One of the most common questions I get is, “Where is the best place to buy a domain name?”
You need a domain name if you want to build your author website. Think of the domain name as the title to your own piece of internet real estate. You can’t develop the property by building a website until you own it. And just like there are zoning laws, there are certain domains have restrictions as well (not just anyone can create a .gov or .edu site).
As an author, your domain name is important. You won’t be able to get away with something long, flowery, or obscure. No one will remember it.
The domain name should be simple, easy to remember, and preferably, your own name.
Check your domain availability.
One of the most frustrating things is coming up with a perfect domain name and then finding out that it’s already taken. Don’t let your hopes get out of control. Check the availability of the domain before you set your heart and hopes on buying it.
If you have a common name, you’ll have to get creative. That’s what Nicole M. Miller (NicoleMillerBooks.com) had to do to avoid people confusing her with Nicole Miller, the fashion designer. Same name, completely different people.
Build your website around your writing name. If you are using an assumed name for your writing, purchase the domain that goes along with it.
I personally like to use Instant Domain Search. The results come up in real-time, showing me where I can purchase the domain name, what other similar domain names are available, and how much a premium domain name with similar words would cost.
Tweetables:
- As an author, you need the right domain name. – Click to tweet.
- Buy your domain name from a trusted source. We recommend one of these. – Click to tweet.
- Remember, buying a domain is not the same as buying hosting. – Click to tweet.
- It’s not every day The Rock shows up in an @AuthorMedia post. – Click to tweet.
- How to buy your author domain name. – Click to tweet.
Buy your domain name from a trusted source.
At Author Media, we’ve used many companies to buy domains. I use Bluehost, (Affiliate Link), Hannah uses NameCheap (Affiliate Link), and Thomas has his own favorite (his least favorite is GoDaddy, click here to find out why). Clients also have their pet favorites.
Remember, buying a domain is not the same as buying website hosting. You can buy a domain from one company and choose to host somewhere else. It’s perfectly fine.
Try NameCheap (Affiliate Link) the next time you are in the market for a domain.
You can purchase your domain name for a year at a time, but for your author website, I would suggest buying as much time as you are comfortable with. Ask yourself how long you plan on being a writer. That’s a great way to gauge how many years you need your domain name.
Feeling overwhelmed? You can schedule a free website consultation. We can answer your questions about websites, domain names, and hosting.
What company did you buy your domain name from?
I’ve used WordPress and been very happy with it. They offer a number of options for buying your domain name. If your blog is already on WordPress, you might want to check them out.
Yes! If you are using a WordPress.com blog, hosting is free. However, using a WordPress.org site will give you a lot of freedom and flexibility. Thanks for pointing that out, Janet!
I used to register my domain names with GoDaddy, but, because of the nature of their advertising, I switched to NameCheap.com. So far, I have not complaints. My site is self-hosted WordPress, hosting with Hostgator.com.
I bought my domain at http://www.domainka.com, and it works all good. You will choose what your domain name will be and let them do the rest.
Interesting! I am very much interested in acquiring some top domain names at DomainKa.com and it’ll be fun finding domains that will work for my site too.
Really nice tips, It’s really essential to have your keywords on your domain name as it gives you few benefits. People can recognize your services by name and it’s good for SEO purpose as well. I bought my domains at Domainka and I am very much pleased with their service.
I have used wordpress to get my domain, however, they don’t offer a professional email address to go along with it. So I went to zoho.com and got the free business email so I could have a kjdaniels@kjdaniels.com email address, and after following the instruction on zoho and wordpress to get this to work, I have not been successful and so frustrated at trying to get “professional”. It would be nice if someone would offer a domain, website, email package at an affordable rate instead of hundreds of dollars up front. (sighs) I am stuck and just don’t know what to do now that I have the domain but cannot get the email address to work.
What about PowWeb?