Can you buy a new domain name for me?

What should I check before buying?

1. Say it out loud. Could a customer spell it after hearing it once on the phone?
2. Keep it short and plain. Avoid hyphens and numbers that people forget.
3. Search for it. Make sure another business isn’t trading under that name nearby.
4. Check it’s free. Look it up at ICANN Lookup or in the registrar’s search.
5. Decide on extra versions. Some businesses also buy the .net, a common misspelling or a short name, and redirect them to the main site. Only buy what you’ll use or need to protect.
6. Think about email. If this will be your new email address, plan the switch before you print anything.

The short version

• Yes, E-3 can register a new domain and connect it to your website and email.
• Register it to your business, in an account your business controls, with auto-renew on.

How do I register it myself?

Every registrar has its own screens, but the steps are much the same:

1. Search for the name on the registrar’s site and add it to the cart.
2. Choose the term. Many registrars let you register for several years at once.
3. Enter your business as the registrant, with a business email you read.
4. Decline extras you don’t need. Hosting, email and “SEO” add-ons are often sold at checkout.
5. Turn on auto-renew and check the payment card’s expiry date.
6. Save the receipt, and record the registrar and renewal date in your password manager.

Expected result: the domain shows in your account with your business as the registrant and auto-renew on.

Who should own the domain?

Your business. The person or company named as the registrant controls the domain. If a web company or a former employee registers it in their own name, getting it back later can be slow and stressful. Our answer on who really owns your domain explains why this matters.

ICANN’s page on registrants’ benefits and responsibilities says the domain holder must give accurate contact details, update them promptly, and keep payment details current if they use auto-renew. So when you register:

• Registrant: your business’s legal name.
• Account email: a shared business address, not one person’s inbox.
• Recovery details: a phone number and email the business will still have in five years.
• Who else has access: add people as users where the registrar allows it, rather than sharing one login. See share logins safely.

What is domain privacy?

Many registrars offer a privacy or proxy service that hides your contact details from public lookups. ICANN says that if you use one, you’re entitled to know who runs it and what it costs. Privacy can cut down junk mail. It doesn’t change who owns the domain.

Why does it matter?

Your domain is the address behind your website, your email and everything you’ve printed. If it lapses or sits in the wrong account, all of those can stop at once. Under ICANN’s renewal and expiration rules, an expired domain that isn’t restored is eventually released, and anyone can register it.

What are the common mistakes?

• Registering in a personal or a web company’s name. It works until that person leaves or that company closes.
• Using an email nobody reads. Renewal reminders go there.
• Buying a new domain and expecting it to “just work”. It needs DNS records for the website and email. See how do I add DNS records.
• Forgetting the email addresses. When a business switches to a new domain, the old one usually needs to keep forwarding mail for a while. Set up forwarding from the old address to the new one, and keep the old domain renewed.
• Paying a lookalike invoice. Letters offering your “domain registration” are often from other companies. See is this renewal notice real.

What if this didn’t work?

• The name you want is taken. Try a different ending, or a short descriptive version. Avoid names close to another business’s trademark.
• The registrar won’t let you set the business as registrant. Ask their support. Some show the account holder as the registrant by default.
• You already bought it in the wrong account. Most registrars can move a domain between accounts. If it’s at a different registrar, see how do I transfer my domain.

How long does it take, and what does it cost?

You register at the registrar’s checkout, and the domain is usually usable soon after. Prices vary by registrar and by ending, and renewals can cost more than the first year. Check the renewal price before you buy.

How does E-3 handle this?

Yes, E-3 can buy a new domain for you, or help you buy it yourself. Tell us the name you’d like, what it’s for, and who at your business should be the contact. We register it to your business and set it up for your needs:

• point it at your website, or redirect it to your main domain;
• set up email addresses or forwarding on it.

Email support@e3help.me or call 814-399-4655. Never send card numbers or passwords by email.

Related questions

• Who owns my domain, and who do I call?
• Can you point another domain or old address at my website?
• What happens if my domain expires?