Article by Justin Walton
Sometimes it makes sense to buy things in pairs. For example, you should probably buy a monitor when you purchase a computer since you’re going to need both. Besides, if you buy them at the same time and at the same place, you could end up getting a better deal. The same sort of things applies to domain name hosting as well. There are a few things that you should include in your package because they would integral to your site’s success.
As obvious as it may seem, you should make sure to register a name when you sign up for hosting. Sometimes, coming up with a name can be tricky, but you’ll get a better deal if you purchase one right from the get-go. Most hosting packages throw a domain name in for free, so it doesn’t make sense to purchase it separately. If you’re having trouble coming up with a name, turn to random pages in the dictionary for inspiration. Believe it or not, a good number of sites came up with their name that way. If you already have a name in mind but it’s taken, consider altering the spelling slightly or going with a different extension. Many sites choose the ?.net? or ?.org? extensions and you can too. Finally, consider purchasing the name you want from the current owner, assuming they offer it for a reasonable price of course.
Once you have a domain name and you’ve picked your hosting, you should make sure to sign up for private registration. Everyone who registers a name has to be added to the WHOIS service, including you. That service is in place so that anyone can look up the owner of a site in order to direct legitimate queries to them. Unfortunately, such a platform is also perfect for spammers. Thankfully, private registration allows your personal information to be shielded while still allowing legitimate concerns to get through. If you value your privacy at all, sign up for private registration.
If your site is going to have user accounts or host private information of any kind, you’re going to want to make sure to get a security certificate from your domain registry too. In essence, that technology encrypts data that gets sent back and forth to your site so that internet users don’t have to worry about their data being viewed by a malicious third party. Not only is this kind of technology good for your customers, it’s also good for your business too. Whenever people can feel safer on your site, your business will benefit.
Finally, you should look into getting email addresses associated with your site. Normally, most packages will throw in a number of email addresses for you but you’ll have to take care of the servers yourself. Anyone who has ever had to set up email servers can tell you that it’s a lot more complicated than it may sound. Fortunately, your registry can make things easy. They often provide professional yet affordable email hosting solutions that you can take advantage of. You can end up having email addresses associated with your domain name without the associated headaches that usually go along with that. Once you sign up for email hosting, everything will be in place and your site will be ready for success.
Don’t forget to sign up for domain private registration so that spammers won’t be able to look up your information. If your dedicated hosting solution can’t provide all the previously mentioned things, you should definitely shop elsewhere.