What to check before you buy a domain name

Is your heart set on that perfect domain name for your website? You might want to hold back until you have looked at the following recommendations.

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First steps

If you are thinking about a domain name, try to keep it brief, easy to spell and easy to type. Avoid unusual spellings and be as unique and professional as possible. Think about how easy your domain name will be to remember, such as if a client has lost your details or is recommending you to someone else.

Once you have thought of your domain name, and before you go much further, type it into a search engine. The results will show you whether it is in use elsewhere, in use but with a different spelling, or even trademarked. It will also reveal if it means something different in another language or anything disreputable comes up, as you don’t want your domain name associated with this.

Purchase

When you are ready to purchase your domain name, you will get a response to explain if it is already in use you usually. You might be offered the name you want but with a different extension – the bit on the end of your domain name, such as .com or .net. Be careful with this option, as it could lead to confusion for your clients. The most highly sought-after extension is .com, but there are many others such as .org, .net ,or even country-specific ones such as .co.uk. Those looking at website hosting providers might find the process of finding the ideal domain name more straightforward.

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Next, consider your costs. Is this domain name affordable? How long will you keep it? Will you get technical support? By going through a web hosting provider such as names web hosting, you might just find your ideal domain name at the right price.

Social media

Check whether your domain name is available across popular social media sites such as Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or YouTube, as you might want the option of promoting your website through some of these. Finally, think about using free email providers such as Gmail or Outlook, as there might be an email address available that matches your domain name.

Before you settle on the name, check through these basic points. It could save you time and lead you to your ideal domain name.

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