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You are probably reading this post because you are interested in starting your own blog/website and want to learn how to buy a domain name for a website that you have planned.
Believe me, I have been there. Four years ago, I didn’t know anything about how to get a domain name and how to buy them. I was pretty much confused, to say the least.
Unfortunately, learningย how to buy a domain nameย for your blog is still quite complex and unintelligible.
There are dozens of different websites and hosting providers who promote โcheap domain registrationโ or even that you don’t need to buy domain name extensions. I don’t advise you to get these โfree domainsโ however (see FAQ section).
In today’s post, I’ll cut through the clutter and teach you how to choose a domain name for a blog or website that you have.
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Things you should know before buying a domain nameโฆ
Before you go off buying a domain name for your website, I want you to keep readingโฆ
First of all, domain names are quite cheap to register ($5 to $15 per year), but they are sort of long-term. If you buy a domain, you will most likely have it for at least a year or more.
Well, every domain expires in a year which means you’ll need to renew it every 12 months, or just register it for a longer term in the first place.
If you don’t want the domain you’ve already bought, you can simply leave it and stop paying for it. If this happens, it will expire and it will be back on the market for others to register.
How to buy a domain name to be proud of
I know, I know, choosing to buy a blog domain name is a pretty exciting thing to do. I absolutely love it.
However, it’s no longer 2005 and the best possible domain names are (probably) already taken. For example, there are currently more than 141,000,000 active domain names registered.
How to choose a domain name you won't regret later
Before you go and buy a website domain, do some brainstorming in order to come up with something:
- catchy
- memorable
- โฆand unique
It’s pretty common that many first-time bloggers go and buy a domain name which they quickly abandon.
Usually, the name wasn’t good enough, bloggers got some bad feedback or the author didn’t like it after all.
Keep in mind that your blog’s (or website’s) address will be the online business card and identity.
Many people don’t follow these simple principles and that may become an obstacle in the future.
Blog domain name examples
When we look at popular and successful blogs, most of them have easy and simple domain names, just like TechCrunch, SmartPassiveIncome or WarriorForum.
And oh, one more thing. While I suggest you stick with a .com extension, you can always go and buy .info, .org, .net, .us as well.
Where to buy a domain
As I mentioned earlier, there are literally tons of places where you can buy yourself a domainโฆ but there’s one thing you need to keep in mind.
When you buy a domain, you will need hosting as well. Without hosting you will be unable to create a blog on your domain.
I have managed to cut the โcrapโ and found some really good domain registrars that don’t scam and steal your money.
In addition, all of them have very good customer support (in case you’ll need it).
- Hostpapa โ FREE via that link, but you will also need to get hosting from them.
- HostGator โ Get a special discountย with this link.
- Namecheap โ $10 per domain, but you’ll get privacy protection for free (1 year only)
- BlueHost โ Free domain, $2.95 and up per month for hosting.
So don’t wait โ go and get the domain name before someone else takes it!
P.S: If you follow the tutorial on the homepage, you don’t need to buy domain and host separately. You can get both (domain & hosting) from HostGator. I’ve made a step by step tutorial for it.
To make things simple for people who are just starting their first blog or website, I’ll show you how to buy a domain name for your blog.
In this tutorial, we are going to be buying a domain name via the HostGator registrar.
Why?
They provide a domain for only $5 to anyone who signs up for their hosting via my special link โ sweet deal!
Don't want to buy a domain name at full price?
(Here's how to get one much cheaper!)
- Head over to the HostGator homepage
- Type in the desired domain name and check if it’s available
- Pick a plan for your domain.
1. Head over to the HostGator homepage
2. Pick a plan for your domain
Click on the yellow button that tells you to create/start your site.
The “Hatchling” plan will be sufficient for most people to begin with, and you can always upgrade at a later date if need be.
3. Check if your desired domain name is available
In this case, I’m using JessicaBlackstone(dot)com as an example.
If you already have a domain and you plan to use HostGator for hosting only, then choose the tab that says “I already own this domain”.
Nextย you’ll need to fill in your personal details. This is only for privacy reasons so the transaction can go smoothly between HostGator and you (registrar).
Website essentials are optional and not needed. However, it’s wise to choose “site backup” in case you mess something up (this can happen if you are a beginner).
The total price for hosting will vary depending on how long you register for but you will get the domain name MUCH CHEAPER. In my opinion, it’s a bargain compared with other web hosting companies.
What else?
Now you are done :).
As you can see, it was easier than you might have thought. You can start setting up your blog and create your email with your brand new domain (yourname@yourdomain.com)!
If you wish to see a more in-depth tutorial for setting up a blog on your domain name, go check my tutorial here on the homepage.
A few last words…
- If you don’t want to buy theย domain name and hosting together, you can buy the domain from Namecheap here.
- Buying a domain to start a blog is easy when you know the whole process, but it may seem difficult when doing it for the first time. That’s the main reason I made this step-by-step guide on how to buy a domain name for your blog.
- If you experience any problems during the domain buying process, contact the support team and they’ll solve it. The average response time is mostly less than a few minutes.
Furthermore, if you need any help setting up your domain or blog, shoot me an e-mail to startbloggingonline1*at*gmail.com and I’m more than happy to help you out!
FAQs
1. How to pick/choose a good domain name for your blog?
Many readers asked me this question so I wrote a post about it. You can refer to How to Choose a Domain Name to Be Proud Of.
2. How Much Does a Domain Name Cost?
If you want to know how much it costs to buy a domain name, you can refer to my “how much does a domain name cost?” article.
3. How to register a domain name for your blog?
The process would be exactly the same as “how to buy a domain name for your blog” as outlined above.
4. How to get a free domain name for your blog?
There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Technically, you can get a free domain name via one of our links above but it comes with hosting. You can also getย free blog sitesย from Blogger and WordPress.com but I don’t advise it because…
- It looks unprofessional e.g. myblog.blogspot(dot)com instead of myblog(dot)com
- You can’t customize your site with plugins and design templates
- It limits your options for making money with your site
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Regularly
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Starting From
$2.64/mo*
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Thanks ๐ Just bought a domain name. Can’t wait to get started with my blog!
Tim, no problem!
Good luck with your blog
Hi there!
Silly question. I’m looking into starting a blog. After the initial step of finding a domain name, where do I go from there? Not sure how to set up the blog itself?
Thank you!
Hey Jen,
Now you need to get a hosting as well to connect it with your domain, have a look this video: vimeo.com/101911107
Thanks ๐ Just bought a domain name and started my blog. Really straightforward article.
Thanks for the info! I’m looking at migrating my blog from WordPress so this was very helpful.
Hi Harriet,
If you don’t want to spend $57 on a domain/hosting, you can start a free blog on WordPress.com – You can transfer it later on to your own domain (once you have the money to spend on it). About backups – they are not necessary at all, but if your blog grows bigger – it’s wise to use them…
Is the $ per month or a one time fee?
The cost for a domain name is per year. The cost for hosting can be per month, quarter or year depending on what you purchase.
Hello,
Nice step by step guide.
Anyone starting out on getting their first domain name or web hosting service mostly all provide a coupon code so to get new customers to their service. This is good for the customer because they can save a few bucks on the domain registration and web hosting service. The customer can save even more money when they sign up for a yearly web hosting plan.
Hey guys,
You compiled great info in this post about domain names. As you say in this article at present finding a good domain name is not possible. Most of the domains are registered by domain investors. Therefore we need to create a domain name brandable, unique and memorable name using word or letter sounds. I think this is a possible way to get proper names.
Thanks
Thank you for this step by step choosing a blog domain guide. Although I have one of my own which is more professional, I have been looking to start a blog and getting around to finding a host and name has been confusing, to say the least. This helps and I’ll certainly give HostGator a try.
I haven’t heard Hostgator is popular for Domain names, but they are very popular for their hosting. Also, I have come across articles that say domain and hosting should not be purchased under the same company.
Great article.
I have suggested this website to my cousin as I was doing research on the subject for him, seems like this is the solution.
Thank you!
All the steps you have mentioned in your post are looks really helpful while purchasing a domain for the blog. Thanks for sharing.
I bought both my domain and hosting from Namecheap. I’ve never had issues with them.
HI, thanks for this post!
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but we all know how hard to find a .com domain of your choice.
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