What are the risks of domain name registration
The domain name registration of a website is one of the important factors for its success. However, if we are not careful, the domain we will register can sabotage our page. In this guide you will see everything you need to watch out for for secure domain registration.
How important is domain name registration?
In previous guides here at PCsteps we have seen how to make our own blog for free and how to make a free e-shop.
In addition, we have covered how we can make money through Google AdSense and generate revenue through Affiliate Marketing.
The problem is that practically all the services in which we can create a site for free, give us a name in their own domain, such as onoma.blogspot.gr, onoma.wordpress.com, onoma.webnode.gr, etc.
This is enough if we make a site as a hobby, which we and our mother will read. But if we want a professional site, domain registration is one way.
A page with its own domain name has more prestige for the visitor, and it is easier to remember the address.
In addition, the site will have a significant benefit in terms of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), to appear higher in search results. Of course, there are many factors to SEO, but the domain name is very important.
We can of course link a domain that we have registered with our site to blogspot, wordpress.com, Webnode etc
How to check if the domain is available
Many users, to check if a domain name is available, simply type the address into the browser to see if a page will open.
This method, however, is not at all accurate, because a domain can be purchased even if the site owner has not uploaded a site.
For example, if we write the address lefta.gr, at the time these lines are written it does not display any page.
The correct method to see if a domain is available is to visit a domain registrar, a company that allows us to register a domain.
Each registrar has a search engine, through which we can search for the domain we are interested in.
In a few seconds, the page will tell us whether it is possible to register a domain with that name, or not.
In fact, it will often show us alternative endings in which the specific name is available.
So is this a solution? If the domain name we want is not available, can we register a domain with a third extension?
We always register a .gr or .com domain
If our site is addressed to Greeks, and the domain name we are interested in is not available with the .gr extension, it is much better to look for another name, than to register a domain with a third Top Level Domain (TLD).
Respectively, for English language sites that are generally addressed to foreign countries, the registration of .com domain is one way.
As they say in business circles in America, “If you are starting a company called X, and x.com is not available, it would be a good idea to change your company name.”
If we are addressing a specific country, it is ideal to use their own main TLD, such as .de for Germany, .co.uk for the UK, etc. See the detailed list of main TLDs.
Yes, for example lefta.gr and lefta.com may be registered, while lefta.work may be available. And with 2 euros a year, it looks like an opportunity.
The point, however, is that there are serious disadvantages to registering a domain with such an unusual ending, if it is going to be the main domain of our site.
TLD, Spam and Scams
Every now and then new and exotic Top Level Domains are added to the world wide web (.co, .com.us, .us.com, .ps, .tv, .us, .info, .tech, .pizza, etc). Many see them as an “opportunity” to register a name that was not previously available.
The problem, however, is that as soon as these new TLDs appear, spammers and scammers immediately start exploiting them to send emails like mark.zuckerberg@facebook.com.us or billgates@microsoft.co.
They may also want to make a fortune by selling the domains they have registered for thousands of dollars – regardless of the fact that the following facebook.tk domain has been for sale for over 2 years.
At the same time, you will be amazed at how easy it would be for facebook.com.us to look exactly like the facebook.com homepage.
In such scams, if we do not pay attention to the address and enter our password, we have practically given the account details to a stranger. In fact, the page can lead us to the normal Facebook.com, so that we do not immediately understand that something went wrong.
That is why we never put our data on a facebook page unless it is verified that it is the original from our browser (to have https: and the padlock).
Such tactics result in search engines generally considering pages with these unusual endings as of lower quality.
Trust from users
Even if we ignore the search engines, what inspires more trust in users: a .gr domain or a .eu domain?
Essentially, the one who patented .eu seems to have simply compromised with it, because .gr was not available. For many users, for purely Greek sites, even .com comes second in relation to .gr.
We make sure the domain name is simple
The most important factor for domain registration is for the visitor to remember it. What is easier to remember, anekdota.gr or jokes.gr?
It is no coincidence that business.com sold for $ 350 million.
We make sure it is short
If we are between two options available in the same TLD, and one is even one letter larger than the other, we choose the shortest one.
Mark Zuckerberg paid $ 200,000 to buy facebook.com in 2005, instead of thefacebook.com he started with.
We make sure it has easy spelling
An oil painter or bodybuilder, if xroma.gr is registered, may be tempted to register χρώμα.gr which is free.
But consider saying to someone verbally “My site is xroma.gr, with o instead of w. Do you think he will remember it in 10 minutes? Will he remember to say it correctly to a friend, to suggest your site to him?
In general, we avoid anything that needs additional explanation, such as khpos.gr with h.
Keep away from Dashes and Numbers
We avoid names that contain even a hyphen or a number. Aside from the fact that they have a hard time remembering the name, spammers and scammers also love dashes and numbers, for the same reasons as exotic TLDs. Search engines crawl new sites by dash or number, even in known TLDs.
Yes, there are successful sites with numbers, such as 9gag.com. But it is not successful for its seo, it is from word of mouth and on social media.
E-shop.gr, which has been operating since 1997, has gained the trust of search engines. It cannot be compared to a new site.
Far from domain registration in Greek
We avoid names with Greek characters. They may be supported, and lefta.gr may be available, but since 99.9% of the domains are in Latin characters, one’s first instinct is to write a name like that. Plus no one likes having to change language to write the ending.
Not to mention the issue of spelling, if you choose an address with the letters η / ι / υ / ει / οι and ο / ω. I’m sure there are some who could write waffles.gr without even sitting down to think about it
Finally, names with Greek characters do not appear correctly on social media, as Greek is translated into a series of characters with%
And no, if you search for “dyes” on google, there is no guarantee that dyes.gr would come out over vafes.gr.
For several years now, google algorithms have had far more important criteria for ranking a page that contains a keyword. These were tactics that worked in the early 2000s.
Beware of forbidden domain names
The declaration for domain registration ending in .gr means that within three hours we can use our new domain.
Nevertheless, in order to finalize the domain registration, it needs to be approved by the Register of Internet Names ending in [.gr], based on the instructions of the National Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT)
This process takes about five days. If the domain is not approved, we can not continue to use it.
For example, it is forbidden to register domains that are identical with the names of geographical areas, e.g acharnes.gr, farsala.gr, or peristeri.gr and their various variants. These names are reserved for the respective Local Government Organization.
Need help with domain name registration?
If any part of the guide is not clear to you, and you want help with domain registration or web hosting, write us in the comments.