When should I purchase my domain?
Purchase your domain name BEFORE you register your business and capture the domain before you register you business name. Having a url that fits your business name can be the difference between choosing one business name over another. If you register your business first and then try to buy a domain 2nd you can run into problems of having a domain name that isn’t quite clearly associated with your business. When you register a business the name is published in a local paper and then some people make a living of registering domain names and then reselling them to the business at a huge markup. Since a domain is the predominant search term it is best to secure them first.
Where should I purchase my domain name from?
Honestly, it makes zero difference where a domain is purchased from. Usually it works out its just easier to purchase a domain and hosting with the same company. Sometimes they even offer a free domain with hosting. The cheapest companies to purchase a domain from are ionos.com and namecheap.com. Here is a more comprehensive list of current prices as of October 2020.
What does the suffix mean on the domain name?
When the internet made its first strides it broke everything down into categories:
.gov – Government Website
.edu – Educational Institution
.mil – Military
.com – Commercial Site
.org – Traditionally a non profit organization Website
.net – Network.
Nowadays you have over 300 suffixes to choose from. So its all based on preference. If you have a blog, you can go with .blog. If you have a store, you can go with .shop. Its all personal preference in todays market.