to spell, or if there’s a different country-specific spelling or if people seem to mistake a letter of your domain name to another, it’s a good idea to register these alternative spellings as well.
Combining words. This is one of the most common mistakes business owners do when choosing a website. Business domain names such as psychotherapist.com and partnerstaking.com are problematic to say the least. Take some time to think about how it will be read, send it to a few people to double-check as well.
Letting other people register the domain.Registering a domain is indeed a daunting prospect, but letting other people register your domain ultimately makes them the owner of that URL. The best practice is of course to do it personally. Doing so will make everything under your control.
Not renewing the domain name. After buying a domain, you’ll soon realize that you’re just renting it for some time. This means that you will have to renew your lease. Forgetting to renew will allow other people to register your domain as soon as it goes back on the market.
Being susceptible to spam. After the domain registration process, your contact details are instantly available through a publicly available Whois database. You can minimize spam and telemarketing calls via domain privacy service, which allows your domain contact details to remain hidden and private.
Acquiring the right domain will take a bit of effort and time, but once you find one that ticks all the right boxes,your businesses’ brand new domain name will become a huge boost to your online presence. If you’re ready to know if your chosen domain is available, you can do a free domain name searchvia top domain name registrars and hosting providers like Crazy Domains.
After locking into a domain name, the next step is to register it and find a hosting provider to “house” the domain. Be extra vigilant when looking and read carefully through the fine print as your chosen host will be locked into your domain name for a specified amount of time.
