How to buy a domain on the Internet (a step-by-step guide)

How to register a domain in 5 steps

The entire domain verification and registration process is as follows:

1. Choose a domain name
2. Verify its availability via the central domain register (WHOIS)
3. Choose a registrar (ideally the one with whom you have web hosting – see below)
4. Enter all the necessary data (this is your own domain registration)
5. Rent it for 1, 2, 3, 5, or 10 years

Does this sound complicated? Don't worry, everything can be done in one place and it won't take more than a few minutes altogether. We will go through each point in turn.

1. Come up with a good domain name

Coming up with a good domain name is quite a challenge. There are some ground rules here and we summarized all of them in this article. 

Focus mainly on simplicity and easy pronunciation. And also think about the future. What are your plans for the domain, and therefore your business? Will your domain name reflect your brand in 5 years as well as it does now? 

2. How to check domain availability in 1 click

You can check the availability of the domain easily through the WHOIS service.You can do it directly through the central domain registry or perhaps with us  – it's faster.

3. Where to register a domain (and how much does it matter)?

Even before we show the most important thing, i. e. how, we have to answer an equally important question – where? You can register a domain with a so-called registrar. This is a company that deals with renting and managing domains.

Registrars don’t have specific lists of domains that are only available to them. You can purchase your chosen domain from any of them, but you will get a different price and slightly different services for each one.

For example, renting a .COM domain can normally cost you $10-$20 without VAT for the 1st year (the price for subsequent years is then higher).

You can get a basic idea of ​​which provider is safe in the list of registrars. 

Webglobe has been in the top 5 for a long time.

But the cheapest domains do not always mean a win for you. So what else is good to pay attention to?

• Customer support (What if the server goes down? Is there a contact phone on the website or just an impersonal chatbot?)
• Domain security (automatic DNSSEC protection is a must)
• Administration (Is it easy to navigate and manage the domain settings?)
• Other free tools (e. g. a WebEditor in which you can create your website)

Deciding who to register a domain with? Clear administration is also important. Unfortunately, you only get access to it after purchase. That's why we at least took a picture of ours here.

4. The most important thing: domain registration itself

Finally, we come to the main thing – domain registration. 

The individual steps may be slightly different for different registrars. But what you must always enter:

• billing information
• phone
• e-mail

You will have access to the domain via email. Therefore, think carefully about which email you’ll enter.

Also, if someone else is buying your domain, make sure they enter your contact information during registration. Otherwise, it may easily happen that your father-in-law will be listed as the owner of the domain.

If the registrar asks you for the required NSSET and DNSSEC, don't panic. Just leave the default settings. You can change them at any time.

Attention: Registering a domain does not mean that it is yours forever

We should probably set one important thing straight: You’re not really purchasing, but RENTING a domain.

You will be the owner of the domain as long as you pay for it. 

You can rent it for a year or straight away for 2, 3, 5, or 10 years. In that case, the rental price will be more favorable.

What if I forget to pay? Will I lose my domain?

Now you may be wondering what happens if you don't pay for the next year. First of all, it is good to say that each registrar provides several different insurances for such cases:

• When paying by card, you can usually set automatic deductions, so you don't have to worry about anything.
• When paying by bank transfer, you will receive a request for payment 30 days in advance and then a reminder every 10 days.
• With Webgobe, larger businesses will appreciate the possibility of top-up credit, from which the amount for renting the domain will be deducted.
• In addition, the domain is still 20–60 days after expiration (depending on the extension) in the "defense period", i. e. no one else can register it. (However, an extra fee may be charged for extending the validity period.)

You can easily extend the validity of the domain in your administration. If all insurance fails and you don't pay (perhaps because reminders go to an email you no longer use), the domain expires.

After the domain has expired, domain registration takes place all over again.

When is your domain ready to use?

Your domain is registered from the moment the registrar gets paid for it. 

If you pay by card, it's instant. You'll have to wait 1–2 business days for a bank transfer. It doesn’t happen often but there are some cases when the domain was taken by another customer in that time. So if you can, pay by card.

How to buy a domain? COM domains are managed by the central registry ICANN. However, the actual sale is handled by registrars, such as Webglobe.

Next step? Web hosting

The domain itself is of no use to you until you populate it with content, i. e. your website, but for this you will need another service that you may not have known about until now: web hosting.

You can imagine web hosting as a hard drive on a foreign computer, where you have reserved your own space. 

Hosting decides where your website is "physically" stored (i. e. all your images, texts, etc. that you have on it).

Domain registration and web hosting

Most registrars will also offer you web hosting when you register your domain. It pays off to buy both for 2 reasons:

• A better price – some registrars even have a free domain for web hosting.
• Easier management – ​​you have everything nicely in one place and you don't have to remember two login details.

 Don't know which web hosting to choose? Check out the Webglobe packages.