Are you about to buy your first domain for your business? Wait and read this first.
As a professional web developer who has made mistakes along the way and helped fix others’, I’ve learned that there are five things to check before buying a domain. These tips can save you money, protect your personal information, and avoid some real headaches down the road.
#1: The Ideal Domain Name Should be Short, Memorable, and Without Hyphens
Your domain is like your “Internet nickname”: it’s how people will find you online. So be careful, don’t just register something random that has nothing to do with your brand or your business, and don’t make it complicated for your customers.
Personally, I follow three rules when choosing a domain name:
- Easy to pronounce and remember. If someone can’t spell it after hearing it once, it’s probably not the right name.
- Short. Makes typing it easier and avoids typos that could send potential customers someplace else.
- No hyphens. Unless your brand is hyphenated, it’s unnecessary and can affect user experience.
#2: Choose the Right Extension
An extension is not just the part after the dot: it’s what defines the domain you’re accessing. The most common is .com, but today you can also choose from extensions like .io, .ai, .app, .shop, .gallery, and many more.
My first recommendation is always .com since it’s easier to memorize, unless the project clearly benefits from another extension. For example, I personally use .dev for my personal brand domain (betocaba.dev) because it makes sense for what I do as a developer.
Some people choose variations of their brand or business name when they find the domain they want is already taken on .com. But it’s better to rethink the name and find a good one with .com than to use a weird name or an obscure or unfamiliar extension that could mislead or confuse potential visitors.
#3: Always Check Domain Name Availability, But Beware of Shady Providers
Before buying, go to who.is and search your domain name with the extension. This will tell you three important things:
- If it’s already registered, who owns it, and when it expires. This is useful if it’s a name you really want and might be willing to negotiate for.
- Recommendations for similar available domains in case yours is already taken.
- Whether it’s actually free before you buy it.
And here’s something important: don’t search the same domain on 50 different provider websites. Unfortunately, some unethical providers track your searches and rush to register the domain themselves, so they can sell it back to you at a higher price, especially if it’s a popular or in-demand name.
So check it on who.is first. If it’s available, go directly to your trusted registrar and buy it.
#4: Privacy Is Not Optional, You Must Hide Your Personal Data
Many people don’t know this, but when you buy a domain, your personal information gets stored in a public database that includes your name, address, email, and phone number. And anyone can look it up!
I made this mistake once with a client. I forgot to activate privacy protection, and all of their personal data was showing publicly in the WHOIS database: address, email, full name… That’s a real security issue, because you don’t want your data exposed like that, at least not for a domain name.
If you want to avoid spam calls, junk email, and exposing your personal data, always activate domain privacy when you buy. Make sure the option is checked before you complete the purchase. Most good registrars include it for free.
#5: Read the Fine Print and Control the Account Where Your Domain Lives
Another thing to consider is the fine print when buying a domain name, which can have hidden prices. Some providers advertise one price that renews at a much higher rate (for example, $10 USD for the first 12 months and then $65 USD each year). Make sure your registrar charges you a consistent price every year and isn’t pulling a bait-and-switch at renewal time. If a domain looks very cheap compared to everyone else, ask yourself if they’re being honest about the future price.
But beyond price, make sure you own your domain. My recommendation to every client is this: buy the domain yourself using an account created with your own email and payment method. The hosting can go with whoever is building your site, but the domain should always be yours.
Think of it this way: owning a domain is like owning a plot of land on the internet. You wouldn’t hand the property deed to the construction company just because they’re building on it. You give them permission to work there, you don’t give up ownership.
If your domain lives in someone else’s account and that relationship ends badly, you could lose access to everything connected to it: your email, your website, your search rankings.
My Personal Recommendation
I’ve been using Namecheap for a while now, and I’m very happy with it. I used to use Google Domains, but after Squarespace acquired it, I moved over. Namecheap offers good prices, transparent renewals, and a friendly dashboard with a useful feature that helps share domain access with your team or developers without giving up full control. Not sponsored, just an honest suggestion of what I use and recommend to my clients.
To recap:
- Short, memorable, and no hyphens: that’s your name rule
- Go for .com first, then consider other extensions if it makes sense for the project
- Check who.is before buying, and don’t search everywhere or you might lose it to a shady provider
- Always activate domain privacy, protect your data and your client’s data
- Own your domain yourself, in your account, with your email, under your control
Buying a domain is easy. But doing it with these five tips is going to save you a lot of problems, and make sure you’re actually the owner of your piece of the internet.
If you have questions about domains, hosting, or anything related to your online presence, send us an email. We’re happy to help.
— Beto Web Designer & Developer, Auror Studio