How To Buy A Domain Name: A Step By Step Guide For Beginners

If you are looking for a guide on how to buy a domain name, you found it. In this blog post, you will find the exact steps you can take now to search, register, and build your next website name.

What is a Domain Name?

A domain name is the unique name of a website. It is the address of a website on the internet. Domain names are used for identification and to find websites on the internet.

A domain name can be made up of any combination of letters, numbers, or hyphens. 

For example, “www.truehost.com” is a domain name. It contains three parts;

• Www – known as a subdomain
• Truehost – name
• .com – top-level domain (TLD)

When you combine the name with a TLD, you get a domain name.

What is a domain extension?

Domain extensions are the part of a web address that comes after the second-level domain in a URL. They are used to categorize websites according to their topic and industry.

The most popular domain extensions are .com, .org, .net and .edu. What do they mean?

• com – Commercial
• org – Non-profit organizations, companies, and organizations with a specific focus on education
• net – Network service providers such as ISPs or hosting companies, etc

And there are three most common types of TLDs: country-code TLDs, generic top-level domains, and sponsored top-level domains.

• Country code TLDs (ccTLDs) are used to represent a country or a region in the domain name. For example, .uk represents the United Kingdom, .de represents Germany, and .cn represents China.
• Generic top-level domains (gTLDs) are the most common type of TLD. They can be used to categorize websites into different niches. For example, .com is the most common generic top-level domain that can be used for any website in any industry.
• Sponsored Top-Level Domains (sTLDs) are used by governments and organizations to create their own unique website address space on the web with a domain name that is easy to remember. Examples; .edu – for higher educational institutions, .gov – for United States governmental agencies, .cat – for Catalan linguistic and cultural community, .museum – for museum organizations, and .travel – for travel industry businesses.

Which one should you choose?

There are a number of factors that go into picking the domain extension to register. Budget, purpose, and availability all come into play when selecting a domain extension. If you are trying to decide which one to pick, there are three main things you can look at: cost of registration, ease of use, and availability.

The cost of registration is simply the cost difference between registering a domain with an extension and not registering one.

If you are trying to decide whether or not you should register a .com, .org or .io, it can be helpful to check out data from a domain registrar on the average costs for each extension. For example, the average cost of a .com registration is $7.80/yr while the cost of a .US domain is $4.39.

At the same time, if you are looking to create a website targeting a specific country, you are better off registering a ccTLD domain.

Why? 

If you are looking to target a specific country, it’s likely that a ccTLD domain will have more information about your country than a generic domain. 

For example, if you’re targeting France, the .fr TLD is more likely to contain information about French culture and customs than the generic .com.

Additionally, if you find that the .com version of your domain is already registered by someone else, you can pick another type of TLD (as long as you are not infringing on an existing trademark).

For example;

It would be wrong to register a Facebook.org just because Facebook.com is already taken. This is because Facebook is a trademark of Meta Inc.

In the end, domain names are important because they allow users to find your website easily online, they help with search engine optimization (SEO), and they make your brand more recognizable online.

Here are the exact steps showing you how to buy a domain name;

Step 1: Choose the Right Domain Registrar

The first step in learning how to buy a domain name is finding the right domain registrar. A domain registrar is a company that registers domain names and web addresses for businesses.

And they are accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a non-profit organization that controls the rules and regulations of website domain name registration. These are the guys that maintain the Domain Name System.

Domain registrars typically offer other range of services, such as website hosting, email hosting, and DNS management.

How to choose the right domain registrar

The right domain registrar can make or break your website. It is important to choose a company that has the right mix of features and services.

Some of the features that you should look for when choosing a domain registrar are:

• Price – this is one of the most important aspects of choosing a domain registrar. You need to find one that offers you good value for your money.
• Customer service – this is very important because if you have any issues with your website, it will be difficult for you to get them resolved without support from the company.
• Features – these are some of the most essential services that you need from a domain registrar in order to make sure your website has all the functionality it needs and also meets all regulations, such as GDPR.
• Domain transfer policy – this is another important feature that you should look for when choosing a domain registrar because it can help you to secure your website in the event of a sale.
• Software – Domain registrars offer software tools that can be useful for managing your website.
• Payment methods – Some domain registrars give you the option to pay with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Truehost is one of the ICANN accredited domain registrars. And besides domain name registration, Truehost also offers website hosting, WordPress hosting, Email Hosting, among other services.

Now, considering you need a hosting space when registering a domain name, it is recommended that you get everything under the same roof. 

You can get add hosting to your domain name order, more on this in a minute.

Let us look at the next step on how to buy a domain name.

Step 2: Perform a Domain Name Search

Now you have identified the right domain registrar you can trust, your next step is to search for your domain name on the domain name search engine. There are many domain name search engines available, but most of them work in a similar way. 

Just enter your business’s address and the type of business you have, or the industry you’re in, and find your perfect domain name.

Why the search?

Well, as we mentioned earlier, a domain name once registered cannot be re-registered by someone else (unless it is expired).

This means that before you register a domain, you first need to make sure it is available (as in not yet registered by someone else).

Here is how to search for your domain name;

Just head over to https://truehost.com/ and click on the Domain Search button.

Type the name you’d wish to register into the box and hit search. Two things will happen;

• If the domain name is available, you will get a congratulations message. Here, you can proceed to buy the domain name
• If it is not available, go ahead and search for a different domain name.

About that last option, you can consider different TLDs as we mentioned earlier. 

For example;

As you can see, the techandbutter.com domain is unavailable because someone has already registered it.

But .XYZ is available.

Do you get the idea?

Now, here is something else;

More on this in the next step on how to buy a domain name.

Step 3: Pick Your Domain

There are many domain names available that can help you find a website that is right for you. However, choosing the best domain name is a difficult task.

The first step to finding a good domain name is to determine what the purpose of your website is. If your website is a blog, then you can use keywords related to that topic.

For example, if you are looking for a blog in the United States, then “USA” or “USA today” would be good options. If you are looking for something related to the American Revolution, then “revolution” or “battle of independence” would be good options.

If you are looking for a website that has information and news related to your field of expertise, then it is not necessary to include any keywords in the site title.

At the same time, Truehost gives you some suggestions once you have searched for the name.

Go through the list and pick the one that describes the purpose of your website well.

Once you have identified the right one, click on Add to cart and then checkout.

If you don’t have hosting, this is your chance to add. There are also some addons you can use which include ID protection (to protect your identity online), email forwarding, and DNS management.

Click continue to proceed to the next step on how to buy a domain name.

Step 4: Complete the Domain Registration

You can now preview your order. And make sure you’ve added a hosting account (if you don’t have one already).

You can use a promo code if you have one;

And then click Checkout Now to complete the domain name registration process.

Your next step is to create an account, choose your preferred method of payment, and then complete your order. And that is exactly how to buy a domain name.

Once you have completed the payment, you will receive an email (to the address used when creating an account) containing all the details you need to start using your new domain name.

How To Buy A Domain Name FAQs

How do I permanently buy a domain name?

You cannot buy a domain name permanently, as it is registered on a yearly basis. You can, however, pre-pay for up to 10 years which guarantees that you will have a domain name for 10 years

What are domain name servers?

Domain name servers are the computers responsible for translating domain names into numerical IP addresses. Domain name servers are the first step in finding a website on the internet. They translate domain names into numerical IP addresses and help users connect to websites and services. The process of getting a domain name is fairly simple, but it can be complicated if you want to register your own domain name or transfer yours to another registrar.

Can a domain name be changed?

You can’t change your domain name once it’s registered. But if you must change a domain name, you will have to register a new name and redirect all links to it.

Can a domain name be trademarked?

Trademark is a form of intellectual property that protects the name, symbol, slogan, and other distinctive features of a product or service. The trademark holder has the exclusive right to use the mark in connection with goods or services. The owner of a trademark can stop others from using that mark in connection with similar goods or services, regardless of whether the other party uses it first. A trademark can also be used to prevent consumers from being confused about whether products come from the same source. A domain name can be registered as a trademark if it has been used in commerce for more than 5 years and is not primarily used for an internet website.

Why domain name is important?

Domain names are important because they are the foundation of your digital presence. Without a domain name, you will not be able to build a brand and establish your online identity. Domain names help establish your digital presence and provide you with more credibility in the market. They also provide you with an opportunity to create an instant connection with customers and prospects.

Will changing domain name affect SEO?

Yes, changing a domain name will affect SEO. It is important to note that the search engine has already indexed your existing web pages and will be aware of the change. This could result in a loss of rankings if the search engine thinks that you’ve abandoned your website.

Complete domain price list

Domain Pricing

What to do next

Now that you have learned how to buy a domain name, go ahead and get started here.

Recommended reading;

• How to Start a Blog for Complete Beginners (5 Simple Steps)