Sometimes referred to as a "URL" or "web address", a domain name is simply a marker pointing traffic to your place on the internet.

Consider your church street address. By mapping out "6493 West Kingsford Rd", visitors will be able to arrive at the church property.

In the same way, in order for website visitors to access your church website, you have to have a "marker" or "web address" that points them to it.

In order to do that, you would purchase a domain name such as "kingsfordchurch.com." This domain would then be configured to point to the particular collection of images, files, and code that makes up your website.

When a potential website visitor types in "kingsfordchurch.com" in their web browser, they'll be directed to your church website content.

Where do you get a domain name?

When you buy a domain name, it is referred to as "registering" a domain. This transaction can take place at any of the hundreds of thousands of domain registries available on the internet.

Just Google "register a domain" and you'll see what I mean.

However, this is a key decision to make as not all domain registries are the same. While most of them will be glad to take your money in exchange for a domain registration, there are a number of factors to consider when choosing a domain registrar.

Here are the top considerations:

1. Support

Does the registrar have a phone number listed? Do they have online chat support? You want to know that help is available when things go wrong.

2. Cost

Is the registrar charging more than $20 per year for a standard domain?

If you are paying over $20 per year for a common domain name such as .COM, .ORG, .NET, or .US then you are overpaying (Yes I'm looking at you Network Solutions).

If you are registering a premium TLD such as .CHURCH, expect it to be more like $60 per year.

3. Stability

There are certain registrars that consistently make it to the top of nearly every "best of" list.

They aren't perfect (there's always bad experiences and haters), but they've been around a long time and they aren't going anywhere.

I'd highly recommend using one of these over a company you've never heard of before that happens to have a "big sale" on domains.

Choosing a registrar like CloudFlare, GoDaddy, PorkBun, Domain.com, Register.com, or NameCheap will almost certainly get you started on the right foot.

Domain FAQs

How does a domain name work? 

In terms of functionality, think of a domain name as an "internet traffic cop."

If you've been to a special event where there's lots of extra traffic, you're probably seen a traffic cop directing vehicles at an intersection. This person is there to make sure everyone gets to where they need to go as quickly as possible.

When different requests are made to your domain, the requests are properly routed to the proper services that can fulfill the request.

If someone tries to deliver email to your domain, maybe they'll be directed to Google Mail.

If someone else typed your domain name into a web browser, they might be directed to a Bluehost server to load and display your website.

All of these paths and routes are configured in your domain's "DNS" or "Domain Name System."

Do I have to get a .COM domain?

In the world of domain names, the characters that appear after the "dot" are called the domain's "TLD". This stands for "Top level Domain".

.COM is by far the most popular and desirable TLD, but it is just one of many options. 

For churches, there are a number of suitable TLDs that will work just as well. Some of the best ones are .COM, .ORG, .NET, and .CHURCH. There is no technical advantage to having a certain TLD over another one. .NET and .CHURCH can do everything .COM can do. 

The only real advantages are in familiarity. .COM is familiar to anyone who knows what the internet is.

However, due to their popularity, good .COM domains are harder to come by.

Don't be afraid of the other TLDs - they work just as well and can allow you to register a solid domain even if the .COM version is already taken.

Once I register a domain, is it mine forever?

When you register a new domain, it is yours exclusively, and it can't be taken by anyone else unless you give it away or sell it.

However, the registration state of your domain must be kept active by "renewing" it with your registrar in 12-month periods.

It's kind of like a vehicle registration. You own the vehicle, but you have to keep the registration current in order to keep it on the road.

The difference with a domain is that if the registration expires, you actually lose ownership of the domain and it returns to the pool of publicly available domains, and someone else can register it.

Keeping active registration is a big pain point for churches, and can cause big problems if not property cared for.

Does my domain need to be registered with the same provider that hosts my website?

No, it doesn't! A domain can stand on its own with the registrar of your choice - it doesn't have to be moved just because you switch websites or email service providers.

Truth is, it's actually good practice to keep your domain name separate from other services. It provides you with ultimate flexibility and ensures that your domain can't be "held hostage" by a web or email service provider if your business relationship goes sideways.

Domain Best Practices

As confusing and complicated as domains may seem, they really don't have to be intimidating.

However, there are several things that should be addressed so that you can rest easy and avoid the all too common "dot com disasters."

Your church domain is one of those things that is out of sight and out of mind.

When your website is up and your email is working, life is good ... until it's not and you have no idea what went wrong or how to even start troubleshooting.

After 20 years of helping churches solve domain disasters, here are my top tips:

1. Register your domains at a reputable registrar.

It just doesn't make sense to risk it with a questionable registrar. Use a tried and true registrar with a long-standing track record and solid customer service.

2. Register your domains using a general church email address.

This is perhaps the top error I've encountered with church domains.

A teenager in the church, a staff member, or even the pastor himself registers the church domain with their personal email address.

Everything is good for a year or two, but then the pastor, staff member, intern, or church member leaves the church. Along with them goes all access to the domain, and you have a disaster on your hands.

Want to avoid this?

Grab a free email address (not a domain-level email) from Gmail, Yahoo, etc and use it to register your domains.

3. Keep your domain simple. 

firstbaptistchurchalbequerqe.com just isn't going to be a good choice.

If your city is hard to spell or pronounce, don't use it in your domain.

Avoid using numbers, dashes, or other special characters.

Don't use more than four abbreviating letters, it's just too confusing.

"FBCANM.COM" might be available to register, but don't do it. You'd be better off using a lesser known TLD like .org or .net with a simple domain name that forces a confusing or complicated domain just because you want to use .COM.

4. Register your domain for multiple years at a time.

You can prepay your domain registration for up to 10 years. While 10 years may be excessive, why not purchase registration in 2-5 year increments?

It provides fewer opportunities for domain expiration, credit card billing failures, and renewal hassles.

Domain registration costs are so minimal, it just makes good sense.

There is some speculation that a longer domain registration length can boost your search engine ranking by projecting website longevity and authority. In other words, if search engines see that your domain registration is valid for another 8 years, the algorithm gives you a visibility boost because you intend on being around for a while. 

That is a widely debated theory, but it does make logical sense.

5. Use domain privacy 

When you register a domain name, your domain becomes listed in the universal database of registered domains, and it is publicly available. By default, your contact info is also exposed as the owner of the domain. This can open your church up to all types of unsolicited marketing. It's like a feeding frenzy for spammers, some of whom have created their entire business model around Harvesting leads from the domain database. 

So if you don't want to purchase SEO services from Pakistan or Wordpress hosting from Russia, you'll want to utilize a beautiful option called "domain privacy".

Domain Privacy hides your true contact information by replacing it with proxy information from a privacy company. Instead of seeing "Faith Baptist Church " and "faithbaptistdenver@gmail.com" your listing will show as "Domain Privacy Inc" and "secure997@domainprivacyinc.com" or similar. 

The privacy company will then filter out the spam communication and only forward legitimate messages to your actual email address on file. 

While it is industry standard to include Domain Privacy with all domain purchases now, it's not guaranteed with all providers. So, be sure your registrar includes it before committing to registering a domain with them!