A domain name is what people type into a browser to find a website – similar to how you use a street address to find a building. Every website, server, or digital device that is connected to the Internet has an assigned IP address that you can use to see or visit it. This IP address is a long string of numbers and letters that would be very difficult for people to memorize, so a domain name is simply a human-friendly version of that IP address.

When you type a domain name – like www.godaddy.com or www.google.com – into your browser, the domain name system, or DNS, takes this domain and translates it into its IP address, allowing the associated website to be found.

Having your own domain name can help you appear more legitimate to people who search for you or your business online. With a domain name, you can:

• Build a website for your storefront or ecommerce business
• Create a professional email with your domain name

To check domain name availability, just type it into GoDaddy’s search bar and we’ll tell you immediately if it is available or if someone else already owns it.

1. If it’s taken, you can use our WHOIS Lookup tool to search for the owner and contact details of your desired domain name and then attempt to reach out to the owner using that information.
2. Or, you can try our Domain Broker service, where we negotiate acquiring the domain from its current owner on your behalf.

Domain name registration is the process of finding a web address (like Elevate3hub.com), and then signing up to use it. You technically don’t own the domain, but once you’ve registered it, it’s yours to use for as long as you continue paying the annual registration fee. If you let your domain registration lapse, the domain will become available for someone else to register. To help prevent accidental expiration, Elevate3 Hub offers an auto-renew option for all customers. For an extra layer of prevention, our Ultimate Domain Protection (an optional add-on) allows you to keep your domain for an additional 90 days after expiration.

The duration of your domain registration can vary depending on the domain extension you purchase. With most extensions, domain name registrars allow customers to register domains for up to 10 years at a time. Typically, customers register domains for one to three years. Some premium domains and gTLDs (like .au and .nl) have shorter registration periods.

If you want to extend your registration, it’s easy to renew your domain with GoDaddy. You can choose to manually renew or set up auto-renewal, which helps ensure that your website name stays registered to you.

When deciding where to register a domain, you should consider the following:

• Pricing: Pay attention to both initial and renewal pricing.
• Privacy: Look for a registrar that includes privacy as part of domain registration and doesn’t make it an additional upsell.
• Customer support: Consider what communication channels are offered – phone, SMS, chat, email – and if they are available 24/7 or only during specific hours of the day.
• Available domain extensions: If you want something more than a .com, .org, or .net, consider how many top-level domains the registrar offers.
• Additional offerings: If you’re looking to establish an online presence, check if the registrar offers other services, such as an online store or website builder, hosting, SSL certificates, etc.
• Reputation: A company’s track record speaks for itself. Check out customer reviews and Trustpilot ratings. Also, make sure that the company is ICANN-accredited.