Choosing a domain name and registering it

If you are creating an online business the first step is to choose a domain name. This will be the access point to your website for your customers. An important thing to remember is that people associate this domain name with your brand, so if you can choose something that is simple and easy to remember then people may remember your business easier. For example, if you are selling shoes it would be better to have the domain shoes.com than mikesamazingshoes.com. Look at those two domains yourself and think which would you remember better. Shoes.com, exactly.

Of course it is not always easy to get an exact domain like shoes.com. Nearly every single quality one word domain has been taken, however if you are very serious about your business and have money to invest then it may be worth contacting the person who owns the domain and purchasing it. I must warn you though, one word domains are very expensive and if you want to buy one then be prepared to part with your money. So long as it can be simple and easy to remember then it will be good, even if it isn’t just a single word.

Once you have an idea for your domain you need to make sure that nobody else has a business with this name. You don’t want to get into any legal complications. You have a choice of whether or not to buy all of the domain extensions, or just one on its own. Remember that if your business gets popular it might catch the attention of somebody who buys domains and they might buy another extension of your domain and try selling it to you for an expensive price. It is recommended that you buy all of the domain extensions of the domain you choose if they are available.

Once you have chosen your domain you need to go to a domain registrar and purchase it. Of course, to buy it it needs to be available. If it is not available then you may need to contact the person who owns it and buy it from them for a more expensive price. However, if you’re buying from a registrar it should be fairly cheap depending on the extension. When you buy a domain it is usually for one year and then you must renew it after a year if you decide to keep it. To find a good domain registrar simply go to Google and have a look for a well trusted registrar.

HostSG provides cheap domain registration from top level domain to country domain name extension.