How do you buy a domain name? A guide

To ensure users find and access your web project, you need a memorable, suitable web address. Thanks to pro­fes­sion­al providers, you can quickly buy and register your own domain name.

How to buy a domain name quick guide

1. Choose a reputable domain provider.
2. Use your provider’s domain checker to see if your domain is still available.
3. Choose a domain; your provider’s sug­ges­tions can also be helpful here.
4. Complete the payment through your provider.
5. Verify yourself with your provider using the link received via email.

Step 1: Choose a reputable domain registrar

Since 1998, the as­sign­ment of all available domain endings has been the re­spon­si­bil­i­ty of ICANN (Internet Cor­po­ra­tion for Assigned Names and Numbers). The or­ga­ni­za­tion manages all es­tab­lished as well as new top-level domains and sells the rights to reg­istries, which work with domain reg­is­trars (also known as domain providers). So if you want to acquire a precise address for your website, the first step is to choose a suitable registrar. In doing so, you should not only consider the costs but also ensure that the desired top-level domain is available.

Step 2: Find the ap­pro­pri­ate domain name including top-level domain

The name plays an important role in the success of your website. A memorable and ap­pro­pri­ate com­bi­na­tion of an ending (top-level domain) and domain name (second-level domain) is crucial, so visitors can find your site not only through links but also through simple search engine entries. Fur­ther­more, search engines like Google directly take the domain name into account when de­ter­min­ing the ranking in search results.

When it comes to the second-level domain, you have a variety of design options: Names with up to 63 char­ac­ters made up of letters, numbers, and hyphens are possible. However, the most popular domain endings are often already taken or reserved in various com­bi­na­tions. Our com­pre­hen­sive guide with the most important tips for domain reg­is­tra­tion provides more in­for­ma­tion and as­sis­tance on the way to finding the right domain name.

If you’re lacking ideas for a suitable domain, that’s not a problem. The AI domain name generator from IONOS can help you find the perfect name for your web project.

Step 3: Check the avail­abil­i­ty of the address with a domain checker

Once you have one or ideally several options for your website name in mind, it’s time to check their avail­abil­i­ty. Nearly all major domain providers offer access to special tools for ver­i­fi­ca­tion, commonly known as domain checkers. Typically, you simply enter your desired domain into the tool’s search bar and then start the search.

After a short wait, you will receive the result of the check: If the address is still available, the tool confirms its avail­abil­i­ty. Otherwise, you will be notified that the desired domain is already taken or reg­is­tered. In many cases, providers au­to­mat­i­cal­ly offer you sug­ges­tions for al­ter­na­tive top-level domains or revised second-level domains.

Step 4: Order or register the domain

For pur­chas­ing domains, it’s also ben­e­fi­cial to use the domain checkers provided by each provider: Once you’ve checked an address, the tools typically offer buttons that take you directly to the purchase and reg­is­tra­tion process. Press this button for the desired domain or for all domains you wish to buy.

At IONOS, you also have the option to select a suitable product at this stage. Al­ter­na­tive­ly, simply click the button if you are only in­ter­est­ed in the domain.

You will now receive a list of the monthly costs for all currently selected domains (including options for contract duration):

After clicking “Continue”, create a IONOS account or log into your active IONOS account to proceed with the payment pro­cess­ing. You can also pay for your domain(s) directly via PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.

Step 5: Verify ownership of the new domain

According to an ICANN reg­u­la­tion, domain providers are required to verify the contact in­for­ma­tion of domain buyers for au­then­tic­i­ty. This applies to both new and tra­di­tion­al generic top-level domains. Following the purchase of a new web address, providers will send an email to the contact address you provided during reg­is­tra­tion.

A central component of the mentioned email is a ver­i­fi­ca­tion link, through which you can confirm your ownership within 15 days. If the 15-day period is exceeded, the provider de­ac­ti­vates the domain.

How to secure a domain?

The new TLDs are in high demand, but are released gradually by ICANN. If a domain does not yet have release approval at the time of the avail­abil­i­ty check, you cannot buy the desired address with this TLD. However, you can secure or reserve the domain with the provider of your choice. At IONOS, proceed as in Step 4 (order or register the domain), but instead of a cost overview, you will find a contact form. Here you can pre-order the domain for free.

How to buy a domain that is no longer available?

If your desired domain is already taken, you generally have no way to buy it from the provider—even if the address is not actively used. However, you can try to locate the domain owner (via a WHOIS query in the relevant registry database) to make them an offer to purchase the domain.

The most important tips for buying a domain

Your web address should be carefully con­sid­ered as the showcase of your website or online store. Take enough time to find a sat­is­fac­to­ry com­bi­na­tion of top and second-level domain. Below, we’ve sum­ma­rized some tips to help make this process as suc­cess­ful as possible.

• Analyze the market: Find out which top-level domains are par­tic­u­lar­ly in demand in your industry and combine them with a mean­ing­ful name that suits you and—if possible—includes important keywords.
• Respect trademark rights: Ensure that your desired domain does not violate trademark rights and does not contain protected terms. Avoid strong sim­i­lar­i­ties to reg­is­tered trade­marks as well.
• Avoid long domain names: Visitors should remember your web address—whether they’ve heard of it or already visited the site. Therefore, look for a memorable, prefer­ably short name.
• Limit numbers and hyphens to a minimum: There are many pos­si­bil­i­ties for designing a domain name. However, you should limit numbers and hyphens as much as possible.
• Include typo domains: Mis­spellings or other typos can prevent access to the intended website. By also reg­is­ter­ing domain names with common errors and redi­rect­ing these domains to your website, you can coun­ter­act this issue.
• Get feedback: Discuss your ideas for suitable TLDs and domain names with others. Suitable people for this can include not only col­leagues and experts but also friends, ac­quain­tances, and family members who, as potential target audiences, can provide valuable input.