How to register a website domain name — URL
You want to create a website. Maybe you will hire a web designer like Foxie Web Design, or maybe you will build it yourself. Either way, the first step on this journey is to register a Domain Name.
Have you thought of a business name yet? If not I recommend you download this free ebook about branding and marketing. The first few pages discuss the process of creating a brand name and personality.
When you have a business name in mind, then search the internet to make sure your name is not already taken. Next, it’s time to consider what TLD (Top Level Domain) you want to use. At Foxie Web Design, we prefer .com for international websites, and .com.au for strictly Australian websites.
Video tutorial about finding and registering the perfectwebsite domain name
There are two basic things you need for a website to be online;
- A Domain Name
- Hosting
Choose your TLD
For example: .com or .com.au or something else
Have a think about what type of domain name you need, most of our customers use .com or .com.au
There are advantages with both, .com is shorter, also .com is the most widely recognised and respected domain name extension in the world, however if you have an Australian business, you may prefer to have the added recognition of being Australian with a .com.au name. Also, there is more likelihood your chosen name might be available with com.au because so many .com names have already been registered.
If most of your customers are in Australia and you only want to target Australian clients, a .com.au address will help search engines like Google send people to your site from Australian browsers. This is especially relevant if you have an e-commerce store or services that only caters to Australian residents. Registering a .com.au domain name for your Australian business indicates to Google that you are based in Australia, and this might help you show up in more search results when Australians are searching for products or services like yours.