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Are you buying a domain for a website or a blog?, would you buy it at $1 price, if it is available? I would not.
It’s a trap. The trap is set so that you will finally end up spending more than the normal. This is how a novice blogger gets a domain at a higher price, thinking it as cheap.
So, today we are going to discuss best practices in buying a domain name for your blog.
Cheap domains while buying a domain for a website
The name lures you into buying one for your website or blog. It is how the corporate domain sellers make or loot money from you.
See the above picture. The company is providing a “.com” domain for just $1. It looks to be an incredible offer.
Now see this picture. Wow! You are getting a domain for 99 cents. It looks to be more incredible.
But it’s not!
My story
I made a big mistake in the beginning days of my blogging career. This is a story I thought of sharing with you guys. Do not make the same mistake.
Ten years ago, I built a blog on a micro-niche topic. I was very new to blogging, and I prepared all the material to start my blog. I was searching for a suitable domain extension for my blog.
At that time, I searched youtube to understand how to get a domain name for a low price. Every video I saw was about buying a domain name for $1.
One day, while I was surfing the net, I came across an ad.
I thought the domain extension is a unique one and will suit my blog. So I bought the domain for 1.99 dollars per year.
I made a good number of blog posts. I got Adsense approval by the end of the first month. In the meantime, the renewal date has come.
One day I got a mail from the domain seller informing me to renew my domain. So I visited the site and was shocked!
The same domain which I bought for $1 is now $44 to renew. It is a hefty amount for me (at that time, as I was not even making $40 from blogging).
So, in a rage, I just changed my domain name to another cheaper domain. At that time, I did not know that “That was the end of my blog!”.
After changing my domain name, I lost all my traffic. Usually, once you change the domain extension, all the URLs indexed in search engines will be useless, and you will get no traffic.
That was a life-changing experience for me. How dumb I was. Isn’t it?
Think long if you want to stay in the game
A domain is like an address to your content. Usually, it takes time for your blog posts to get indexed in search engines like google and bing. But, once they get indexed, they will drive good traffic to your content (if it ranks in a better position).
You cannot and shouldn’t change your domain extension if you want to be in the blogging business. Re-indexing a blog post takes time and can be harmful to your blog if the domain extension has changed.
If you change the domain, the traffic you earned, the reader base you built will be erased in seconds. Hence buying a domain is like naming a child. You can’t change the child’s name as often you like. It will abolish the identity of that child.
Hence I would recommend you to buy the domain in the right way. Do not fall into the trap of these corporate domain sellers.
At least, think once why these so-called corporates are selling domains at such cheap prices.
The right method to buy a domain | Best practices
No one gives anything for free!
The first rule is, don’t fall prey to cheap domains. You may get the domain for an unbelievable price for the first year, but you have to compensate for it in the coming years. You have to, and you will be forced to do it.
My experience tells that domain extension available at a comparatively lower price will not offer any discounts or promotions.
The above picture is a good example. Notice the word “Ad” above the “.live” extension. It is a promotional offer. Such promotional offers cost you more as days pass.
You get the domain for $1.99 for the first year, but you have to pay $32 from the second year onwards.
Choose a domain name
Fixed domain name
The first step in buying a domain is to select a domain extension. If you are a .com freak and would like to buy the same, my suggestion is to compare the same extension between different sellers.
Let me explain with an example. I checked the domain extension “hackershaul.com” at two domain sellers and see the results.
One seller is selling the domain for $1 per month (Total $12 per year). At the same time, another seller is selling the same extension for $8 per year.
So I would go with the second option as it is available for a lower price.
Flexible domain name
On the other hand, if you are flexible with your domain extension, this method works for you.
Just type your blog or website name in the search bar of the domain provider’s website. Check for the availability of various domain extensions and find the cheapest one.
Check for the renewal premium. If the domain extension has lower renewal premiums, go for it! It’s that simple.
I hope you like the post. What is your opinion on domain buying? Which method would you like to follow? Comment below and let us know your idea.
