Hi there,
I'll start with the pitfalls, the follow them with the best way to go
about it. I've made the assumption that you are after a .com. If not,
ask for a clarification and I'll amend my answer.
Pitfall #1
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Don't spend too much money.
There are thousands of websites that want to sell you a domain name,
and many of them are very expensive.
A good example is Verisign / Network Solutions. This company once had
a monopoly on selling .coms, and to this day are still taking
advantage of people who have either always used them, or will use them
now because they have heard of them. Although their prices are still
coming down, at present they charge $US35 for a new, one year
registration.
Network Solutions
http://www.networksolutions.com/en_US/index.jhtml
There are a number of companies offering the same thing for under $10!
Pitfall #2
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Don't pay for multiple years.
Only pay for one year. Prices are not going to go up, and if they
offer a substantial discount for multiple years, they were too
expensive to begin with. By only paying for one year, you are keeping
your future registrar options open, and giving you the chance to not
renew it, if things don't work out.
Pitfall #3
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Avoid dodgy registrars.
Don't buy from a registrar that might go bankrupt, because it may
leave your domain name in a situation where you cannot use it. In this
dot com era it is difficult to predict which companies to trust -
sticking with well-known firms at least suggests that if they do go
broke, someone else will take over their business.
Look out for poorly designed sites, or those with a low PageRank
(install Google's ToolBar to see the PageRank of sites you visit -
it's a measure of popularity)
Pitfall #4
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Extra charges.
Search the site for a price list. Be especially wary of any additional
charges you may need to pay later. Some registrars charge high fees to
transfer the domain name to another person, or to change to a
different registrar. I even encountered a service last week
(EasySpace) that, once you buy a domain name from them, give you two
choices not previously mentioned - either use their expensive hosting
service, or pay a fee to be able to use a different hosting service.
This is highly unusual, so I suggest that you avoid them.
EasySpace
http://www.easyspace.com
Pitfall #5
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Using the wrong email address.
During the registration process you need to give name, address, phone
number and email addresses. Use an email address that you expect to
keep using for years to come. If you use an email address that you
give up on, or lose access to, you will not receive a renewal notice
when the initial registration of 1 year runs out, and you could lose
your domain name. The other details are not so critical.
Try to keep a web-based email account that is not connected to any
domain name you own, or ISP you use. One that you can only use for
official business, and you can keep for ever.
Now, how to do it...
--------------------
1) Choose a well-known, good value registrar. These are my
recommendations, I use both of them regularly, and they charge less
than $10 per year:
GoDaddy
http://www.godaddy.com/
RegisterFly
http://www.registerfly.com/
Google Directory has a huge list of other registrars, sorted
alphabetically:
http://directory.google.com/Top/Computers/Internet/Domain_Names/
2) Spend some time deciding on your domain name. It will represent
your online presence, and may one day be as important to you as your
own name (hopefully not, but it happens). I usually think about it for
a week, and ask friends for their opinion.
3) Sign up for 1 year. Usually the process is very easy to follow. In
general avoid all other deals and offers they throw at you. Almost
always they can be decided upon later, and are cheaper or free
elsewhere.
Do consider keeping your registration details anonymous, if it is
offered cheaply or free - otherwise any curious person, including
hackers and spammers, can look up your details with a Whois search.
Go Daddy offer to keep your details private for an extra $9 per year.
https://registrar.godaddy.com/dbp.asp?isc=&se=%2B&from%5Fapp=
The ongoing costs are the annual renewal fee, which should be the same
or less than what you pay for your first year, and that's it. Cost of
a pizza!
Hosting is likely to cost you far more.
If you have any more questions on the general topic of purchasing
domain names, just ask for a clarification and I'll get back to you.
Best wishes,
robertskelton-ga |
