Building a website and establishing an online brand starts with buying a domain name. A domain name is your website's "address" on the internet—users enter it to find you, and your brand is remembered through it.

It sounds simple: enter a name, click buy, pay, and you're done. But in reality, domain name purchases are far more fraught with pitfalls than you might imagine—the first year costs 1 yuan, renewal fees double; the domain gets locked and can't be transferred; your personal information is published in the WHOIS database, resulting in dozens of spam emails daily. You might not even think about your domain while it's lying dormant, but once something goes wrong, it's a huge problem.

This tutorial provides a complete overview of the entire process, from preparation to purchase to management, highlighting all the common pitfalls beforehand. Reading this beforehand can save you hundreds of yuan in unnecessary expenses and countless troubles.

Preparations Before Purchase

You can't just place an order for a domain name whenever you want. Doing these three things in advance will ensure a smooth process.

1. Define Your Needs and Naming Direction

First, figure out what you'll be using your domain for:

- Corporate Website: The domain name should ideally align with your brand name or core keywords. Users finding your website directly through your brand name is more effective than any other promotional method.

- Personal Blog or Content Site: Determine your direction based on your content focus. For technology-related sites, incorporate tech-related elements; for lifestyle-related sites, choose keywords relevant to your specific context.

- Alternative Solutions: High-quality short domains or domains with high brand relevance are often already registered. It's recommended to prepare 3-5 alternative solutions, such as adding regional or business terms to your brand name, to ensure you have alternatives.

2. Choose a Reliable Registrar

A domain registrar is the service company that handles your domain purchase and management. Choosing the wrong registrar can lead to: a difficult-to-use control panel, unreachable customer service, various transfer restrictions, or even sudden closure due to poor management, leaving you unable to manage your domain or even losing it.

Selection Criteria:

- International Certification: The global domain name system is managed by ICANN. Reputable registrars must possess ICANN certification. Domestic top-level domains (.cn, etc.) also require CNNIC certification.

- Business Qualifications: Check the business license and telecommunications business operating license to confirm normal business operation.

- User Reputation: Check reviews through industry forums and website management platforms, paying particular attention to any large-scale complaints, domain name locking, or other negative records.

- Service Capabilities: Provide 24/7 online customer service and test response speed.

Major domestic registrars include Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, and West.cn; international registrars include GoDaddy and Namecheap. Prioritize platforms that are ICANN certified and have a stable market reputation.

3. Prepare Real-Name Authentication Materials

According to domestic domain name management regulations, real-name authentication is required to register domestic domain names (.cn, etc.). Prepare materials in advance to avoid last-minute chaos:

- Individual Registration: Clear photos of both sides of your ID card, with all four corners intact, legible text, and within the validity period.

- Company Registration: Photo or scanned copy of your business license, and ID information of the legal representative and contact person.

Domain Name Search and Selection

1. Checking Domain Availability

Enter your desired domain name in the search box on the registrar's platform. The system will display the registration status of each suffix. If it shows "Unregistered," congratulations, you can proceed to the next step; if it has already been registered, you can only choose a different domain name or a different suffix.

2. Core Principles of Domain Name Naming

Choosing a good domain name is far more important than choosing a cheap one:

- Short and easy to remember: Try to keep it within 6-12 characters. Avoid using rare characters, special symbols, or complex spellings.

- Avoid confusion: The number 0 and the letter o, or the number 1 and the letter l, are easy for users to mistype, so try to avoid them.

- Check for infringement risks: Confirm whether the domain name conflicts with well-known trademarks. Highly similar domains and businesses engaged in the same field may face domain name arbitration risks.

- Avoid sensitive words: Domain names involving national sovereignty or sensitive political terms will be directly rejected during the naming review process.

- Preferred .com: .com has the strongest universality and highest recognizability, suitable for the vast majority of users. .cn is more suitable for domestic users; .net and .org can be chosen based on their attributes.

3. Check Domain History (Essential when buying a second-hand domain)

If you are buying a second-hand domain or a domain that is about to expire, be sure to check its history. Use tools such as DomainTools to check if the domain has been used for spam or fraudulent websites to avoid being blacklisted by search engines. If the domain has been used for spam or fraudulent websites, search engines may have already penalized it, and it will still affect the new site after it goes live.

Registration, Order Placement, and Payment

Once you have chosen your domain and registrar, it's time to place your order.

1. Create and Select an Information Template

The standard process in 2026 is: first, create an information template, submit your real-name verification materials, and wait for approval. Once approved, the template can be used for registration. The template includes the holder's name, ID number, contact information, email address, and other information. When confirming the order, you must use a template that has passed real-name verification—if you choose an unverified template, the order will be blocked.

2. Determine the Purchase Term

1-10 year options available:

- Core Business Domains: It's recommended to register for 5-10 years initially to avoid expiration due to forgotten renewals. Search engines also have slightly higher trust in domains with longer registration periods.

- Short-Term Projects: Register for 1 year initially.

- Beginner Advice: If this is your first time buying, register for 1-3 years initially, and renew later once things are stable.

3. Payment and Status Confirmation

After payment, the domain name is not immediately effective. The registrar needs to submit a request to the registry, which usually takes a few minutes to a few hours. Some suffixes (such as .cn) also require CNNIC naming review, which takes 1-3 business days. Registration is only successful when the console status changes from "Under Review" to "Normal".

Necessary Post-Registration Steps

You've bought the domain, but the work isn't over yet. Failing to do the following things may render your domain purchase useless.

1. Domain Name Resolution

Add DNS records in the console to point the domain name to the server IP:

- A record: Points to an IPv4 address

- CNAME record: Points to another domain name

The resolution taking time can range from a few minutes to several hours, depending on the DNS cache refresh speed. After resolution is complete, you can check the resolution status using the ping command.

2. ICP Filing (Required if the domain name points to a domestic server)

If the domain name points to a domestic server, ICP filing is mandatory. This requires that the real-name information has been synchronized to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's system (approximately 3 business days). The filing process includes filling in information, uploading documents, facial recognition, initial review by the access provider, and review by the regulatory authority, typically taking about 20 business days. The website will be inaccessible during the filing period; advance planning is necessary.

3. Renewal Management

Remember the expiration date and renew 1-2 months in advance. After a domain name expires, it usually enters a 30-day redemption period, during which a high redemption fee will be charged. Once the domain expires and is released, someone else can register it, and the cost to get it back could be tens or even hundreds of times the original price. It is recommended to enable automatic renewal and bind multiple notification methods.

Seven Pitfalls to Avoid

Pitfall 1: Low First-Year Price, Doubled Renewal Costs

Many platforms attract users with offers like "First Year 1 Yuan" or "First Year 9.9 Yuan," but after the first-year discount, the renewal price in the second year may rise to tens or even hundreds of yuan, far exceeding the market price. Some platforms increase fees by more than 300% from the second year onwards without prior written notification. Inquire about renewal prices before purchasing and compare long-term costs; don't just look at the first-year discount.

Pitfall 2: Hidden Bundled Costs

Some platforms will automatically select additional items such as "Domain Privacy Protection" and "DNS Resolution Service" when users purchase a domain name, only revealing a total price far exceeding expectations at checkout. Some unscrupulous registrars will also hide additional fees such as "Privacy Protection Fee" and "Domain Resolution Fee" during the process, only revealing after registration that additional payment is required to use basic functions. Carefully check the checkout list before purchasing and manually cancel unnecessary bundled services.

Pitfall 3: Not Enabling WHOIS Privacy Protection

According to regulations, real information (name, address, email, phone number) must be provided when registering a domain name. Without WHOIS privacy protection enabled, this information will be publicly available online to anyone worldwide. The consequences include receiving a flood of marketing emails and even being exploited by criminals for targeted attacks. Most registrars offer free privacy protection; be sure to select it during registration.

Pitfall 4: Choosing an Unqualified Small Platform

Some niche platforms attract users with prices far below market value, but most lack proper ICANN certification. Not only is domain ownership unprotected, but they may also disappear after payment. More commonly, their management panels are difficult to use, customer service is slow or nonexistent, and they impose various transfer restrictions. Always choose a registrar certified by ICANN.

Pitfall 5: Free Domains

Some website building platforms offer free domains—such as "your name.freehost.com". Never use them. The cost of free domains is usually: being tied to a mandatory hosting plan (unsubscribing results in loss of rights), not supporting independent changes to NS servers or WHOIS privacy protection, and being unable to transfer the domain. While it may seem like you're saving a few dollars, you're actually handing over your brand and traffic to someone else.

Danger Zone Six: Registering Only One Suffix

Many people think that getting a .com suffix is ​​all they need, but they overlook the protective value of .cn, .net, .io, and other suffixes. If competitors or malicious registrants register these suffixes, your brand will be impersonated and your traffic will be intercepted. For brands planning long-term operations, it's recommended to register multiple suffixes.

Danger Zone Seven: Registering with Insecure Email Addresses

Using temporary or personal email addresses to register domain information means that if the email address is stolen, hackers can regain control of the domain by resetting the password. Use a business email address or a dedicated registration email address and enable two-factor authentication.

Steps and What to Do & Avoid These Pitfalls

Choose a Registrar: Select a reputable platform certified by ICANN/CNNIC. Don't be tempted by cheap, unlicensed platforms.

Choose a Domain Name: Short, easy to remember, 6-12 characters, .com preferred. Avoid rare characters and special symbols to prevent copyright infringement.

Place an Order and Pay: Use an approved information template, carefully check the term and price. Don't be fooled by low first-year prices, and don't opt ​​into bundled services by default.

Privacy Protection: Enable WHOIS privacy protection. Don't let your personal information be publicly disclosed online.

Post-Order Management: Properly manage DNS resolution, file for recordation, and enable automatic renewal. Don't forget to renew, and don't use temporary email addresses.

A domain name is the starting point of your online business and one of your most important digital assets. A reliable domain name, coupled with a reputable registrar and proper management, can ensure your website's stability from day one. Buying a domain name for a few dollars is easy, but choosing the right registrar, avoiding pitfalls, and managing it effectively in the long term are the basic qualities of a mature website owner and business owner. Before buying a domain name, read this article again—remember: don't just look at the first year's price, look at the renewal fee; don't just look at the .com domain, protect your brand; don't be greedy for cheap prices, choose a reputable platform.