Affordable Domain Registration

Affordable domain name registration is a way for people with not a lot of money to spend to get web addresses registered. Treated as real estate on the World Wide Web, web addresses can be bought and sold on a quickly changing market where people stake their claims by choosing options that identify their IP addresses. These deals are easy to find since the amount of sources that offer these services has sky rocketed to very competitive proportions. There are possibilities to pick up a free registration with some hosting packages which is making affordable domain name registration easy and cost effective.

These services can be purchased in many different ways, but the most popular is through many hosting services available through web companies that offer everything to the web user. From servers and site builders to cheap domain name registration and marketing, web hosting services continue to answer the call of webmasters who clamor for the best rates and quality services. Choosing a hosting company that offers everything needed in a single package provides a seamless production of website needs. Especially for new Internet users who are finding their way as webmasters, a quality hosting company can be the best service in the early stages.

A web hosting company is not the only place to find this type of service for those who want to save money. Next to purchasing a new address through a reasonably priced hosting company, possibilities to receive affordable domain name registration from expired web addresses may also be an option. Many web sites discontinue for whatever reason, and the expired account is listed for anyone to review. A whois search lists options that are current as well as those that have expired and can provide up to date information while searching. The listings provide who has purchased each one when and when it expires. 

If a person finds one that interests them in the expired list, he or she can immediately run a search to make sure no one else has recently chosen it. If not, then purchase the address personally or submit to a hosting company to add to the account. Expired names provide cheap domain name registration because the person pays what would be paid if an original request had been submitted. Checking this source can offer options that a person may have assumed were unavailable. One that someone wants may also become available just the day that person checks, so searching the database is always helpful.

Another way to purchase web addresses is through investors or speculators who have already purchased certain ones that they think will bring them profits with the resale. These are not in use, but are property to be resold to the highest bidder or for a listed price. Domain names owned by investors do not typically provide the most affordable domain name registration since they are usually pricey. Those that are sold by speculators can run from hundred to several thousand dollars depending on the branding quality and the projected popularity. Someone can always bid on one that interests them, but receiving a cheap domain name registration is not likely.

Other extensions usually do not cost quite as much and there may only be a dollar or two difference. The three most used extensions are .net, .org and .com but there are many other extensions that are available such as .biz, .info, and .name. As the Internet grows worldwide, a growing need for various options will continue to grow causing the cheap prices to possibly escalate. Some wise webmasters go ahead and purchase every extension under their company in order to assure no confusion and competition. Carefully determine what the personal needs are before registering. "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1)

If someone has a specific use for a certain address that is really needed, approach the owner with an offer to purchase it. Sometimes a person can purchase it if the price is right, but again, this person most likely will not receive the best price. Web addresses with the same company name can have varying purchase prices depending on the suffix or extension available. Dot com is the most popular extension and usually costs a bit more even with hosting companies that offer cheap domain name registration.

Affordable Domain Hosting

Affordable domain hosting is available through many Internet companies with a variety of features offered, depending on the size of the web site, and the goals of the customer's company. Prices vary, but one really cheap domain hosting company offers annual rates of $5.99 to $30.00. All hosts offer a certain amount of disk space and data transfer, a certain number of email accounts, and even sub-domains. Some of them also offer web designs. So, there are plenty of people out there willing to host websites to help people build their business with Internet exposure. 

Part of the host fees are based on the amount of bandwidth allowed. Bandwidth is the amount of traffic going out from a site, including images, clips, pages, etc., so it's a good idea to get more bandwidth than needed so there is room for growth. Customers must think ahead and be sure not to run out of space. Ask friends and business acquaintances about their cheap domain hosting services. This is usually a good way to know what one might get with a particular company. Of course, customers can always visit discussion boards where there are discussions complimenting hosting providers and griping about the ones who've earned a reputation of being unsavory. Host directories are another source for finding a good and inexpensive host. 

Technical support from the domain host, even if it's an inexpensive host, should be a high priority in one's search. Support should be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and customers should be able to reach them by phone, e-mail, online forum, or in person. The number of customers served and how many staff members available would be good information to have. Another important factor is customer service. It should be prompt, professional, courteous and effective. This is vital to building a good business relationship with an affordable domain hosting company. A good company should provide shopping cart software, merchant account setup support, and credit card processing. The host should have a library of scripts to accommodate forms, statistics, and guestbooks on the site. In addition, webmasters must have the ability to develop their own mailing lists, and web mail access that allows retrieval of e-mail from any computer connected to the Internet.

The company should offer a guarantee of uptime, and some compensation for any downtime suffered. For an individual's web site to go down is no big deal, but for a business, it is crucial. Serious business losses could result if the web site is down for a week. Reputable affordable domain hosting services will post statistics on their site stating what is the frequency of interruptions, and the average percentage of downtime. Those who settle for a host that does not monitor servers will have to do the monitoring themselves. 

Along with hosting, the customers will need a domain name. Make sure the cheap domain hosting service will register the domain name under the company's name. If it isn't registered, someone else can use the name. For their information, the webmaster will need a feature called a Control Panel for ease of maintenance. This tool will allow for regular maintenance, whether it's e-mail box additions or deletions, password resets, web additions, web count reports, statistics, and so on. For a business web site, this is an absolute must.

When looking for a host, ask if potential hosts have an auto installer. Auto-installers will save time if webmasters are going to install a forum, image gallery, or content management system. Customers don't have to be experienced to use these significant time savers. One might also ask about an online website builder. This program lets customers design a website in a few minutes, even novices who have no website creation knowledge. This program allows one to choose colors and themes, pick templates, and in general make the web site reflect the perfect image to project to potential customers. First impressions are important for a business just as it is for personal first meetings, so it pays to put one's best foot forward. A good, affordable domain hosting provider understands this.

It is possible to find great services, but without looking into all the other factors mentioned above before making a decision. The money saved up front may not be a saving later on. Like most other important decisions, it pays to do some research first to be certain one is getting the service really needed. In addition, webmasters need to talk to other webmasters and get recommendations for the right service. Other webmasters can also steer newcomers away from bad, cheap domain hosting. There have always been merchants selling products, but in Bible times they didn't have anything like modern electronic tools to help them build their businesses, but they managed to transport them across country. "Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue the royal merchants purchased them from Kue." (1 Kings 10:28)