For a business to have a strong online presence, it needs a website. Building a great website will help you explain what your business is all about, demonstrate your products or service and popularize your brand. Nevertheless, the success of your website depends on its accessibility to the customers who look for your products or services. For that, you have to register domain name, which distinguishes your website from others and helps the users identify and reach it easily.
A website with a valid name or address looks very professional. With domain name registration, you can give your website an identity, but how to register your website. The step-by-step guide will help you find a perfect domain name and acquire it. A website with a right domain name will promote your brand, differentiate your business and have a competitive edge in the market.
1. Choose the domain name you want
When it comes to deciding on a domain, there are not many restrictions. Generally speaking, you can register a name if it is available, but will it help your website get enough traffic? Will your potential customers find you online? For having a perfect domain name, it has to:
Use a suitable domain extension
Choosing an appropriate domain extension will help your website attract either global or local audience or both. It depends on your business and its objective. Your first choice is to choose from generic top-level domains (TLDs), which include the infamous ones such as ‘.com’, ‘.net’, ‘.org’, etc. The extension ‘.com’ can be a right choice if your business is commercial and targets customers globally.
If your business is located in Australia, you can select from country-specific TLDs like ‘.com.au, .org.au, .net.au, and .asn.au’. However, to attain the ‘.au’ domain, you have to satisfy some domain name eligibility requirements such as:
- Being a registered company, sole trader or partnership firm in Australia
- Operating business under a registered name in an Australian state or territory
- An international company authorized to operate a business in Australia
In case you cannot choose anything from the above, then, look for the custom-made ones like .shop, .store, .tech, .online and .life.
Find a simple and short domain name that is easy to remember
Having a short yet simple name is better, for it helps the Internet user to memorize it easily. For instance, the domain address ‘abc.net.au’ belongs to Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), which is easy to remember. Similarly, the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories, an Australian pharmaceutical company, has a simple and unique domain name ‘csl.com.au’. Such domains can bring more traffic and improve your website’s ranking on the search engines.
Include your brand name in your domain
Whether you are running a startup or a small business, a domain name using your brand name will help your customers know more about your business, brand and products. It will help build a trust and gain credibility for your business.
2. Check for your domain name availability
Once you have decided on a suitable domain name, the next step is to search for it on the domain search tool, which you can find it on a reliable domain registrar’s website. If it is available with the chosen TLD, you can go ahead with choosing a reliable registrar. In case it is already registered, you can get it on backorder and add it to cart.
3. Find a domain registrar
With the domain name you want available, you need to choose a registrar to have it registered immediately. It is advisable to look for the one that can not only offer you the domain at a competitive price but also help you save with the best package deals, as well as freebies. You can have a registrar offering domain registration, web design and web building, web hosting, SEO, email marketing and advanced security.
4. Register your domain
The last step is to register your domain
The steps explained above helps you register domain name and have a complete control on it until its expiry.