Registering a domain name is easy, and very affordable. The only thing that is difficult is to find a domain that you think is good AND that is available. Here are some tips you can use to find domain names that sound good:
- If the domain name you want is taken, try putting a hyphen between the words (if there is more than one word in your desired domain).
- Check if some of the other quality extensions are available, like .net, .org, .us.
- Try to brand your domain, instead of using generic words. Though it is a lot more difficult to get traffic to a new “cocacola.com” type domain name in the short-term then “soda.com”, in the long-term having a unique name will make your site more memorable.
- Buy a domain on auction. Though I don’t recommend doing this for your first domain(s), there are tons of great names up for sale at ok prices. However, you should probably really know what you are doing before purchasing a domain from an existing owner.
Most of the companies registering domain names are good. The quality is a lot more consistent than with web hosting, as the technical requirements for being a domain registrar are quite high.
Web hosting
Finding the best web hosting companies can be a hassle, trust me, as there are so many low quality hosts out there. The barrier to start a hosting company is so low that it means that literally anyone can start one in a matter of weeks. That also means that the host that looked great one day can be gone the next, perhaps because it was run by a teenager that shifted interests to a different hobby.
The most important thing to do when choosing a domain name registration and hosting company, or just hosting, is to read customer review. These can be written by existing customer (often the positive reviews) or a previous customer (usually the negative reviews). The reviews often give a good, first hand picture of what you can expect from the company in terms of ease of sign up, web hosting features, uptime, customer service and support, and whether they honor their money back guarantee (if they have on).
Full control
Domain name registration and hosting is the way to go if you are serious about your web site or blog. It gives you full control over the content, and the monetization you choose to do if you want to make money off the site.