How do I check if my business’s “domain name” is available?

So you want to secure your company’s domain name, the plot of internet real estate that you will build your internet presence on..

1. Domain name availability check

Your first step is to check if the domain name you want is available.

If you don’t already have your eye on a domain, Spencer Haley’s Tips for Choosing a Great Domain Name might be just what you need.

To check if your preferred domain is available, you can search using Spencer Haley’s personal choice of domain registrar:

GoDaddy domain registration

2. Register the domain

If your preferred domain name is available, you should go ahead and register it as soon as possible!

GoDaddy is Spencer Haley’s current personal choice of domain name registrar, despite the constant bombardment with upsell offers.

If you don’t want to hassle with the upsell offers of GoDaddy and can spare a bit more per domain name, NameCheap is an outstanding registrar.

If your preferred choice of domain name for your business is not available, Spencer Haley recommends using the Google Apps domain registration page or a website called Domain Name Soup to find alternative domain names that might be acceptable for use with your business.

If you would like to find out who owns a particular domain name, Whois.net is a good place to start your search.

If the owner’s domain is not registered with false info (which can jepoardize your rights to a domain name) or registered with a domain name whois masking service, then you have a good chance of reaching them to negotiate the sale of the name.

3. Buy web site hosting

Now that you have purchased a domain name, you’ll need hosting – Click here to read: Spencer Haley’s How to choose a web site hosting provider

Tips for picking a good domain name

How to choose a web site hosting provider

How to set up your domain name with a hosting company