To claim your presence on the web, the first step is usually to buy a Domain. For those not familiar, a domain is the “name” given to a particular website, such as BusinessHut.com. Having your own domain is important for branding, and provides freedom to build the site how you see fit.

It’s pretty easy to buy your own domain, and you’ll have plenty of success if you follow these steps.

1. Choosing a Domain

Generally, the domain name should be the name of your company. However, if your company name is long or difficult to spell, you might want to go with a word or two that accurately describe your business. For example, if I couldn’t buy BusinessHut.com, I might have gone with something like TechnologyConsulting.com. If the domain you want isn’t available (eg. already registered by someone else) your only options are to buy the domain from the current owner, or wait until it expires. (both topics I’ll have to save for another discussion) Do your best to find a domain that isn’t already registered.

*Try to avoid numbers, hyphens (dashes), and homonyms in your domain. You want to be able to say your domain quickly to someone and for them to know exactly where to go. If you buy to-golf.com you’ll basically have to write it down because there are so many variations. (to, too, two, 2, and then with and without the hyphen)

Domain Resources:
DomainTools.com – Allows you to check whether a domain is available and also offers research tools to suggest similar domains.

2. Buying the Domain

I buy nearly all of my domains through GoDaddy and have for the past 10 years. The prices are good and the domain management features are useful. Unless someone can provide a good reason to switch, I plan to buy all of my domains through GoDaddy.

The process for buying a domain is pretty simple. Once you choose a domain to purchase, just go to www.GoDaddy.com and type your domain into the box. (you’ll see it) They’ll tell you whether the domain is available or not and you just need to click the button to proceed with the purchase. They’ll offer you all of the other available versions of the domain, such as .net, .org, and .info. Generally, they give you a really good price on these, so it’s usually a good idea to pick these up if your budget allows. However, try to avoid most of the other offers throughout the checkout process. We’re going to use a different company to host your website and most of these features will be included.

Once you complete the purchase of your new domain, it’s time to find a web host…(That’s our topic for next time.)

Until then, please contact us or leave a comment below if you have any questions.

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of GoDaddy and might receive compensation if you purchase your domain through the links on this website.