Buying a Domain Name – How Do You Actually Do It?
If you are interested in buying a domain name, this is how you go about it.
There are two steps you have to follow – deciding on the name you want to buy, and then buying or registering that domain name. When you own the domain you can decide whether to make a website for it, or just to keep the name as an investment.
1. Deciding on a domain name
You will find that buying a new (previously unregistered) domain name is much simpler and cheaper than buying a domain name which is already owned by someone else. This is because the field of domain names has become engulfed by speculators who buy up thousands of names, hoping that one day some of them will become valuable. These names are put on sale at ridiculously inflated prices.
A new domain name on the other hand can be registered for about $10 a year. Contrary to what you may have read, it is still possible to register a great new domain name which you have thought of yourself, and is not taken yet.
To decide on the name you want to buy, you need to think of keywords related to the subject or theme you are considering. Then combine the keywords to find a likely domain name. Of course, if you are buying a domain name related to a person’s actual name, a company name, or a place name, then the process will be much simpler. You can check if any name you want is still free by simply typing it into the address field of a browser like this – [http://www.name-you-want-to-check.com] – and then seeing if you go to a web site, or get an error message. If you get an error message like ‘cannot display the web page’ the domain is likely to be free, and you can buy it.
2. Buying the domain
To do this, you go to a domain registration service (we recommend a couple of these below).
You simply set up an account with your name, address, and email address – these details are used to record you as the legal owner of the domain – and then register the domain you want. It will cost you about $10 a year to register the domain. You may choose a standard registration or a ‘private’ one, which means your name and contact details as the owner of the domain are not available to the public. A good domain registrar will email you each year before the registration expires, to give you the option of renewing it – or you could opt to register the domain for a longer period.
Once the domain is yours you could sign up for hosting and build a web site or install a blog; or you could leave the domain ‘parked’ with the domain registration service for free, until you are ready to use the domain or sell it.
