Once you’ve made the decision to build a website, the next big decision you need to make is what your domain name is going to be. A domain name is the part of the website after www., and the part which comes before the extension (most often .com or .co.uk). Since the domain name you choose will be the public-facing name for your website, it’s important to make an informed decision when registering a domain name. You may be asking yourself - how do I order a domain name? What makes a good domain name?
Fear not - in this post we will aim to detail how to get your desired domain names by using a domain checker.
Choose your domain extension
The first step in registering your desired domain name is choosing which extension to go for. This can be slightly overwhelming at first - as there are hundreds of domain extensions to choose from!
Don’t worry, it’s simpler than you might think. Most domain extensions are categorised into either Country specific extensions, or industry specific extensions. A good example of this would be the .co.uk domain extension, which is specifically for UK domain names. The .cn extension is another country specific extension, as it’s only meant to be used by Chinese websites. Some examples of industry specific domain name extensions would be .net, which is intended for companies involved in networking technologies, or .com, which simply translates to a commercial company.
So say your business sells guitars, you might want to pick the .guitars extension. Or if you are specifically looking to sell products in the Netherlands, you might want to choose a .NL extension.
You don’t have to choose a specific domain extension for your industry or country, however using the wrong extension can have a negative impact on your website. For example, having a .photography domain extension for a dog grooming company would make no sense at all - and would most likely turn away potential customers!
Choose your domain registrar
Now that you’ve decided on your domain extension, you need to choose a domain registrar. There’s plenty of choice when it comes to choosing a domain registrar, with hundreds of different companies to choose from. The biggest factors you will probably be considering is registration fee, renewal fees, transfer fees and maybe WHOIS services. Domain registrars typically charge for most reputable top level domain names although some can be found free of charge. The registration cost and renewal cost of your domain name will vary depending on your chosen domain extension - with some domain extensions such as the .rich extension costing over 3 thousand pounds!
One thing to bear in mind is that it’s advisable to avoid registering your domain name for a long period of time like 5 or 10 years. The reason for this is that it can be harder to transfer the domain name if you have any issues with your current domain registrar.
Finding your desired domain name
The final step in registering a domain name now that you’ve picked a domain registrar is to search for your domain name using the domain registrar’s domain checker tool. This is typically in the form of a simple search box like the image below:
Once you’ve entered the domain name you’d like to register, the domain checker tool will show you the availability of the chosen domain name, as well as the registration and renewal cost.
If your domain name is unavailable, then you will often be presented with alternative choices similar to the domain name you’ve entered. If this is not the case, then you can simply try the domain name with a different extension that’s still suitable for you.