Are you looking for a place to get a URL or domain name for your Daycare website?
For those that don’t know, a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) or domain is your website address which, when typed into the address bar at the top of the browser, will send the user directly to your website. Every website owner needs a unique domain name for their website and it’s a useful tool in ensuring people recognise your business. In this article, we will be discussing where to get a URL for your daycare website along with some tips for picking a good one.
Choosing A Domain Registrar
A domain registrar is where anyone can purchase and register domains/URLs. When building your website, securing a domain for your daycare from a registrar will be one of the first tasks. There are a number of registrars to choose from, but below is a list of the most popular and recommended.
GoDaddy
One of the oldest, most popular, and easiest to use domain registrars on the world wide web. As of 2022, GoDaddy has over 21 million customers and over 84 million registered domains names. On their website, you will be able to easily look up your desired domain and see if it’s available without having to sign-up.
If you do decide to purchase your domains through GoDaddy, you will be able to manage them through their very easy to use dashboard and interface, allowing you or your web developers to transfer new domains, update info, renew domains, etc. There is also a vast number of domain extensions to choose from as well as a variety of different options and alternatives incase your desired domain is not available.
Finally, GoDaddy often have deals for first time buyers where you can register your domain for the first year at a cheaper cost.
Domains.com
Another very popular domain registrar, Domains.com has a ginormous library of different URLs for every business and organization. Similar to GoDaddy, you also have access to a variety of different domain name extensions and country codes. There are also a number of premium domains available and privacy + protection add-ons for each domain you buy.
Their user interface for managing domains is also simple and easy to use. You will have access to a number tools including bulk domain registration, easy domain transfers, DNS management, professional email setups, email forwarding, and more. They also have a free-to-use WHOIS service where you can type in a URL and look up who owns a particular domain you may want and when the domain is due to expire.
Domains.com can also help with a number of other necessary services as well, including web hosting and SSL certificates, all of which are necessary for your new website.
Network Solutions
Being in operations for over 25 years, Network Solutions is one of the oldest domain registrars out there. There are a vast number of domain extensions to choose from including .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info, and even some country code specific extensions like .us, .ca, and .uk to name a few.
Similar to other popular domain registrars, Network Solutions also offers a bunch of additional services too including professional emails, hosting plans, SSL certificates, cyber security, free WHOIS search, and more. However, what really separates Network Solutions is it’s excellent customer services and domain solutions. If, for example, your desired domain is taken, Network solutions can offer to contact the owner for a small fee and provide a “watchlist” service which keeps an eye on the domain for when it may become available.
They also offer some IT service and digital marketing solutions, as well as one of the best customer services in the domain registrar industry.
BuyDomains
BuyDomains is actually powered by Domains.com, however what separates this domain registrar from similar companies is BuyDomains deals exclusively with premium domains.
Premium domains are domains/URLs which are very much sought after or of high quality. Either they are crammed with popular keywords that make them excellent for SEO or they were previously used for other high-performing website before being made available again. For whatever reason of their quality, premium domains are traded at high prices by investors.
At BuyDomains, all you need to do is simply write in a keyword such as “daycare” or ” childcare” into the search bar and a variety of premium domains will come up. Some of these are extremely expensive, but you can make an offer to the seller for a domain which you believe might be perfect for your business.
Web Hosting Sites
Web hosting sites are needed to power your daycare website. No website on the web can existing without a good hosting provider powering the site on their servers. To own a website, one of the first tasks you will need to do is look for a good hosting plan. Fortunately, many hosting websites like to bundle domains/URL with their hosting packages.
Web hosting providers such as SiteGround, Bluehost, HostGator, DreamHost, and more offer domains – either separately or along with their hosting plans. Registering domains with your hosting company can actually be much cheaper in the long run, as your domain can be offered to you at a discount price (or sometimes even free) provided you sign up for one or two years with the hosting provider. By purchasing your domain with your hosting provider, it will also mean that your site will be ready to begin the construction process without having to transfer the new domain from a domain registrar to the new website.
The one downside is that if you, for whatever reason, want to switch hosting providers later on, then transferring the domain name from one hosting provider to another can be a tricky process. Finally, remember that hosting providers may not offer all the domain extensions and country specific extensions that you want. If you are looking for just one simple domain name with a web host that you like and trust, then this is definitely a great option. Otherwise, use an ordinary domain registrar.
Things To Consider When Choosing A Domain Name
Finally a few more things to consider when choosing the perfect domain name for you. Firstly look for a domain which ties directly with your business name – especially if you’re a new company. If you are called Blue Waters Daycare for example then consider a domain such as bluewaters.com or bluewatersdaycare.com. This is important for both memorability and SEO (search engine optimizations). Most people will be finding your website on search engines by typing in the name of your daycare directly into search engines like Google, Bing, etc, and having a URL such as bluewatersdaycare.com is much better than a URL like totallyawesomedaycare.com.
Secondly, try to make sure your domain name is not too long for memorability. If the complete name of your business, for example, is Blue Waters Daycare & Child Services, then fitting that all into a domain name can be both bad for SEO and less likely to be remembered by your customers. Instead aim for something slightly shorter such as bluewaters.com, bluewatersdaycare.com, or bluewaterschildservices.com.
Thirdly, if your domain is not available, you might be tempted to buy a domain extension. Going back to our Blue Waters example, domain registrars have shown that the bluewaters.com domain is not available but registrars will often show you some domain extensions which are available such as bluewaters.club, bluewaters.care, bluewaters.info, etc. Try to avoid these if possible as they are bad for SEO, with the exceptions country specific extension (like .ca, co.uk, .com.au, etc) which are good for local SEO only. Instead just stick to .com and try to get a little more creative with your domain if your desired domain is not available. These can be examples like bluewatersdaycare.com, bluewaterschildservices.com or bluewaterschilddaycare.com – all of which are available.
Lastly, will want to ensure that you also get what is called an SSL certificate. SSL stands for secure socket layer and are used to encrypt data being sent across the internet. If you see a small padlock next to a URL in the web browsers, that means the website have their SSL certificate installed. In a very basic sense, SSL certificate ensure that when users enter their personal data on a website, such as names, emails or credit cards in web forms, then that private data is encrypted from third parties that may be trying to steal that data. When a website does not have an SSL certificate, a NOT SECURE warning will be shown in the web browser and when people try to enter personal information into a website.
Having an SSL certificate installed on your website has now became an industry and not having one can affect everything from SEO to customer acquisition. Fortunately, most hosting plans offer free SSL certificate installations with their plans. You can also purchase SSL certificates from the majority of domain registrars too. If you sign up with us, we will be sure to add this to your website so you won’t need to worry.
Final Thoughts
Once you have that perfect domain for your website, the next thing you will want to do is get online with an attractive new website that can attract new clients. This is where we come in! We provide daycare owners with an easy to use dashboard that provide you all the tools to create a site for your daycare and promote it online. Be sure to check out some of our affordable plans and start attracting new customers today!
