If you have a business in the 21st century, having a dominant online presence is essential. However, it does take quite a bit of effort, including a fast, user-friendly, and mobile-friendly website. Before you do all of this, however, registering your domain is a process you cannot afford to skip.
That being said, you might be wondering how this is done or if there are any steps you need to take when registering the domain name. Well, the good news is that registering a domain name can be done quickly and easily with just a few mouse clicks, even if you’re not particularly tech-savvy.
In this article, we’ll discuss some crucial information small businesses should know when it comes to registering their domains.
What is a domain name?
A domain name is the web address by which you or your business can be found online. If someone types your domain name into their browser’s web address, it is redirected to your website or landing page. Your business needs a unique domain name so that people can easily find you online.
What is a domain registrar?
A domain name registrar is a company that you will go through to register your company’s unique web address. There are many different companies such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, and Network Solutions. You can also use other online services to find and register your domain name in a wide range of countries and types of extensions. Whether you are building your own website from scratch through coding or using a website builder, getting a unique domain name and personalized email addresses can have a huge impact. on the success of your business.
Additionally, domain name registrars are responsible for managing your domain name on their servers after you register it. In addition to hosting your site, they also offer many different web hosting related services which will be discussed in more detail later in this article.
Benefits of using a domain name registrar
Registering your business has many advantages unique web address with a reputable domain name registrar. The biggest advantage is that it makes it much easier to build and manage your website. Other benefits include:
- Your business looks professional
- Your brand becomes visible and appears trustworthy
- Serves as an online marketing tool
- Benefit from your ranking on search engines
How to register your domain name?
As already stated above, the first step is to choose a good registrar that matches your needs and then complete the registration process. During this process, you will need to select a username and password, while providing other essential information about your site / business.
You can then check if the domain name you want is available. If your first choice is not available, then you will have to look for alternatives. For example, instead of using a .com domain name, you may want to consider other options such as a .io domain name.
From there, you’ll need to pay the registrar a small fee or an annual domain fee so that they can manage your web address on their servers.
Finally, you will need to learn how to use your domain name registrar to perform various tasks. This may include making sure to renew your domain name before it expires. If it expires, a competitor or someone else can take advantage.
Domain registration and website hosting
Once you have registered your domain name with a good registrar, they can provide you with additional services that will help you make it work properly. This is where website hosting comes in, as it is the service that keeps your site live so that others can access it at all times.
Types of web hosting:
There are two different types of web hosting: share and dedicated. With shared hosting, your website will be placed on a server with other websites and you share the same IP address. With dedicated hosting, on the other hand, there is only one website per server, so your site won’t have to compete for resources with other websites.
For most small businesses, shared hosting is the most cost effective option. Nonetheless, dedicated hosting is preferred for speed, security, support, and convenience. Apart from these, other options include the following:
- Cloud hosting
- Managed hosting
- Virtual Private Server (VPS)
Domain name registration and web hosting are two different services that may be provided by a single company or may be separate entities. If you would like to know more about the differences between these services, you should contact your domain registrar for more information.
As a small business owner, registering a domain name is an essential step in getting your business online. Fortunately, this article has provided you with the necessary information you need to get started. Now you can choose a suitable domain name, choose the right registrar, choose a hosting plan, and start delivering useful content on your site.
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