8 Things to Do After Buying a Domain Name
Congratulations on taking your first step, so what should I do after buying a domain name?
Once you register a domain, it’s time to build your online presence. Here, I will be sharing with you the basic things to do after buying a domain name to secure your online business without hiring any professionals.
1: Get a Hosting Plan
The first thing after buying a domain name is to sign up for a web hosting plan to host your site. Most hosting packages come with a free domain name, so if you have already bought a hosting package with your domain name, you may skip this step.
If you buy a domain name and a hosting plan separately, read here before selecting the best plan for yourself. I would recommend to sign up for a web hosting package from top hosting providers. Don’t simply go for cheap web hosting. The value of hosting packages is determined by the best services they can offer instead of just pricing.
If you are not buying your domain name and web hosting from the same company, you will need to point your domain name to your respective hosting server so that they connect to the location of your host. Though it sounds a little technical, the process is actually easy and straightforward.
All you need to do is login to your hosting account and copy and paste the name servers. You may refer to this tutorial to point your domain to another hosting provider.
2: Link your domain to your social media
Your customers may have difficulties finding your online store on Facebook due to the long and unprofessional domain name.
(E.g.: www.facebook.com/whallestudio).
Redirect your newly registered domain to your online store on Facebook. With easy to remember domain name (shorter website URL), your customers can remember your website more easily.
3: Register Your Business
If your domain is part of starting a new business, then you will need to officially start this business by registering it. You can choose to operate as a sole proprietor or partnership, LLCs and corporations to secure a liability protection for your business.
LLCs have been very popular for companies that focused on online business due to their liability protection and low cost. However, it is not necessary for you if you plan to just start a blog.
4: Trademark Your Business
The protection for your business is not limited to registration only. You have to register a trademark if you are concerned over protecting your domain name, and especially if the name is so special and it is going to be the next big business name!
A trademark will protect you against infringement such as domain name trademark infringement and allow you to take legal action, which can in turn win you a compensation from company/individual who violates your trademark.
5: Create a Custom Email Address
Once you own a domain, it allows you to have your own email address that is not tied to any ISP (internet service provider) or webmail service. An email address with your domain name improve the credibility of your email and company image.
For example, it looks more professional to have [email protected] than [email protected]. Most hosting plan allows you to create free email accounts with your domain name.
6: Design and Develop Your Website
It’s time to build your online presence when everything else is in place. Having an online website is similar to owning a physical shop but in the virtual way. Websites are used by different businesses in different ways. It can be a way for people to find your business, an e-commerce site for online shopping, a lead generation or blog. You may need to create some articles or a link to your site. Figure out how to use yours.
Many businesses will choose to hire professional web developers to customize a high quality website. If you decide to do it on your own, consider using user-friendly platform like WordPress to figure out the way to customize your website to what you like. It is important to have a good quality website for your target prospect.
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Most hosting packages do come with WordPress one-click installation. It takes less than 30 seconds for the installation. It provides several free themes with good design for your website.
7: Force HTTPS Redirection
SSL (secure socket layer) certificates provide good security and encryption to protect your data transfer across the internet. A website with SSL shows a padlock icon on the left of the URL bar.
Exabytes Hosting plans provide a free SSL. All domains with a valid SSL certificate can have redirection enabled. There is an option to enable force HTTPS Redirection from the insecure version (HTTP) under the domains interface in cPanel.
However, the free SSL only provide basic encryptions for non transactional data such as logins. If you hope to secure your customers’ sensitive info such as bank account details, you will need Paid SSL.
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8: Market Your Website
If you want your website to be found by your prospects easily, you will need to learn the basics of SEO, which includes adding relevant keywords and link building. You can obtain a steady traffic for your site if done right.
However, SEO is just one of many ways of online marketing. You may also need to consider more strategies such as social media marketing, content marketing, or paid advertising to drive traffic to your websites. Social media is important as most people spend plenty of time daily on social media sites. That’s one of the reasons to secure your matching social media names. Put in your effort and wait for a huge traffic generated from those social media sites!
So, here you go, the important things to do after buying a domain name.
Cheers!
