Category: Industry Information

How Long After a Domain Expires Can I Buy It?

Post author By Naming Generator Team
Post date September 20, 2020

How Long After a Domain Expires Can I Buy It?

Domain names are available between one-year to ten-year subscription plans. However, humans err, and we can easily forget the status of our domain registrations and, inadvertently, cause these domains to expire. You are not alone if you want to know how to prevent this from happening.

How long after a domain expires can you buy it? You have 30 days after your domain name’s expiration, where you can still renew the domain with your registrar’s regular hosting rates. Then, you have another 30 days where the domain name no longer sits in the zone (i.e., the website and email associated with no longer works), and you will need to pay an additional redemption fee.

In this article, we detail all the things that you need to know to prevent losing domain names and make sure that you are on top of all your domain name registration before they expire.

If you want to find available domains, use our free tool here.

How to Prevent Losing Your Domain Name

Knowing you only have 30 days to renew a domain after it expires is not enough. You need to plan ahead to ensure that you do not miss this deadline or renew your domain just a few days before the allowable period. Below, we have curated a few tips on making sure that you do not forget about your domain’s registration renewals.

1. Update Your Calendars

Stay on top of your domain name registration and renewal processes by making sure to add a high-priority calendar reminder on all your devices. Make this a priority even if your domain will only expire after three or ten years. By syncing this task on all your calendars, you are one step ahead of losing your domain names.

2. Whitelist Emails From Your Registrar or Hosting Provider

All hosting providers and registrars send out email notices to their customers a few months or weeks before a domain expires. Make sure that you receive these emails by whitelisting your registrar’s email address.

Also, make sure to read each email that they send out since these would most likely concern your hosted domains and websites. As per ICANN policy, registrars are required to send out renewal emails at least one month and one week before the domain’s expiration. Other domain hosts and providers are also more assertive when it comes to renewal notices, and they send out regular email notifications throughout the month of the domain’s expiration.

3. Sign Up for Automatic Domain Renewal

If your hosting provider offers an automatic domain name renewal service, go for it. This way, you can forget about the domain renewals since they will be charged automatically to a registered card on your account.

Another thing to remember when signing up for automatic domain renewal is to pre-set your hosting plan’s duration. You do not want to be automatically charged for a ten-year domain hosting when you only want the renewal to occur every two years.

4. Update Your Card Details Regularly

For the tip on automatic domain renewal to work, you need to be vigilant in updating your card details on your domain hosting provider’s Billing Settings. Do this every time your credit card changes or when you start to use a different card. Doing so ensures that when the domain renewal date comes around, your card will be automatically charged, and you do not have to deal with the stress of having expired domains beyond their redemption periods.

How Much Does Domain Name Renewal Cost?

Domain name renewal cost varies depending on your domain name registrar, the type of features included in your domain hosting plan, and the length of time you want the domain hosting service for.

Typically, by the time you need to renew a domain name hosting, the regular monthly or yearly rate for that service will apply. You can opt for a monthly or yearly plan. You can also opt to pay for the two-year, three-year, five-year, or ten-year durations depending on your website needs.

Can I Cancel a Domain Name Registration?

Yes, you can cancel your domain name registration at any given time. Contact your registrar on how to start the process of the domain cancellation since each company may have different rules. Also, note that domain names are automatically canceled and deleted if they are not renewed after its initial registration lapses.

Can I Buy a Domain As Soon As It Expires?

If you own a domain name and it has just expired, you can still renew it and retain all the content of the website associated with that domain. On the other hand, if you do not own that expired domain, you need to wait about 60 to 70 days before you can redeem or purchase it again.

An expired domain that no longer sits in the zone file will be deleted and purged from the records of the DNS registrant. Once the domain name is deleted, it is released and will be available for re-registration.

What is the Difference Between the Auto-Renew Grace Period and the Redemption Grace Period?

The Auto-Renew Grace Period is a 45-day duration after the domain name’s expiration where the domain name holder or registrant may still renew the domain. During this period, the domain may still be in the zone file and may still work. The domain renewal fee will correspond to the host’s pricing plans.

The Redemption Grace Period is another 30-day duration where the domain name is no longer in the zone file, and the website and email associated with it will no longer work. During this period, the domain holder or registrant can redeem the domain and will also need to pay a redemption fee on top of your domain hosting plan fees. This fee will vary depending on your registrar.

Can I Transfer My Domain Name Before It Expires?

Yes, it is perfectly fine to transfer your domain name to another host before it expires. Just remember, the transfer request may be denied if you have made changes to the domain owner or registrant within the last sixty (60) days or if the domain is on a locked status. For a step by step guide on how to transfer domains from host to another, check out the linked article.

What If It Has Been More Than 75 Days Since My Domain Name Expired?

If it has been more than seventy-five (75) days since your domain name expired, you will no longer be able to renew or redeem the domain name. The domain and the website information associated with your original creation date has been deleted. Nevertheless, the domain name is placed back on the registry, and anyone can register it for their own sites. You can check with your hosting provider or registrant for its availability and register under your name again.

11 Best BlueHost Hosting Alternatives 2020- Full Comparison Guide

Post author By Naming Generator Team
Post date September 16, 2020

11 Best Bluehost Hosting Alternatives?

Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links and purchases made through these links will result in a small commission back to our site at no additional cost to you.

Webhosting is essential to running an online business or website as it provides the infrastructure for your site’s performance, stability, security, and growth. Bluehost is one of the most recognized hosting companies in the world, but we know sometimes you want other options, so, in this article, we look at 11 of the best hosting alternatives outside of Bluehost and compare them across a plethora of categories so you can make the best decision for your business.

Web hosts own a large number of powerful servers that provide reliable service to thousands of websites. Effectively, you rent server space when you sign up for a hosting plan. But a good web host isn’t just in the business to sell that server space – they are also selling their expertise in keeping their technology (thus, your website) running seamlessly, efficiently, and securely.

Bluehost is one such service provider. In fact, Bluehost is one of the biggest and most popular hosting companies in the industry. Naturally, though, some users want to know about the best Bluehost alternatives. If you want to pick up Bluehost, use our affiliate link to get some great bonuses.

It’s just good business sense and, besides, different businesses have unique requirements. In this article, we will give you a complete review of the top hosting BlueHost alternatives for 2020 and, possibly, beyond.

What are the best Bluehost hosting alternatives? At a quick glance, the best Bluehost hosting alternatives for 2020 are:

The functionality and overall quality of a website depend heavily on the software used to keep everything together. The software your web host uses can determine the range of features your website can have, your website’s user interface, and how your web content is updated. This is why the number one consideration in choosing a web host should be its ability to support all necessary applications, scripts, or software your website will be running.

Now that we’ve given you a quick list of top Bluehost alternatives, read on through the rest of this article to see exactly how each stack up in the areas that really matter to your website’s success. Do not worry if you aren’t familiar with all the hosting jargon or if you are not totally fluent about the different features mentioned here.

We have included a quick glossary of terms related to hosting features at the end of the article. You will surely become acquainted with and understand better which hosting features are relevant to the success of your website.

Our goal is to help you make the right web hosting decision. And as you decide on the right hosting provider for your website, make sure to do so through our links in order for you to receive our amazing bonuses, such as:

A free custom logo for your company designed by our team of graphics professionals
A free e-book: 27 FREE Website Tools that will Save You Time and Money
Video training courses on how to launch a successful website (more traffic and more income!)

BLUEHOST ALTERNATIVE HOSTING FEATURES

We did a deep-dive on each hosting alternative we listed and compiled their top user-interesting aspects that should help in making a decision at-a-glance.

SITE SPEED

Site speed has to do with how quickly a website responds to web requests. Faster sites create happy users and studies have shown that when a site responds slowly, visitors spend less time there. Recent data show that faster sites don’t just improve user experience — but that an improved site speed translates to cost reduction. And now, site speed is no longer just a critical factor for visitors, but it’s now also a confirmed Google ranking factor. In the site speed aspect, several user tests have shown WPX Hosting and Kinsta as more consistent leaders of the pack.

HOSTING PRICE

Web hosting price is the aspect most (if not all) of us will first inspect when choosing a web hosting provider. But yes, it shouldn’t be THE deciding factor. When scrutinizing price differences across web host providers, it’s helpful to remember the age-old saying that we get what we pay for. Jumping on the lowest offer you see isn’t necessarily the best idea, especially if your website is relied upon to generate money. It is a much better approach to take a closer look at the features that each web host offers, and THEN compare prices.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

One of the web hosting features we need to look at first in a host is their reputation for customer support. What are the channels to contact them should you need support – chat, toll-free phone, email? All of the above? Are they staffed 24/7? Various user reviews have ranked WPX Hosting, SiteGround, InMotion Hosting, and WP Engine as the ones with the strongest customer support structure.

WEBSITE MIGRATION

Website Migration. Broadly, site migration is a term used by SEO professionals to describe any activity wherein a website undergoes key changes in areas that can significantly impact search engine visibility. Typically, these changes are related to the site’s location, platform, structure, content, design, or user interface. HostGator, Kinsta, and WPX Hosting have ranked well on top web hosts that offer free site transfers by user reviews.

SITE BACK UP

Site Backup. Beyond taking the necessary security precautions to protect one’s website, regularly backing up your website is just good sense. That way, if something unfortunate and unforeseen does occur, you won’t have to start over from scratch. Instead, you can simply restore your site from a previous backup. In a nutshell, a website backup is a copy of all of your website data. Generally, the more data included in the data backup policy, the better. And website backups are ideally done on a regular basis. This way, you are able to restore your site from a backup that’s updated. Hostinger, HostGator, and InMotion Hosting made it to a Best Web Hosting Providers for 2020 list of a leading IT blog site.

SSL CERTIFICATE

SSL Certificate. A survey was conducted among 425 users to find out which web hosting features were a priority in choosing a web host provider. 25% named security as the most valued, citing security over other features like uptime and disk space. HostGator, InMotion Hosting, and GreenGeeks were among the Top 10 Best Free SSL Hosting Providers in the said study.

WORDPRESS OPTIMIZATION

WordPress Optimization. Whichever host you’re going to choose, keep in mind the 3 most important factors of what makes for a solid WordPress hosting: Speed (or “load time”), Uptime (at least 99.94% reliability), and Customer Support (WordPress expertise). With all three elements prioritized, Hostgator, Hostinger, and SiteGround were ranked as being among 10 Best WordPress Hosting Services.

SITE UPTIME

Uptime. By definition, uptime is the amount of time that the server hosting your website is up and running. A hosting provider that has a strong uptime reliability rate indicates that their servers perform well. Imagine a user lands on your website and it doesn’t load. Research has found that 88% of online consumers are less likely to re-visit a website after a negative experience earlier. Experts recommend overlooking a hosting provider offering anything less than 99.9% uptime rate, which is the industry benchmark these days. User reviews have listed HostGator, SiteGround, and DreamHost as top web host providers to consider for their near-excellent uptime.

FREE DOMAIN NAMES OFFERED

A domain name, simply put, is the human-readable version of your website’s address. If you purchased your domain through your hosting provider, it is likely that you already have your website set up for you, as well. A number of web hosting providers offer domain names for free. Though this might sound like a good deal right off-the-bat, do not just jump at the offer. Take a closer look at the free options. It’s been studied that a URL that people trust AND remember is more likely to get clicked on, linked to, and shared, thus making it easier to build a brand with a trusted domain name extension (.com, .org, .net, etc.). BLUEHOST, HostGator, and DreamHost are consistently popular among web hosts that offer a free domain with their hosting plans.

CDN CONTENT DELIVERY NETWORK

CDN or Content Delivery Network is another important factor to consider when deciding on a web host. CDNs that store website files, videos, and images as close as possible to end-users reduce load times and increase a website’s chances at conversions. Several web hosting providers include a free CDN when you sign up for their services, typically in the form of a plugin found within the user control panel. In this aspect, SiteGround and Liquid Web are leaders in balancing performance boost with optimized hardware, programming languages, and caching tools.

SECURITY & MALWARE REMOVAL

Security and Malware Removal. Keeping a website secure and protected from malware should be prime for any web hosting provider. In reality, though, not all web hosts offer free malware scans. And the ones that do might not automatically clean up infections that are detected. WPX Hosting and WP Engine are notable for being good WordPress hosts that offer free malware scans and clean-up.

BANDWIDTH

Bandwidth. It is the amount of data you are allowed to transfer to and from your web server each month. This includes uploads and downloads, both HTTP and FTP. Bandwidth depends on your web page size, as well as the number of visitors to your website and the number of pages they visit. In a number of user reviews of web hosting providers who offer high bandwidth (balanced with quality of service and security), Liquid Web and InMotion Hosting are both excellent scorers.

STORAGE

Storage. A hosting plan that offers unlimited storage will allow you to host an unlimited number of files on your website’s server. This is ideal for large websites or sites that upload a high amount of images and media. Most of the Terms and Conditions of these plans will state, however, that bandwidth and storage are “unlimited” in so far as customers can use as many resources as is ‘reasonable’ or ‘normal’ for a small business website or blog. InMotion Hosting and DreamHost have been rated as top web hosting providers with above-par unlimited or unmetered offerings.

BlueHost Hosting Alternatives Key Highlights

WPX Hosting boasts of their ability to provide its users with superior page loading speed through their OWN high-speed, custom Content Delivery Network (CDN, free for ALL WPX customers) and brand new and cutting edge SSD servers (all of which are owned, not rented) that are deliberately never overloaded with web accounts and sites. WPX Hosting’s optimized machines come with the guarantee that these perform very well, even under heavy traffic loads.

Kinsta is a fully-managed WordPress hosting provider that offer superior speed, daily backups, reliable security, and free site migrations, among many other features. Users are given the liberty to focus on growing their respective sites or businesses, as Kinsta hosting is always running, monitored, and scalability on-demand.

SiteGround offers reliable web hosting, managed WordPress hosting, high-performance WooCommerce hosting, and auto-scalable cloud hosting. SiteGround prides itself of providing starters with a full solution, including their choice of site builder, premium features, and reliable support. SiteGround also provides free automated WordPress migration with a user-friendly plug-in or expert-assisted migration for professional websites.

WP Engine Their commitment is to help users’ businesses forward faster with the first and only WordPress Digital Experience Platform. This platform provides a suite of site-building and management tools; cloud hosting and security; and optimization tools to help keep websites dynamic. WP Engine remains one of the top hosting providers because of their unparalleled speed, scalability, and security for websites that they host.

DreamHost. Known as one of the fastest and more reliable web host providers, DreamHost boasts of multiple data center locations, redundant cooling, emergency generators, and constant monitoring. With such, DreamHost offers a 100% Uptime Guarantee. They also have what they refer to as Custom Control Panel – an intuitive interface giving its users admin access to all applicable DreamHost products. Here, one can easily update domain information, add users, adjust email settings, gain access to promotions, and more.

Hostinger has been touted as a reliable, affordable web host that helps you get your business online quickly. Downsides to Hostinger, though, is that it lacks Windows servers, phone support, and dedicated hosting plans. With shared hosting, your website “lives” on a server with other websites. In other words, the sites share a single server’s resources. The disadvantage is that shared hosting is not very powerful, so your site may lag or even become unavailable. The benefit of this type of hosting is that costs are split, resulting in low-cost web hosting. This might be more ideal for blog start-ups and similar.

HostGator hosts over 8 million domains and is one of the most popular web hosts in the industry. With one-click WordPress installation, 99.9% uptime guarantee, and 24/7 customer support, HostGator is a smart choice for every website owner. HostGator is considered as one of the best web hosting for businesses.

GreenGeeks is a hosting platform that prides itself on delivering eco-friendly service at affordable prices. They offer a WordPress-specific plan with plenty of features. GreenGeeks is certainly an appealing option for environmentally conscious website owners. GreenGeeks achieves this by designing its platform to be extremely energy efficient and by investing heavily in renewable energy.

InMotion Hosting has been a known industry brand with reliable performance for business class web hosting. InMotion performs well on three big areas of uptime, speed, and support. They also provide a few additional features which can make user experience more convenient and enjoyable.

Cloudways’ hosting infrastructure allows users to focus on building great websites, rather than on the complexities of web hosting. Their managed hosting platform gives ecommerce businesses and digital agencies the flexibility and control in how their websites are hosted. They are known for flexible cloud hosting plans, rapid set-up times, excellent uptime, and as being backed by 24/7/365 support.

Liquid Web, signing up and launching a new WordPress website is very straightforward. Therefore, if what you need is a web host that will allow you to have your new site up and running without delay, Liquid Web is a way to go. Reasonably priced, yet they are known for their exceptional server speed and stability. Liquid Web likewise provides top-notch customer support in the industry.

Glossary Of Webhosting Terms

Not everyone is fluent in internet language but this should never deter any enterprising spirit from attempting to create an online presence. Very quickly, here is a review of the important technical terms that we touched upon throughout this article.

Bandwidth – In computing, bandwidth is the maximum rate of data transfer across a given path. It is the maximum amount of data transmitted over an internet connection over an amount of time. Bandwidth may be speaking about network bandwidth, data bandwidth, or digital bandwidth. Bandwidth is often confused for internet speed when, really, it’s the volume of information that can be sent over a connection calculated in megabits per second (Mbps).

CDN – Short for Content Delivery Network. It is a system consisting of multiple servers, placed in different locations around the world. When you utilize a CDN with your site, all those servers across the globe will be loaded with static versions of your website’s files. This typically includes code like CSS and JavaScript, images, documents, videos, and other data. Not only will this make your site faster, but it can also help secure it and reduce bandwidth usage. In other words, one way to maintain a website’s speed and performance consistent is by using a CDN.

SSL Certificates – SSL (or Secure Sockets Layer) encrypts information being passed through your website. It keeps your visitor’s confidential information, such as their payment details, safe and protected. SSL certificates vary in security level and price.

WordPress optimization – This is the process of enhancing, tweaking, and customizing the WordPress set up in order to improve the website’s performance, make it faster, and more easily found. It consists of many elements, including having the right specifications, updates, optimizing databases, managing plugins, and others.

Uptime – The amount of time that a server has stayed up and functional. This is usually listed as a percentage rate, such as “99.9%” and such. Uptime is a good indicator of how good a web hosting provider is at keeping their systems up and running.

Indeed, there are many different factors to consider when looking for and finally deciding on a web host. The most critical elements are those that have to do with your website’s functionality, performance, and reliability. We should always remember that studies have shown that a slow-loading or unresponsive website drives visitors (and thus, potential clients) away. A website’s performance, reliability, and usefulness all can significantly affect the success of your website. If you choose the right web hosting service provider right out the gate, you are likewise saving yourself the headache of having to migrate your site to a different provider down the road. We hope we have been a big help in your journey to the finding the web hosting provider that’s best for you and your website’s needs. And remember, when you sign up with our web host partners through our links on our website, you get amazing bonuses such as free domain name, free custom logo for your company, free e-Book, and video training courses!

SOURCES

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluehost

https://www.bluehost.com/

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https://www.whoishostingthis.com/hostingreviews/liquidweb/#:~:text=Our%20Verdict%3A%20Outstanding%20Choice%20for,they%20offer%20very%20reasonable%20prices

Tags bluehost, bluehost alternatives, webhosting

Industry Information Resources

How Much Does it Cost to Hire Someone to Build a Website

Post author By Naming Generator Team
Post date July 15, 2020

how much does it cost to hire a web developer article banner

There has never been a more convenient time to start a website than today. That’s because the cost and resources of building, maintaining, and hosting a site are widely and affordably available to anyone on the internet. So if you want someone to build a website for you, one of the first things that you should consider is the cost of hiring a web developer.

How much does it cost to hire someone to build a website? Hiring a website developer typically costs between $75 and $9,000 or more. The fee range is wide because web developers can be paid on an hourly rate or a flat rate, depending on their job experience. To illustrate, newbie web developers may only demand a $75 hourly fee or a $300 flat rate for creating your website. In comparison, experienced web developers and designers can charge as high as $300 per hour or $15,000 project fee.

All of this information may be a lot to take in for anyone who is still starting their blog sites or online stores. But don’t fret. In the rest of the article, we will offer a deep dive into everything you need to know before selecting a web developer who can help build your website.

What Do Web Developers Do?

Web developers create and write code for websites or web applications. They are responsible both for a site’s technical structure and visual design. Some organizations or freelance web developers may choose to focus on back-end or front-end web development aspects when building sites. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, a web developer’s estimated yearly median wage is $73,760.

That’s why when you pick a web developer, you must narrow down what specific type of web developer you need for your site.

How to Choose a Web Developer for Your Site

A major advantage of hiring a web developer is you get to free up the time and effort for website building and put this energy into something more productive (like choosing the best business domain name, creating content, or coming up with a marketing plan). But how do you choose a good web developer?

1. Set Your Business Goals and Objectives

An essential first step when choosing a website developer is knowing what your business goals and objectives are. When you are clear of what specific business direction you want, select a web developer who deeply understands this too.

2. Be Clear on What Kind of Website You Need

Next, determine what kind of website you want. Do you want a unique blog site design, an eCommerce store, a membership website, or a combination of all of them?

By being clear of the type of site you need to host the type content (articles, photos, videos, etc.) you intend to publish, you will know what specific past projects and relevant experiences to look for when perusing your prospects’ resumes.

3. Set a Budget

As a website owner, you most likely only have a predetermined amount to spend on web development. Just remember to set a budget according to the pay range we’ve mentioned earlier. Note that the cost of hiring a web developer will increase the more complicated, more work-intensive, and more value-rich the end-product will be.

Also, be prepared to exceed your budget if you want a quick turnaround time or if you know you are paying for topnotch work.

4. Determine Your Payment Method

After setting a budget, it’s time to decide on how you want your selected web developer. You may opt for a monthly fee, a flat rate, or an hourly rate. If you prefer a single payment method, let any prospect know this beforehand.

When you set a payment method first, you can easily narrow down the web developers who can work with you. Nevertheless, be prepared to switch to a different payment method if your preferred web developer is more comfortable with another payment scheme.

5. Evaluate the Prospects Holistically

Whether you get your web developer prospects through a newspaper job ad or by going to an online job marketplace like Fiverr or Upwork, take the time to review each prospect’s resume and portfolio.

Look for past projects that match or closely resemble the website you need. Review past client feedback or ask around for referrals from your network, if possible. The time you put into this step will pay off later on in the website development process.

What Is Better When Hiring Web Developers: Paying an Hourly Rate, a Flat Rate, or a Monthly Rate?

There is no one best payment approach to follow when hiring web developers. It all depends on your project and specific business needs. Listed below are different scenarios that would help you choose a specific payment method. Just remember, you can combine a payment scheme with another payment method as you wish.

Pay an Hourly Rate If:

You want your website done within the hour you specify and pay only for the hour spent on it.
You want a clear calculation of the amount you need to pay your web developer.
You want to use a time tracker to track time spent working on your site.
You want to monitor everything that your web developer is doing and provide feedback accordingly.

Pay a Flat Rate If:

You and your developer are on the same page on what the result should be and how much value this gives you.
You want to leave your web developer alone to do his/her job properly.
You have worked with the web developer before and already have an idea of his/her work.
You want to work with a web developer who has a simple and efficient rate scheme.

Pay a Monthly Rate If:

You want to save money by spreading out your payments while making sure that someone monitors your website over some time.
You want your web developer to be contractually available for support even after the website is built.
You want your web developer to monitor or update your website regularly.

Where Do You Find a Website Developer?

Just like any other job, you can easily find website developers through newspaper job ads. But in the digital age, website developers are available through two main ways:

1. Through Online Job Marketplaces

Online job marketplaces are platforms where anyone who wants to hire talent can post job advertisements. Some platforms are free, while other platforms charge a small fee. Today, most freelancers and side hustlers look for jobs on sites like Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer.com, Craigslist, Indeed, 99Designs, and many more.

If you want to hire a freelancer to build a personal or business website and pay a reasonable flat or hourly rate, these online marketplaces are the best sites to check.

2. Through Design Agencies

Another option when it comes to hiring a website developer is through a design agency. They tend to have a better reputation since they have a whole team and resources supporting them.

Choose this mode of finding a website developer if you want a dedicated group of people in charge of building your website. Web development agencies also often offer website builder packages that include web development, web design, and sometimes, content marketing services.

Yes, finding and hiring someone to create a website for you is that easy. Follow the steps and tips outlined above, and you will soon see our website online. And if you haven’t set up your domain yet, start by choosing a good domain name using our free online name generation tool.

What Does Domain Proxy Mean?

Post author By Naming Generator Team
Post date July 8, 2020

Whether you are starting a professional business website or a personal blog, you also need to consider the impact that purchasing a domain name entails to your data privacy. For starters, you need to decide if you are willing to let your name, address, and other personal information be readily available online. If not, are you open to using a domain proxy service instead?

What does domain proxy mean? Domain proxy refers to both the role and the person assigned to act on behalf of the domain name’s owner or registrant. Any website owner can designate another individual or company (usually a domain proxy service provider) to act as a domain proxy. As the domain owner, you have the power to specify the actions that a domain proxy can do for you.

Now that you know what a domain proxy is, the next question to answer is whether or not you need such a service. The following few tips will help you navigate the decision-making process, whether it’s a good idea for your business to get a domain proxy for your websites.

To Get or Not to Get a Domain Proxy

Domain proxy services are all about protecting your website and your privacy. But everyone’s priorities are different. That’s why we’ve shared below a short checklist that you can run through to help you determine whether getting a domain proxy is right for you or not.

Get a Proxy Domain If:

You want peace of mind.
You do not want to receive spam emails or calls from random people.
You do not want your personal information freely available online.
You do not want to deal with legitimate third-party correspondence.
You want to maintain anonymity.
You are under the Witness Protection Program.

Do Not Get a Proxy Domain If:

You want the whole world to know that you own your website.
You do not want to spend more on domain proxy or privacy service fees.
You want to communicate directly with any legitimate third-parties who may be interested in your website.

Is Domain Proxy Worth It?

In terms of ensuring that your personal information and business details are protected from malicious prying eyes, domain proxy is definitely worth it.

However, we acknowledge that not all domain owners are in the same situation. Use the checklist above to get a better grip on what your goals for your website are.

What Does a Domain Proxy Do?

Choosing a brandable, short, and memorable domain is up to you, the domain owner, or registrant. However, if you are considering a domain proxy service, here is a list of functions that a domain proxy can do for you.

1. Replace Your Registry Details With Proxy Details

According to ICANN regulations, relevant personal data like name, address, and contact information should be sent to your domain provider’s registry. With a domain proxy service, any personal information is instead hidden, masked, or replaced with the domain proxy provider’s data.

2. Take Care of Correspondences for Your Domain

Now that your real contact information is replaced with your domain proxy service, all of your email or snail mail correspondences and texts or calls are forwarded to them. Some providers may give you a dedicated email address where these messages can be sent. This way, you do not have to deal with these solicitations personally.

3. Security Management

Domain proxy service providers also monitor your domain and prevent unauthorized access. Other domain privacy plans even include round-the-clock website monitoring to prevent and remove malware.

4. Billing Management

Domain proxies also serve as billing managers. Website owners can appoint them to make any billing-related decisions. In the same vein, registrants can also authorize different people or service providers to act as a technical proxy or admin proxy.

5. Prevent Domain Expiration, Cancellation, or Transfer

Another important function of a domain proxy is to ensure that your domain name stays your domain name. Domain proxy service providers will notify you if your credit card is about to expire and you need to renew your domain name. Domain proxies who have technical access can also disallow site cancellation or migration without the registrant’s explicit permission.

How Do I Protect My Domain Name?

Yes, you may have used a naming generator tool and secured a brandable and memorable domain name. But that is half the battle. Once your website is set up, you still need to protect your domain name. And here are a few things you can do:

1. Sign Up for Domain Proxy Service

Yes, sign up for a domain proxy service right away. These service providers will notify you a few days or weeks before your domain name expiry to prevent you from losing a good business domain name.

Some providers even step up their game and require your explicit permission before any changes (site transfer or cancellation) are made to your website.

2. Mark Your Domain Name’s Expiry on Your Calendar

Sometimes, nothing beats getting a task notification on your phone’s calendar. So, right after purchasing your chosen domain name, take note of its expiration date, and create a reminder on your calendars. You can do this on your smartphone’s calendar or the desk calendar. Also, just make sure to do the task right away when you receive the calendar notification.

3. Prepay Your Domain Registration Costs

Another method to protect your domain is to prepay the domain’s registration fees. Some domain hosts offer annual, biennial, 5-year, or even 10-year payment plans. Doing so also lets you save on the registration charges since you are paying ahead of time.

4. Update All Sites That Use an Expired Card

If you have recently changed or renewed your credit or debit card, remember to update the new card details in your domain host account. This way, your domain will not accidentally be canceled after unsuccessful payments towards an expired card.

What Is the Difference between Proxy Service and Privacy Service?

When it comes to preserving your privacy and protecting your domain name, domain owners can either use Privacy Services or Proxy Services.

With a proxy service, your personal or business information will not appear on the WHOIS database. Instead, the proxy service will replace your name, address, and contact information with their information. On the WHOIS database, they will act as the registered owner of your domain and all correspondences will be sent to the proxy service.

In contrast, a privacy service allows registrants or website owners to maintain their names as the owner of a domain, but they can use replacement yet still valid contact details. This means that the WHOIS database will reflect your name or business name, but you can designate different emails, contact numbers, and mailing addresses.

Now that you are armed with a good understanding of what a domain proxy is, you’ll be in a better position to determine whether you need it or not for your websites.

How Many Websites Are Started Every Day?

Post author By Naming Generator Team
Post date July 8, 2020

Since the birth of the internet more than three decades ago, millions of websites have been created. But have you ever wondered how many sites are started every single day? You may guess that the number’s in the thousands, but let’s find out.

So how many websites are started every single day? A closer estimate is that about half a million new websites are created every day. This translates to roughly 547,200 unique websites daily or up to 380 sites each minute – bringing the total number of websites in the whole world to about 1.2 billion, according to a January 2020 survey conducted by NetCraft.

With all these active sites, the need to set your own website apart from others is even more important. And if you are interested in more internet statistics, facts, and tips on how to create your own website, we’ve got you covered.

Who Created the First Website?

The first website was created by Tim Berners-Lee while he was at CERN (or the European Organization for Nuclear Research). The exact website was restored a few years ago, and you can access it here. The site is aptly called “The World Wide Web Project.”

When Was the First Website Created?

Tim Berners-Lee created the original proposal for the new global information system technology around March 1989. Together with fellow computer systems engineer Robert Cailliau, a more formal management proposal was submitted. The first website, web browser, and server were up and running by late 1990. And the rest was history.

How Many Websites Are Online Now?

Based on a 2020 NetCraft web survey, there are approximately 1,295,973,827 websites worldwide. This is a slight 3 million decrease from 2019 data. Note that the number of websites is not the total number of active sites since most sites are parked domains or are not updated. The actual number of active websites is only about 1.8 million.

How to Create Your Own Website

With all this talk about the history of the internet, it’s only logical that you get curious about making your website. Below, we’ve prepared a short actionable on how you can start your own website quickly.

1. Decide on a Topic or Niche

All websites start with a central topic or core niche. Do you want a personal website where you only share journal-like updates? Do you want to open a crafting supplies website? Or an online tool that allows site visitors to create their funny cat memes?

Choose a niche that you are already familiar with or a topic that you are willing to spend time on and learn more about.

2. Choose a Domain Name

Next, it’s time to choose a domain name. Whether you are starting a personal website or a company site, always keep in mind that the best domain names are short and brandable.

If you are overwhelmed with what domain name to choose, try out our Free Domain Name Generation Tool.

3. Select a Web Hosting Provider

A web host is a company who acts as the storage manager of all your website files. Hosting providers typically provide bandwidth, storage, security, and other resource allocations. There are different hosting plans depending on the type of site that you want to run, your budget, and your technical background.

If it’s your first time starting a website, you may choose a WordPress Hosting service that will give you Control Panel access.

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4. Get a Customizable Website Theme

Now that you have purchased a domain name and a web host, the next step is to get a website theme. Most web hosting providers will include default site builder or theme upon subscription. But if you want your site to stand out, purchasing, downloading, and then customizing your theme is the way to go.

If you opt for a self-hosted WordPress site, it is even easier to download free or premium theme templates. When customizing your site, don’t forget to add your own logo, color scheme, and brand or website name to make the whole site more memorable.

5. Create a Content Plan

To ensure your website’s success, it pays to create a content plan from the get-go. A website content plan lets you decide what kind of content to post, when to publish these posts, and how to promote them. This content plan can be a simple spreadsheet with Topic Ideas, Post Title, Keyword, Date, and Status columns.

Remember, your website’s content will depend on your chosen topic or niche. For example, if you want to start a cooking website, your content will mostly be articles talking about recipes, diets, or meal planning. On the other hand, if you want to start a photography website, your content can be a mixture of text and, of course, your photographs.

6. Start Writing

After creating a content plan, you should begin writing. The sooner you start publishing content on your site, the sooner will your site be indexed by search engines. And, if you want to earn from your site eventually, you need this to occur as soon as possible.

If your resources allow it, you may also hire content writers to write articles on your chosen topics. Doing so is applicable if you are looking to target multiple keywords or if you just want to churn out as many articles all at once.

On the other hand, if you just want to start a personal travel website for every time you go on a trip, then writing the posts and adding photos yourself is doable.

7. Promote Your Website

Upon registering a domain name and signing up for a hosting service, your website is live in the world wide web. But, not everyone knows that your site is live yet. That is why promoting your site is vital.

Today, the most common website promotion tool is the use of social media. Post your site’s domain name or URL on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. You can even start spreading the word about your website by texting or emailing all your friends and relatives.

Or, if you want to promote an online store or company website, you may learn more about social media marketing or search engine optimization. Do what you think is best for your website.

And that’s it! Seven easy and actionable steps that you can do right now if you want to start your personal or business website. Still undecided on what domain name to use? Check out our domain name generator tool and tick one step off this website-making checklist.

What Symbols/Characters are Valid in a Domain Name?

Post author By Naming Generator Team
Post date June 25, 2020

forbidden domain sign for characters not in domain banner

Your domain name is everyone’s way of remembering and finding your website. Your domain name refers to the name of your website and internet users can use your domain name instead of the web address (or IP address – a string of numbers) to access your website. A domain name could be any combination of letters and numbers and attached to domain name extensions, such as .com, .net, .org, and more. But, there are some rules around the characters and/or symbols that can be used in a domain name.

What characters or symbols are valid to use in a domain name? A valid domain name character would be derived from a set of alphanumeric ASCII characters, such as letters (a-z, A-Z), numbers (0-9), and dashes (-) or a combination all of these. A domain name can be any combination of such letters and numbers with up to 63 characters – 67 if you count the domain extension (.com, .net, .org, and others). The hyphen (-) is the only symbol that can be included in a valid domain name. There are no spaces in a domain name, nor is the use of the underscore ( _ ) allowed. Other common symbols such as exclamation points (!) and asterisks (*) are likewise not allowed.

Anyone who has been using the internet for a long time has likely encountered the acronym ASCII. This acronym is short for American Standard Code for Information Interchange and this is a character encoding standard for electronic communication. ASCII codes represent text in computers, telecommunications equipment, and other digital devices.

There is a lot of technical jargon in order to explain what ASCII is and how it is used in internet language. We will not be discussing that here at this time. What’s important for everyone to know is that, essentially, ASCII prescribes the characters or symbols that are valid for use in a domain name.

This information, while seemingly trivial, is a crucial element in everyone’s quest for the perfect domain name. Read on for a further understanding of characters and/or symbols that make a domain name valid.

Defining the 3 Types of Characters Allowed in a Domain Name: Letter, Number, and Special Characters

Valid characters that can be used in a domain name are A-Z (both upper-case and lower-case allowed), the numerical digits 0-9, and the hyphen (-).

Numbers: all ten Arabic numerals from 0 to 9.
Letters: this is divided into two blocks: upper-case and lower-case.
Symbols: only the hyphen or dash (-) can be included in a valid domain name.

How Many Characters Are Allowed in a Domain Name?

Domain names can be divided into two parts – Label and TLD. Let’s take amazon.com as an example. The label is amazon, while the TLD is .com. Top-level domains or domain extensions are the strings of text that come right after the label. A valid domain name has a minimum of 3 characters and can be up to 67 characters long — including the 4 characters used to identify the Top Level Domain (.com, .net, or .org, etc.). Remember to NOT type the “www.” before your domain name (label) when registering.

Can a Domain Name Have an Underscore?

Historically, search engines are not able to parse (analyze) punctuation marks. From an SEO standpoint, it is fortunate that Google has the ability to parse the underscore and the dash, along with a couple of other punctuation marks. But from a wider perspective, this is not the case.

Often, when writing in a format that does not allow spaces, people resort to the underscore ( _ ) to_write_something_with_spacing_that’s_human_readable. However, this is not necessarily how a computer will interpret the said symbol. Computers will typically use the hyphen (-) as a spacer, or-something-like-this. The underscore might be able to distinguish words for humans but could not differentiate them for computers. A_phrase_like_this will be parsed as Aphraselikethis.

As far as valid domain names go, there are no spaces in it, nor is the use of the underscore ( _ ) allowed.

Underscores are not allowed in domain names (labels) but are allowed in subfolders. Take this free online domain name generator tool, for example, www.naminggenerator.com/sub_folder/. The underscore in the URL (that is, anything that comes AFTER the .com) will work just fine.

Can a Domain Name Include a Hyphen or Dash?

A valid domain name uses the English character set and may contain letters (a-z and A-Z), numbers (0-9) and hyphens (-), or a combination of these three sets. However, there are particular guidelines to the use of the dash (or hyphen) in a valid domain name. A valid domain name:

Cannot begin nor end with a hyphen (-).
Does not contain a dash in the third and fourth positions (e.g. www.uv- -yz.com).
Multiple hyphens can be used but two hyphens cannot be used together. (e.g. www.this-is-okay.com but www.this- -is- -a- -no- -no.com).

Hyphens are allowed in domain names themselves, yes, and as a matter of fact, hyphens are likewise allowed for use in subdomains and subfolders. www.Your-Domain-Name.com/sub-folder-1/ is, theoretically, a perfectly valid URL.

Can You Use the Ampersand Symbol in a Domain Name?

Again, characters that you can use in your domain name include letters, numbers and hyphens. Unfortunately, you won’t be allowed to use the ampersand (&) as a part of your domain name. For example, the following domain name will not be allowed:

Take a look: this author actually typed “bacon&eggs.com” on the search box. Even Google wouldn’t hear of it.

Can a domain name start with a number?

For a domain name to be valid, it needs to begin with a letter or a number and end with a letter or a number. So to answer this question: yes, a domain name can start with a number.

But some might also ask a follow-up question about “should”. In a previous article, we touched on the aesthetics of domain names, particularly in offline media (such as letterheads, business cards, and marketing materials). A few online experts are of the opinion that it might be best to just stick to alpha-texts when coming up with a domain name. It’s hard to verbally communicate a domain name that has a number in it. When your website travels via word-of-mouth (a viable marketing channel, believe it or not) it might be hard to determine if the number (or numbers) are written out as words or are numeric in form.

Your domain name may very well be the bedrock of your website’s success. Domain names are considered as the “real estate” of the vast worldwide web. Everyone who wants a piece of it will want “prime property”. An ideal domain name is often short and always easy to remember. Not many website users create bookmarks and would just remember the names of their favorite websites. These types of users just type the domain names out whenever they want to visit them. With this said, use all the valid domain name characters and create a unique name for your website, which is easy to spell. So that users could easily type it out without mistakes or without landing on an entirely different page. Domain names should always be more than good that it leaves a lasting first impression. The first step to all of this is finding that smashing idea of a domain name – then finding out if it’s available to register. Luckily, you have resources like this FREE domain name generator tool to help you get started on building your dream website.

Sources

https://www.website.com/beginnerguide/domainnames/8/1/What-is-a-domain-name?.ws

https://www.cnet.com/forums/discussions/what-special-characters-can-you-use-in-a-domain-name-271485/

https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/server/know-how/ascii-codes-overview-of-all-characters-on-the-ascii-table/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII

https://www.whogohost.com/host/knowledgebase/308/Valid-Domain-Name-Characters.html

https://www.saveonhosting.com/scripts/index.php?rp=/knowledgebase/52/What-are-the-valid-characters-for-a-domain-name-and-how-long-can-a-domain-name-be.html

https://www.seoblog.com/hyphen-dash-hurt-seo/

https://www.quora.com/What-characters-are-not-allowed-in-a-domain-name

https://www.ecenica.com/support/answer/can-i-use-ampersand-in-domain-names/

https://www.appypie.com/faqs/what-characters-are-allowed-in-a-domain-name

https://www.verticalresponse.com/blog/8-mistakes-to-avoid-when-selecting-your-domain-name/

Tags valid domain characters, valid domain symbols, what can be part of a domain name

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To Get or Not to Get a Domain Proxy

Get a Proxy Domain If:

Do Not Get a Proxy Domain If:

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What Does a Domain Proxy Do?

1. Replace Your Registry Details With Proxy Details

2. Take Care of Correspondences for Your Domain

3. Security Management

4. Billing Management

5. Prevent Domain Expiration, Cancellation, or Transfer

How Do I Protect My Domain Name?

1. Sign Up for Domain Proxy Service

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Who Created the First Website?

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How to Create Your Own Website

1. Decide on a Topic or Niche

2. Choose a Domain Name