In other to own a website or make use of email, it is best for the website or email address to reflect your personal or business name. Depending on the purpose of the online presence, a domain name is most ideal.
While it is possible to register and use an email ending with @ymail.com, @hotmail.com, @gmail.com etc, it is much better especially for business-use to register a domain name and use it for email.
sales@example.com, for instance, is more professional where the company name is Example Ltd.
Contents
What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is simply a registered namespace on the World Wide Web. The Web is the part of the Internet one is familiar with for everyday use.
web4africa.ng is an example of a domain name. In this case, it is registered under .ng – which is the country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the country Nigeria.
A domain name can be used as a website address. Example: https://web4africa.ng is the address of this website. It can also be used as part of an email address. Example: web4africa.com is the domain in the email address sales @ web4africa .com
A domain name is simply a registered namespace on the World Wide Web. Click To TweetHow to Purchase / Register a Domain Name in Nigeria
We share the steps on how to buy register a domain for your personal or business use.
The actual domain registration does not take more than 5 mins but other steps like making a decision can take longer. 5 minutes
Choose a Name
You need to decide on the name before you register it as a domain. This should be simple and straight-forward if you already have your business name or company name registered. It is a good idea to have listed your domain options before you approach a provider. That way you can go through your list till you find ones that are available to register.
Go to a Domain Provider
To register a domain name, you need to approach a domain service provider. This could be an Accredited Domain Registrar or one of their resellers. NiRA, the domain registry that manages .ng, accredits registrars who in turn handle the business of selling and managing domains. Web4Africa is an ICANN & NiRA Accredited Domain Name Registrar offering registrations to dozens of thousands globally.
Domain Name Checker
The first process with Registration would typically be to make use of the Domain Search Tool also known as Domain Name Checker or Domain Lookup Tool on the Domain Provider’s website. You enter the name(s) from the list explained in Step #2 till you find ones that are available.
Choose a Name
The Domain Checker Tool would then respond with a result showing the availability or otherwise of the domain names. Where the name is available for Registration, the annual pricing would be displayed as well.
You can then buy any of the available ones. It is a good idea to buy more than one domain extension, to protect your brand/name from predatory registrations by other people.
Where the requested name is unavailable, a domain provider would typically offer multiple close alternatives to the desired domain.
How much is a Domain Name?
The cost of a domain name would vary from one Provider to the other and also depend on the domain name extension. Extensions like .com.ng or .org.ng are typically cheaper than .com or .org
Some factors can also influence the full price of a domain. e.g. value-added services like Domain Forwarding, DNS Management, WHOIS Privacy could add to the total cost slightly.
Web4Africa offers some of the cheapest domain name services in Nigeria and where the domain is already registered, offers inward domain transfers at even cheaper prices.
How to make use of a Domain
A domain would typically not work on its own. It is only an address after all. A hosting account needs to exist in the case where a website needs to be published and email utilized.
A web hosting account typically comes with email service and so the domain effectively serves as the address to the website and also part of the email address.
Domain FAQs
Where can I check Domain Name availability?
You can make use of the Domain Name Checker tool here.
Where can I buy/register a Domain Name in Nigeria?
You can buy your domains from Web4Africa here.
Where is the cheapest place to buy a Domain Name?
There are thousands of domain name providers out there but Web4Africa offers the best value for domain registration. Cheap is not always the most ideal way to pick a name.
How much can I buy a Domain Name?
Prices vary from as low as 500 Naira.
Who is the Best Domain Name Registrar?
Web4Africa offers some of the best values for domain name services.
Are there free Domain Names?
You may get one for free for the first year. Terms and Conditions apply.
Should I purchase Domain Privacy?
It is a good idea to include Domain Privacy (also known as Privacy Protection or ID Protection) for your domain name as it can protect your phone number, street address and other contact information from spammers, identity theft or other negative use.
Does it matter where you buy your Domain Name?
Yes and No. Yes, because of the quality of service you experience with a domain provider can affect your website. No, because domain names are the same everywhere.
Can I own a Domain Name forever?
Yes, you can own the right to use a domain “forever” if you register it for long periods and consistently renew it on time.
For instance, .com and all other gTLDs can be registered for up to 10 years while .ng can be registered for up to 5 years.
How do I permanently buy a Domain Name?
A renewal will always be necessary, in other to maintain the right to use a domain name. Auto-renewal is a good way to ensure you can keep the name for a very long time.
Can I buy a Domain Name without hosting?
Yes. You can buy a domain with a provider and point it to some IP address of a server for professional email or website hosting. Not all providers offer web hosting and hosting is not the only way to use a domain.
What to do after buying a domain?
You need to point the domain to the server or service you intend to use it with, for it to work. Whether you intend to use it for Blogger or WordPress, Gmail or Yahoo! Email, Web4Africa Hosting or some other provider, you need to follow the specific steps from each provider on how to configure your domain to work with their server or service. The provider will always offer information on how you can do this.
4 Comments on “How to Register / Buy a Domain Name in Nigeria”
i want to know if it cost to own a youtube channel? if yes how much?
how much is a domain name in Nigeria and what is the capacity or space allocated
Must you have a local address (Nigerian Address) to register a domain name in Nigeria?
No