Thinking of starting an online business? You’ll definitely need to build a website, but the first step you have to take is buying a domain name.
Many of you might be thinking; So, how do I go about buying a domain name for my business?
Well, you’ve landed on the right place! We’ll walk you through the steps required for buying a domain name. But first, a tiny bit of background on why domain names are needed.
Domain Names Allow Us to Distinguish Sites
The number of worldwide websites exceeds one billion, and that number is growing by the second. Domain names allow humans to distinguish one site from another instead of having to use the long unique string of numbers known as an internet protocol (IP) address. Domain names are made up of the domain extension (i.e. “.com,”), the second-level domain (your website name), and a host name (www). Together, these details make up a uniform resource locator (URL).
Know the Domain You Want? Buy It!
After you’ve gone to great lengths to brainstorm a business name, you’re ready to buy. Buying a domain name as a package with your web hosting is a wise choice, since you’ll need both anyway. This can usually get you a discount or spare the cost of buying a domain name altogether.
But wait, what if my domain name is taken?
You have options. You could come up with a new name, slightly modify the domain name with a suffix, or try a different extension than .com. You could also use Whois to contact the current domain owner and get their asking price. If the domain is privately registered, you could also use a broker to negotiate on your behalf. It all depends on how badly you want that name. At the very least, it doesn’t hurt to reach out. You’ll be able to tell from the looks of the site whether it’ll be expensive to purchase or not. There’s no market rate for buying a domain name from somebody. It could cost you $10, or in the case of insurance.com’s 2010 sale – $35.6 million!
Registering Your Domain
Now that you’re done buying a domain name you’re happy with, you need to register it. ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) lists 2,943 domain registrars, but there’s no reason to make a straightforward thing so difficult. Register your domain with one of the well-known providers, like Yahoo Small Business, and you’re done! Well, sort of. It’ll take a few days for your site to update in the Domain Name System (DNS).
That’s a wrap. Hopefully we’ve put the lingering question that brought you here: “How to buy a domain name for my business?” to rest.
Already have ideas brewing for your site’s name? Use Yahoo Small Business to choose your business domain name today.
