One of the very important steps to launching your blog-based website is buying a domain name.
However, finding and registering the perfect domain for your website can feel like a hard task if you’ve never done it before. The good news is that domain registration isn’t that difficult for you to do yourself. All you need is to follow a few simple steps and you will get your domain name.
Being a blogger and blogging for people as a virtual assistant, have led me to buy a lot of domains for clients. The truth is that some experiences were significantly much better than others.
This article will explain my favorite way of buying a domain. So, no matter the kind of domain you want, by the end of this article you will know how to get it yourself without anyone’s help.
Buying a Domain Name With Bluehost
Bluehost is a company providing web hosting services. The truth is that they are one of the most reliable and reputable web hosts on the market today. From the last research carried out, more than two million websites are hosted by Bluehost.
Moreover, Bluehost also is in the business of domain registration services. With Bluehost, you get a free domain for one year if you use their web hosting services.
Since you need a hosting plan, it’s much better to use Bluehost as your one-stop shop to bundle your hosting and domain registration into a single package. Trust me, this option is great for beginners starting their new websites from scratch.
Step 1 – Go to Bluehost.com
This first step is very easy. Just go to your browser and find your way to the Bluehost site.
There, scan their menu and select “Hosting” at the top of your screen.
Please do not click on the “Domains” menu option, instead, click on Hosting
Clicking on Hosting will prevent you from bundling your hosting plan with domain registration, and this will defeat the purpose of using Bluehost (meaning you won’t get the domain for free).
Step 2 – Select a Hosting Plan
Once you click on the hosting menu, the menu will expand and you will see three different options:
Shared Hosting
Dedicated Hosting
VPS Hosting
Shared hosting is the best option for 99% of people starting a new site. This means you will go ahead and select it (Shared hosting) from the drop-down menu.
Selecting Shared hosting doesn’t stop you from bundling your hosting plan and domain registration (getting a free domain). As someone starting his/her site you don’t need to bother yourself with dedicated or VPS for now. Just stick with shared hosting.
Bluehost does offer four different shared web hosting plans for people to choose from—
i. Basic
ii. Plus
iii. Choice Plus
iv. Pro
When launching your small website, the Basic entry-level plan starting at $3.95 monthly will be fine for you. But to avoid paying $3.95, and pay $2.95 go through WordPress.
To continue with your purchase, click the “Select” button under the plan that will fit your needs.
Step 3 – Register Your Domain
Immediately you select a web hosting plan, automatically Bluehost will prompt you to set up your domain. Two options will be presented to you, which are:
• Create a new domain
• Use a domain you own
Maybe you will want to use the option of “Create a new domain” to search for available domains.
By entering the domain you want to buy into the search bar and then select your domain extension (like .com, .org, .net, .blog, .biz, .info, .store, .co, .us, etc.).
In most cases, you’ll want to get a .com extension. The only reason why you would want to consider an alternative domain extension is the .com domain is taken. But my advice is to be a little creative in selecting your domain name to avoid it being misunderstood for someone else’s own. And avoid brand names like Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, etc.
Another reason you may want to consider an alternative domain extension is probably the price. Reason being that a lot of these extensions will be cheaper than a .com domain.
For your small blog, side project, or even personal site, it’s fine if you want to save money. But you should always register a .com domain for your business.
Step 4 – Finalize Your Contract
Once you’ve got your domain name, simply go ahead and create your Bluehost account and then select your plan terms.
You must make sure you get “Domain Privacy + Protection” located in the “Package Extras” section. It will cause your name, email, phone number, and address to become available on a public database. So, it’s a must that you get them included in the package.
Other options, such as SiteLock Security and Codeguard Basic, are entirely up to you.
Once you input your payment details, your hosting plan and new domain purchase will be finalized immediately. Well, understand that your domain name will be free for the first year of your contract. The next step is designing your website to your taste and start publishing high-quality content.
