Sorry to post here I have posted on many forums but can't find the answer. Who is best to go through to buy a domain name? I have been on the national business register and its £85 for .uk and .com. However I have no idea if once I've paid is that it I just have the names until I have the money to get a website set up?
Its cheaper through 123-reg but its only for 2 years do I have to keep renewing it with them. I never thought this would be so difficult. I'm scared to death of handing any money over because I'm on a very tight budget.
Thanks.
-- Edited by Noola on Friday 27th of September 2013 01:03:00 PM
I use Namesco who are very reasonable and very good. I think that Peasie uses them as well.
Certainly worth checking out when doing your comparrisons.
The names should be included in with the bundle that you purchase. You just check to ensure the names available and then go through with the purchase which includes hosting and site development tools etc.
I'm not a web techie and even I managed it so can't be that difficult.
Think that it was around £70 for two years
It might also be worth you thinkig about a telephone number for your new venture.
I use Vonage (got that one from Bill (Wella)) which means that clients phone one number and that number calls loads of different lines including the mobile so the client thinks that I am always in the office... Which admittedly I normally am but you get the principle.
You can also switch the business phone off but your private line is still there if you wanted (personally I don't do that).
You can also drop on some excellent local numbers and all for £5.99 per month.
All the best,
Shaun.
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
You don't buy domains, you by a license to use them. This can be from 2 years for .co.uk domains. If you only need the domain then there is no difference other than price in where you go really. I tend to use 123reg as I find them pretty cheap, but have used godaddy too.
Don't feel you need to buy your hosting from the same people. This is where you get stung. Shop around for that too. Price isn't the only thing here, make sure the host is reliable with good up time.
I'm a bit biased here, but if you don't have web design experience I'd appeal to you to find someone who does to design the site. Put one together yourself and you risk driving business away rather than attracting it. Some people get lucky, but the majority don't.
I use domainmonster.com for domain names. UK based and reasonably priced. They also provide web hosting which is reasonably priced as well. I have found their customer service to be good.
However, for web hosting I use 5quidhost.co.uk. UK based. I have found their service to be completely reliable and the cheapest around. Customer service has been excellent.
As Kris said, it is probably wise to hire a web designer rather than try to set it all up yourself unless you know what you are doing.
If you do want to do it yourself it might be easier to use one of the online content management software providers such as:
There are others, just search for "build your own website" or "build my own website".
They all provide the option of buying your own domain name through their service, and making designing and setting up your site as easy as possible. Some also provide the option of setting up email using your domain name.
They're cheap, quick to respond to any queries, and will even install a website designer of your choice (like Wordpress or Joomla) instantly. I bought a domain and hosting off them recently, and within 10 mins of paying, I was designing my site.
I paid approx £30 for .co.uk domain name, .com domain name, hosting package, and to have my whois details hidden (the last one isn't really necessary, but because I work from home I like to keep my details private when possible). And that's for a whole year!
If you need any advice re wordpress please ask, I've designed quite a few sites using the software, and have little knowledge of html/css etc, so if I can do it, anyone can!
As others have said, you can buy your domain name from 123Reg, Pickaweb or others for as little as £5.98 for one year. To have a website, however, you will need hosting.
