Instant Domain Name Search
Your next business idea starts with a domain name.
Already have a domain name? Transfer it to Domain Name Sanity.
Your next business idea starts with a domain name.
Already have a domain name? Transfer it to Domain Name Sanity.
Protect your identity and avoid spam e-mail with our free Whois Privacy service. Our competitors charge up to $9.95 per year for this, but we believe it should be free.
At Domain Name Sanity, we include free e-mail forwarding for up to 100 addresses. Want business grade email hosting? It's only $19.95 per mailbox per year.
Looking to forward your new domain to another web address? All domains registered with us include Free DNS Hosting and Free URL Forwarding to redirect your new domain to any other URL, like your Facebook page.
Get the most common and respected domain.
The best .com alternative, build your network.
Build trust with the .org domain, built for organisations.
If you've found yourself wanting to build a website, you're probably on the lookout for a domain name too, whether you know it or not.
If you happen to be new to domain names, it's very likely you're not quite sure how to go about registering one and how to purchase it.
We hope this short guide will help you resolve any domain name dilemmas you may have as well as show you how to choose and register it in the correct way.
A domain name is what users type in their internet browser in order to find a particular website. Each unique domain name is linked with an IP address, and this is what enables your browser (like Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge or Firefox) to deliver the website you're searching for. After all, remembering IP addresses is much more difficult and impractical than a domain name.
Let's take a look at a typical IP address: e.g. 10.26.737.63. Imagine if you had to memorize such a set of numbers for every website you wanted to visit? Let's say the corresponding domain name for this IP address is example.com or example.net, and so on. Memorizing a specific name is much easier than memorizing a string of random numbers. Domain names simplify our web browsing experience, and make it easier to identify, brand and share the website as well.
Registering a domain name might look more challenging than choosing the actual name. However, with so many websites and a mountain of domain names that are already taken, the name choice has become much more of a challenge. Here's a short list of things to consider when choosing your domain name.
Before you can actually choose your domain, you have to first see whether it's available at all. Luckily, you can check whether a domain name is free by using our instant domain name search above. Choosing a domain name doesn't have to take forever. Focus on the nature of your business and start from there.
Identify leading domain names in your field.
Gather information that might prove useful while choosing your domain name. However, don't forget that you should keep your uniqueness. Choosing a domain name very similar to your greatest competitor won't make your brand remarkable. On the contrary, it'll make it sound less appealing, or, even worse, visitors trying to reach your site might end up on your competitor's site instead.
Domains should be short, easy to spell and memorize, and more importantly - easy to write. Including numbers and weird hyphens will only complicate things, so keep it neat and short. Be as unique as you can. Don't make your domain name predisposed to typos. You can even go with a one-word domain name option. Brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm.
While there's a range of extensions to choose from (e.g. .net. .biz. .org, and so on), do stick with the .com option. It's definitely the most popular and memorable one, and according to a Searchmetrics study, 75% of all links point to .com domains.
Using a keyword in your domain name is highly significant, because it tells the search engines what your site is about and along with other ranking factors (such as website speed, high-quality content, reduced bounce rates, and so on) can help your site rank higher. However, do keep in mind that finding a domain name with the specific keyword(s) you need is quite a challenge.
Once you've identified the perfect domain name, don't wait. You risk someone else choosing it, and then you are back to where you started.
Once you've decided on a domain name, it's time to register it. Contrary to popular belief, ICANN doesn't register domain names. Domain name registration is done by accredited registrars and resellers, like Domain Name Sanity, while ICANN is in charge of the number and name coordination of internet addresses. It's also a common misbelief that ICANN accredits every organization issuing domain names.
You can simply register a domain name by searching it in our Domain Name Search bar at the top of this page.
Don't forget that buying a domain name means you've only purchased the address that makes your website visible, and you still need web hosting in order to have a fully-functioning website.
