How to buy a domain name & which extension to choose for your business or blog
Buying a domain name can be complex process that requires research into what domain name you are going to use.
Lets choose 123blog as an example, we'll also need to choose the domain name extension, the most popular domain extension is .com
The extension type of the website can shows potential visitors who you are targeting and the country you're aiming for.
For example .com is for a commercial organisation and .co.uk specifically targets the UK.
We've added a list below of the most common questions related to domain names.
The minimum term you can have a domain is 1 year and a max of 10 years depending on the domain provider.
Your domain payment needs to be renewed before the end of the term or you lose your domain.
Most registrars have an option which allows you to automatically renew your domain before it expires so the domain doesn't expire.
Having auto-renew also saves time and potentially a big headache losing your domain!
You cannot permanently own a domain name unfortunately. You just rent it for a certain period of time, depending on how many years you've bought your domain name from your provider.
Some providers offer a sub domain with them the chance to practice creating your website before you buy a domain.
Although buying your own domain for a business looks more professional. It also enables you to be found more easily on search engines.
Domain providers allow a minimum of two (2) and a maximum of sixty seven (67) letters.
Your domain is also your brand, make sure to research and check your name is available.
It's usually best to keep your domain name relatively simple so returning visitors don't forget the domain name.
Make sure when ordering your domain that you spell it correctly as an order with a domain registrar is non-refundable.
If you have accidentally bought a domain which is spelt incorrectly you will still own that domain for the amount of years you've bought it, you will still own and manage until it expires.
There is a wide range of domains to choose from, some of the top domain extensions you can buy from include
| Extension type | Primary location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| .COM | Worldwide | Commercial domain but not always used for this instance |
| .BIZ | Worldwide | Business domain extension for targeting a worldwide audience |
| .CO | Worldwide | Company domain extension for targeting a worldwide audience |
| .CO.UK | United Kingdom | Primarily targets the UK |
| .DE | Germany | Primarily targets Germany |
| .EU | Europe | Primarily targets Europe |
| .FR | France | Primarily targets France |
| .IO | British Indian Ocean Territory | Primarily targets the British Indian Ocean Territory but also in recent years in known to be used with technology, gaming and start-up firms because “IO” is commonly used as an abbreviation for Input/Output |
| .IN | India | Primarily targets India |
| .INFO | Worldwide | Associated with domain that provide useful information or informational based websites |
| .ME | Worldwide | Used for personal use including blogs, resumes, social media, hobbies and anything else you would like to add about yourself |
| .ORG.UK | UK Organisation | Organisation based in the UK |
| .ORG | Organisation | Worldwide organisation |
| .ME.UK | United Kingdom | Personal use targeting the UK |
| .MOBI | Worldwide | Mobile extension for targeting mobile products and services |
| .NET | Worldwide | Network extension name for targeting networking technologies, such as internet service providers and other infrastructure companies |
| .US | United States of America | Targeting the USA |
| .US.COM | United States of America | Targeting the USA and US based commercial websites |
| .TV | Worldwide | Targeting TV based websites |
Domain pricing differs depending on the type of domain extension you are wanting and usually ranges from around £10 to £80.
Other domains which are more rare, have 4 letters or less or have a popular word can potentially go into thousands, these can be big business for domain resellers.
Here are the 25 most expensive domain names that have been publicly reported.
Domains that have recently expired due to the old user no longer wanting the domain with high SEO ranking can also be purchased a the normal fee then sold on to make a profit, these are known as domain brokers
Unfortunately that's not possible or we would all save a few quid and technically hosting companies would not exist as they would not be needed.
You will also need a hosting package to connect your domain to your hosting plan before you are able to start creating a website.
Think of it as the domain as the PC and hosting as the storage drive, you cant create any site without having both.
The characters you can use are letters, hyphens and numbers only.
You can't use any other special characters including exclamation marks, pound signs or question marks.
Using the domain question and answers above you will have a better understanding on the location you want to target.
After brainstorming the name you'd like to choose you'll need to find a domain provider such as ourselves to order.
No, you can buy your domain name from a different provider.
Doing plenty of research between providers you'll be able to find the best deals for you.
Some hosting providers including ourselves also offer a free domain with their web hosting packages.
Remember the cheapest hosting is not always the best hosting! It's always best to check reviews and feedback from other customers that have used their service.
Research your domain before you buy as someone else may already have it, or you decide to change the domain extension type.
Choose the domain extension type that you think will be more beneficial and in the right location as we have seen users buying the wrong domain or spelling it incorrectly which sadly cannot be changed once purchased by any provider including ourselves.
If you are looking for an affordable domain check out our domains page.