To view a website a person has to type in its domain name or Uniform Resource Locater (usually shortened to URL) This is a word or phrase, usually memorable, which is connected with the nature of the site or the business or product behind it. Many free hosting companies often offer domain names and it is possible to get a cheap domain name from companies that specialize in them, but there is an essential difference between the two. The domain names offered at no charge by hosting companies are not usually new domains but are in the form of a third level on their own domain names.
Names that are simply tacked on to the hosting company’s domain name, so that will need to be typed in as well are what we refer to as sub domains. This causes a bit of trouble with the name being long and with the extra bit tricky to recollect. These reasons are why it can be best for a person to buy an original domain name. With the number of cheap domain companies it is easy to get one that is economical.
Cheap domain names can be free or they can range in price up to around seven dollars. If the free domain name that is offered is worth anything then the hosting company making this offer will usually only make it available as part of a web hosting bundle – so the ‘free’ domain name still has a price. Paying for a domain name usually means that you can get it without a bundles web hosting package. These paid for domains will cost anything from one dollar upwards.
There is no difference in the registration process for a cheap domain name as for a regularly priced domain name. A customer needs to first check that the required domain name is vacant. To find out if the desired name is still available then a customer will enter the name into an appropriate text box and select the extension wanted. A customer my then purchase the domain if it is taken, if it already exists then another name must be chosen. Some company’s are helpful and will suggest alternative domain names when the one chosen is unavailable.
Unfortunately there are down sides to using cheap domain names, a person name never receive their domain name of the company they are using is unscrupulous. What often happens is that the company tells the customer that they have to wait, typically less than a week, for the domain to activate. At the end of a few days the domain still doesn’t work, and emailing the company doesn’t work either.
If a cheap domain name company is fraudulent then they are unlikely to be registered with the Better Business Bureau, so checking with them is a good first step in protecting yourself. This is an organization that will make sure that all registered businesses are operating in an acceptable way. Checking for traditional land based contact information such as an address and telephone number is a good second step to ensure that the cheap domain name company is not fake. Find out if a company has a good or bad reputation on message boards that are dedicated to webmasters, as a good third step.
If no one has ever dealt with the company you may want to get alternative suggestions for a reputable company. But, if a cheap domain name company is reputable then there is not other reason the avoid getting a discounted domain name with them. Cheap domain names work in the same way as regularly priced domain, so if a person knows of a reputable cheap domain name company then they should take advantage of it.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
there are no good free hosts but there are some good cheap ones.
Where is the best place to register a domain name? What does it mean to register a domain name?