Choose a Perfect Domain [Complete Guide]

In this article I’m going to give you a complete guide on domain name registration.

A website is the easiest way to present the identity of an individual or organization to others. A website is basically a name, identity, or address. In the terms of the internet, that is called domain.

Example: Google, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Gmail etc.

Name is the most important for “Branding”. So it is also most important to be careful about choosing and buying a domain name.

Let’s have a look at what’s in the whole discussion:

A domain name is a unique address of a blog or website. Visitors can easily visit the site using this address.

For example, the home you live in has a specific address. And it is possible for someone to reach you easily using that address.

The computer system works in binary methods, i.e. 0 and 1. The domain we use is basically a combination of some 0’s and 1’s, which is set in a specific format.

This format is assigned by a numeric series called IP Addresses. Example: 132.244.66.9

The origin of the domain name is to write such an IP address in a language that people can understand.

When we type a website name into the browser and press Enter, it first sends a request to the Global Network Server.

[Global network server generates the Domain Name Systems (DNS).]

It then checks the DNS of the domain and forwards the request.

[DNS is actually your hosting or CDN Server]

For example, the DNS of Blue Host hosting is:
ns1.bluehost.com
ns2.bluehost.com

If your requested data is on the server, it then sends it to your browser. And that’s how we see the content of any website.

[Content is the information on a website (text, images, videos, audio, etc.).]

We can divide the domain into two types based on the payment:

Not selecting a domain name following the correct guide-line, may bring critical problems, including wasting time and money. Let’s have a look at some things to keep in mind when choosing a domain name.

Niche domains are used to create a website on a specific topic.

Suppose, you know Yoga well. Now you have decided to create a blog about this topic. So you have chosen a name as “YogaGuru”. Whereas this is a blog on a specific topic, so this type of name is called a niche domain.

Niche domain can be two types:

1. Exact Match Domain (EMD): In this case, the entire keyword is used as the main domain name.

Suppose, your main keyword or niche is “How to make money online”. Now you have purchased the domain “howtomakemoneyonline.com”. Here the domain name is selected with the main keyword. So this is an Exact Match Domain.

[The keyword is what we type and search on the internet.]

** At present, Google penalties such as domain names. So, I’d suggest not use the Exact Match Domain.

2. Partial Match Domain (PMD): In this case, the domain name is selected with a part of the main keyword.

Suppose, your main keyword or niche is “How to lose weight fast”. In this case, the name of your website may be “weightlosetips.com”.

Such names are convenient for the Nish site. Visitors can easily understand what the blog is about.

On the other hand, Author Domain is used for branding or establishing a name.

As an example, we can mention “Google”.

“Blogger Zia” can be cited as another example. It’s basically being used for my Personal Branding.

Here, the organization can be your company, shop, blog, or service. The domain name should be selected before completing all the formalities (trade license, VAT registration, etc.) of an organization.

For example, you made a company and named it “Bonik Bari“. You increased the company’s reputation by doing huge marketing. Then you realized, your company should have a website for branding. But when you went to register the domain, you saw the bonikbari.com is not empty.

You may use prefixes, suffixes, special characters, or other extensions with the name. But this will greatly reduce your Brand Value online.

In addition, those who will want to visit the website directly remembering the name of your company, a part of them will mistakenly browse by typing bonikbari.com. As a result, you will lose some potential customers.

[The customers who have more probability to buy a product or to take a service are the potential customer.]

The domain can be up to 64 characters long. However, a standard name should be chosen between 14 characters. The name should be simple and short. But that must be meaningful.

People can easily remember small meaningful names. A smaller name is also useful to send a Branding message.

[Branding massage is a method of massaging by name instead of any number. For example, you may have received any message from the name like Google or Facebook.]

Such names should be selected which are easy to pronounce and easy to write according to the pronunciation.

Suppose your brand name is Padmapata. The word Padma can be written in English as Padma, Padmo, Podmo, Padda, Paddo, Poddo. Those who will want to visit the website directly will be confused about the spelling. So it is better to avoid such names.

The name is best if it is one word. Such as Amazon, Rolex, Google, Apple. However, it should not be more than three words.

Alphabetic (a-z), numeric (0-9), and only hyphens (-) can be used as special characters in the domain. However, there must be alphanumeric (a-z, 0-9) characters at the beginning and the end.

** It is best not to use numeric (0-9) and special characters (-) in an ideal domain.

If you want to establish a name as a Brand, you need to know whether it is under copyright or trademark. Otherwise, there is a possibility of getting involved in legal trouble later.

The domain is not a problem for copyrights or trademarks. The main problem is the name. You do not have the legal right to use any copyrighted or trademarked name.

The name cannot be used if the name is copyrighted or trademarked by the laws of the country where you’ll operate the business.

It is also good to know if your name is protected by International Copyright Law. Almost all countries preserve this law. As a result of this law, brands like Google, Facebook, Apple, Samsung, etc. are protected internationally.

The same business should not be started with a name that sounds the same.

Example: AjkerDeal is a popular e-Commerce marketplace in Bangladesh. Now you are starting an e-commerce business named AijkerDeal. As a result, you may get into legal trouble with AjkerDeal company.

Besides, such names are harmful to your newly established brand. Audiences cannot easily trust such brands.

According to search engine giant Google, domain extensions have no impact on search engine rankings. So you can use any extension according to your service type.

Popular extensions basically indicate it’s own service type or use.

Extensions can be two types based on ICANN’s allocation.

[ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is the IP and domain regulator organization. They control top-level and country-code domains.]

1. gTLD: Generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) is globally popular and the most used domain extensions. Such extensions are used to use the website widely.

Example: .com, .net, .org, .info, etc.

২. ccTLD: Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) is basically a domain extension assigned by ICANN for a specific country or geographical location.

Example: .bd, .cc, .tv, .in, .pk, .us, .uk, etc.

Some ccTLDs are also called gccTLD (Generic Country Code Top Level Domain) due to their global popularity.

Example: .cc, .tv, .io, etc.

** The most widely used domain extension is .com. So it is better to use .com as an extension.

Only the name with extension is called the Naked Domain. Example: bonikbari.com.

When www. is used before the Naked Domain, then it’s called Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN). Example: www.bonikbari.com

According to Google, the Naked Domain or FQDN does not affect search rankings. So you can use any of them.

But one thing to keep in mind, your domain should have a canonical URL.

[The Canonical URL is Domain Redirect.]

That is, redirecting the FQDN to the Naked Domain, or the Naked Domain to the FQDN.

For example, Browsing bloggerzia.com brings it directly to www.bloggerzia.com. For this, there is no possibility of losing direct visitors.

A blog or website highlights your personal or organization identity online. So when buying a domain, you have to be careful about several things without rushing.

The price of a domain may vary depending on the registrar and the extension. The regular price of a dot com domain can range from $8 to $15.

Some names are also offered at a price that is a few times higher than regular price. These are basically premium listed domains.

Domain can be premium listed by 2 ways:

1. If someone buys a domain and parks it for resale.

Example: Someone bought insurance.com and parked it for $100,000 for resale. Now this domain will show you a price of $100,000.

2. If the owner country or organization of that domain sets the premium price.

Example: .com.bd domain extension is owned by Bangladesh. That is, BTCL (Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limite). So, BTCL can list some demandable names as premium.

You should buy a premium domain if you have enough budget. Because, in the digital world, the name is a big fact for branding.

For example: insurance.com seems much more professional and trustworthy than insurance24.com.

If a domain is not renewed, it is open for resale after a certain period of time. Such domains can be harmful to brand and search rankings.

There are 2 best ways to find it out –

1. Search the domain on the archive.org.

This is an archive site that stores information of almost all registered domains. If they have any information in their archives, they will mark it on the calendar.

2. Search Google by typing site: bloggerzia.com. (Enter your domain instead of bloggerzia.com.)

In the case of older domains, there is still a possibility of having any information in Google’s database.

At least 3 important things you should keep in your mind before buying an old domain.

1. Copyright claim: Use the Google Transparency Report to see if there is a copyright claim on any content of the domain in Google.

2. Blacklisted: If the domain is used for spamming, search engines (Google, Bing, etc.), email service providers (Gmail, Hotmail, etc.), ad agencies (AdSense, etc.) may blacklist it.

If you search on Google, you will find many effective ways to check blacklisted domains.

3. S.E.O. facts: The old domain can have many broken links and 404 eros. Which could have a negative effect on the search engine rankings later.

Search Google by writing site:bloggerzia.com to see how many links there are. (Enter your domain instead of bloggerzia.com.)

Once the name is selected, it should be purchased as soon as possible.

The registrars are the organizations who are permitted to sell domains by the ICANN.

When the registrar company allows a third-party company to sell the domain, they are called the reseller.

Since the domain registrars run the World Wide business, they are unlikely to go bankrupt. On the other hand, if the reseller business is down, it is likely to go bankrupt.

If you have a global payment facility (dual-currency or international card), it is better to buy a domain directly from the registrar. Otherwise, you can buy from a well-known local reseller.

There are some things to keep in mind when choosing an ideal registrar or reseller. Otherwise, you may fall into some trouble including wasting time and money and losing the domain.

Recommended Registrar: Namesilo, Namecheap, Domain

The cost of domain

Most of the companies offer discounts for registration and transfer for the first year. So in this case, you need to know their regular price.

Example: IONOS by 1&1 charges $1 for the first year and $15 for the following years.

Privacy protection

When purchasing a domain, some personal or organizational information (name, email, phone number, and address) is used. This information is stored in the WHOIS record.

[WHOIS is a widely used Internet record list that records who owns the domain and how to communicate with the owner.]

This information is open to everyone on the Internet. Which can be hidden by the Privacy Protection.

[Another name of Privacy Protection is Whois Guard or Whois Privacy.]

For companies or brands, it is better to use organizational information in the domain. This increases trust in the brand.

But in the case of personal domains, it is better to keep this information hidden. Otherwise, your information may be used for spamming.

All registrars offer privacy protection. However, some registrars charge extra for this. E.g .: Godaddy

Before buying a domain from a reseller, you need to know if there is a Privacy Protection service. And if so, whether you have to pay extra for it.

Email forwarding service

It is better to use brandable email for branding.

[Email with your own domain name is a brandable email. Example: [email protected]]

There are 2 easy ways to use brandable email.

1. Set up webmail on your own hosting server: This is a complete email service. In this case, you can use both incoming and outgoing services.

2. Email forwarding service: Hosting or webmail server is not used in this case. Only email addresses are created and forwarded to Gmail or any other email account.

In this case, there is only an incoming service. As there is no webmail, no email can be sent directly using this account.

However, individual or bulk emails can be sent using some email marketing platforms like GetResponse, Moosend, Mailelite, etc.

In some cases, including email marketing, the email address verification of your own domain is required. In this case, the email forwarding service is quite effective.

Brandable emails can also be created using Gsuite or similar paid services.

Control panel

** All controls of a domain are controlled by the control panel. So you must have full control of it.

All reputed registrars give you the full control panel for the domain. However, in the case of local resellers need to know some information.

[The control panel may vary from registrar to registrar or reseller to reseller. Fraud resellers can provide false information for selling the domain.]

Forum search

The best way to know about a registrar or a reseller is to search through various online forums. So before choosing a registrar or a reseller, do a Google search and find out more about them.

There are hundreds of popular and trusted domain registrar like Namesilo, Namecheap, Domain, etc. Besides, most of the reputed hosting companies like Bluehost, Hostgator, Hostinger, etc also provide domain registration services.

(See All Registrars List permitted by the ICANN.)

Among them, Nemsilo is very popular and trustworthy for providing low-cost domain services worldwide. Currently, they have over 2 million active domains.

Namesilo LLC is an American domain and hosting company. It was founded by Michael Goldfarb in 2010. Its headquarter is located in Arizona.

In this section, we’ll see the whole process of buying a domain in Nemsilo.

Step # 1: Choose a domain name

Step # 2: Configuration options

BLOGGERZIA

Step # 3: User account

Open a user account with the required information. If you already have an account, log in.

Step # 4: Payment

Make a payment in your convenient way. If everything is okay, all domain purchase information will be informed by email.

[Transactional charges may be added on some payment methods. The interface shown in the screenshot may vary. (They’re working on a new interface.)]

Recommended Registrar: Namesilo, Namecheap, Domain

In short, a complete guide on domain name registration