A website has to have a domain name for it to be hosted on the internet. Simply put, a domain name is an address that people type in to access a website. For instance in amazon.com, ‘Amazon’ is the name while ‘.com’ is the domain extension.
While a significant number of computers are connected to the internet, each of it is assigned a unique number and an IP address. But since IP addresses are hard to remember, a domain name is used in its stead to act as a shortcut to a particular website.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) implements policies for domain names. So, it is important to make sure you buy a domain name from an accredited domain name registrar.
Buying a domain does not guarantee a hosting service as well. You have the option to work with the same company for both buying domain and hosting, but you can also choose two different companies either service.
How to Buy a Domain Name?
There are many domain registration Companies to buy a cheap domain name and hosting from. On average, a new domain name costs about $15 a year. That is approximately 1,000 INR. Some domain name registrars will offer discounts so you can be on the look-out for those.
On the other hand, aged domain names (domain names that have been registered for a while) can cost millions of dollars.
Another thing to considerer when buying domain hosting services is the different types of domains. Depending on the type of content, location and target audience, domain names follow different formulas. About half of all websites have the .com domain extension.
TLD: Top Level Domains
As the name implies, these domain names are at the top level of the internet’s domain name system. The most common TLDs are .com, .org, .net, and .edu.
ccTLD: Country Code Top Level Domains
These carry country-specific domain extensions. They use two letters which are internationally recognized as a specific country’s code. For instance;
.in for India
.jp for Japan
.us for United States
This is recommended when you wish to create web content targeted to a particular country.
gTLD: Generic Top Level Domain
This type of domain name does not rely on country code. gTLDis used for specific purposes. For instance;
.edu for Education Institutions
.gov for Government
.net for Organizations
How to Register Domain Name in India?
Once you have done some background research, it is time to contact a domain name registrar. The average cost of domain registration and hosting in India is 500-1000 INR per year. Most of these companies will allow you to search whether your preferred domain name is available. You can register a domain name for a minimum of 1 year to a maximum of 10 years. Here are some pointers;
- If your target audience is all over the world, register your domain name with .com, .net, or .xyz domain extension.
- If you wish to establish a non-profit organization, register with .org.
- If it is an informative website, register with .info as the domain extension.
- If your target audience is in India, use .co.in or .org.in depending on the content you intend to create.
- Make the domain name as short and memorable as possible.
- Using numbers as part of the domain name is not recommended, but if you have to, make sure they are well placed.
Below are the companies to consider when registering your domain name in India;
- HostingRaja: One of the top leading domain name providers in India, provide a free domain name with their affordable hosting plans.
- HostSoch: HostSoch will register your domain name for 41.58 INR/mo. It offers a lifetime free domain with hosting as long your website is hosted with them.
- Hostinger India: It costs 42.46 INR/mo. It also offers a free domain name with hosting. It offers discounts as well and the ratings are excellent.
