If it isn't in your account your .com isn't yours.
As a small business owner it is crucial that you maintain full control over your internet presence. This starts with your internet domain name.
What is a domain name?
A domain name is the first part of your web address that usually ends in .com. The domain name of this website is "wildearth.tech". Note that the "www" part of internet addresses is called a subdomain. On my site I could have all kinds of subdomains : www.wildearth.tech, pizza.wildearth.tech, app.wildearth.tech, etc...
How do I buy a domain name?
In order to buy a domain name you must use a registrar. A registrar is a company that has completed the accreditation process required to be able to manage domain names. My favorite registrar is namecheap.com (see protip #2 below for the reason why). Your registrar will help you through the process of picking out your domain and purchasing it. Note that pretty much every one or two word domain combination has already been registered so prices for those are often much higher than more creative names.
Don't let your web developer register your domain for you.
Always register your domain names in your registrar account. Do not let your web designer, web developer, or a hosting company buy the domain for you. If the domain is in their account it is their domain not yours. This allows them to hold it hostage should you wish to move to another service provider. Regardless of what they may tell you it is very easy to use your registrar to configure your domain to work with any hosting platform or email service.
Protip 1 : Be careful what email you use when creating an account with a registrar.
When you are setting up an account with a registrar, don't use an email address that is on any of the domains you plan to manage there. For example, I login to my namecheap account with a gmail.com email address and not my wildearth.tech address. The reason I do this is to prevent myself from getting locked out of my registrar account. Here is the scenario that could result in a lockout:
1) I mess up my domain so that emails stop going to my wildearth.tech inbox
2) I go to login to my namecheap account to fix my email problem
3) Namecheap sends a two-factor login code to my email (which I can't get)
4) Now, unless I have some other means of getting the two-factor code, I am completely stuck.
Protip 2 : Use a registrar that allows domain sharing.
Do not share your registrar account email/password with anyone. Ever. Even someone you trust could get hacked and share your credentials with hackers. Namecheap has a really nice feature that allows you to give some admin controls of your domain to other users. When I work with clients who have their domains on namecheap they can share the domains that I need access to without giving me full control over their namecheap account.
Need help with your domain?
If you are struggling with any kind of issues regarding your website, email, or domain name please get in touch as I'd be glad to help straighten things out for you.