Now that you’re ready to buy, let’s walk you through the steps to purchasing your first domain name!
Since we totally love Namecheap* as a place to buy your domain names, we’ll be taking you around their site, but feel free to buy from whoever you want! The steps should be fairly similar no matter which company you buy from.
First, head to namecheap.com* and type the domain name you want in the main bar.
You’ll see all the domains (and extensions) available. Go ahead and add it to your cart! (Consider getting the .net and .co version of your domain name if you don’t want anybody else getting it in the future) Make sure you have the right extension(s)!
You don’t need to add any of the up-sells that are presented to you. Since we’ll be buying our hosting somewhere else, we don’t need any of that.
Once you’re happy with everything in your cart, click on the “View Cart” button to go to the next page. It’s time to confirm what’s in your cart.
Make sure to set your domain(s) to auto-renew. You don’t want to lose your domain because you didn’t pay for it!
You’ll also want to make sure that you enable the WhoIsGuard. It’s free, so definitely get it! (And I also like to set that one to auto-renew if it isn’t).
Anything below “Improve Your Site” is more up-sells that you don’t need. Ignore all of it.
Click on “Confirm Order” when it all looks good to you!
Next, it’s time to create your Namecheap account. Just fill up all the necessary info, there’s nothing too out of the ordinary there. If you already have an account, you can just log in.
Next, it’s time to give a bit more info, like your payment method and your billing address. Fill out everything and don’t worry, you’ll be able to review your order before the payment goes through.
Under “Renewal Settings for Your Purchase”, I like to make sure the “Automatically renew all of my eligible new services before expiration” box is checked.
Click on “Continue” when your info is all there (and double-checked). It’s now time for one last review! Make sure you have the right domain with the right extension (.com or .net, etc.), the right billing address and credit card number.
Awesome! You’ve purchased your new domain name! After the payment goes through, you’ll see your receipt and get an email from Namecheap.
The next thing you’ll need to do is link your new domain name to your hosting. If you already have hosting, go “How to link your domain name to your host“. Otherwise, head to the section below to learn more about hosting and pick the right company for you!
