A domain name is paramount to a website's success. It needs to be something memorable that sticks in the mind of the viewer, so that they know where to go should they ever need to come back to the site.
Typically, it needs to be short, catchy and pronounceable - this last one because, if a person wants to tell their friends about the site, they will want to be able to say it without spelling it out.
And there are many more criteria you need to meet before you can just buy domain names. But with a little effort, you can get exactly the right domain.
Real Words vs Fake Ones
One of the first decisions you'll need to make before you head on to a domain name registrar is whether you want a domain with a real word, ie Twitter.com or one with a fake one, ie Google.com, YouTube.com. This will have an effect when you buy domain names, which will be talked about later, aside from the effect it will have on your brand.
See, real word domains are often what's called 'discoverable'. A visitor could stumble upon them through a web search, hypothetically. Fake word domains are 'brandable'. You can build up a brand image around them. Done well, this has a lot of possibilities. Consider Google. They have branded so thoroughly that 'Google' has become a real word.
Registering a Fake Word Domain
Registering a domain with a word that is not real is usually simple. You can pop on over to a domain name registrar and do a domain web search or similar, in order to see if the name is in use. Then, if it's available, you can simply purchase it at your leisure.
You may end up paying a bit more for a good.com extension, but overall this is usually a quick, inexpensive process. A domain name registrar will do all the dirty work for you.
If the name you chose is in use, however, you have two options. You can either try another word for a domain web search, or you can follow the steps for registering a domain with real words.
Registering a Real Word Domain
At this point in the internet's history, if you have a real word domain you want to take a domain name registrar, chances are, it's already been registered. So you'll have to go down a different path.
You'll need to do a domain web search in order to find the person who currently owns the domain. A lot of the time, if a domain is for sale, it will say so front and center. If it doesn't say anything, you'll need to contact the owner and politely ask.
If it turns out it is for sale, excellent! You can talk to the owner about sealing the deal. Be prepared for this to be more expensive, however. Pre-owned domains are unique in the world because they are actually priced higher than their brand new counterparts.
These are the steps you have to take to buy domain names. It's evident that a fake word domain is a far easier route, straight through to the domain name registrar and back, but it all depends on what you think is best for your site.
