Buying a domain can be a tricky business. There's a few things to watch out for.

Here they are:

Thing to watch out for when buying a domain, number one...

One of the quickest and fun ways is to go over to a site called Wayback Machine. Just type the Domain in there and go on a trip down memory lane. Often you'll see actual working snapshots of the domain's past lives if there are any.

Another way of checking a domain’s history is doing a Google search of the Domain...

Like this:

site;yourdomain.com

This will bring up all of the domain's pages that are indexed in Google right now. If there are any pages indexed, have a click on them and see what's been going on at the domain.

The next thing to do is to search for the domain name in quotes...

Like this:

"yourdomain.com"

This search is going to return all references to the domain name including any news stories associated with the website that used to be on the Domain. Positive stories are obviously a good thing. If you see any stories about scams, lawsuits or similar - stay away.

You can also try searching a domain at our favourite domain registrar, Namecheap. Namecheap will display really useful information about a domain's history, as you do your search.

Included is any dates of registration, sale dates, sale prices, the registrant's company information and any available data from the whois database.

Ok, thing to watch out for number 2 when buying a domain...

Always check to see how your domain looks and sounds. And then check again.

Here's why...

itscrap.com (IT Scrap)

speedofart.com (Speed of Art)

Nuff said.

Thing to watch out for number 3 when buying a domain name...

Avoid using trademarks - either by accident or on purpose.

It's possible even common words or common combinations of words have been registered as trademarks. Rather than be roped into legal battles, why not check first?

Here are three databases you can use to check registered trademarks

• https://www.uspto.gov/trademark

• https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/en/search-availability

• https://www3.wipo.int/branddb/en/

Thing to watch out for number 4 when buying a domain name...

Always check to see if anyone else has registered the name you want to register using another Domain extension.

For example if you want mysite.com, check to see if someone has already registered mysite.net - maybe they’ve already got a thriving business over there that you don't want to start out having to compete with.

This brings us to thing to watch out for number 5 when buying a domain...

Check to see if anyone, or business is already using the social media handles that match the domain name you want to register?

Even if someone has claimed the name only, or if someone is using a name similar in sound or spelling to the name you want, it may be a sign to redirect your energy into a name that you can make your own.

Why dilute your businesses attention or invite any potential confusion?

Watch out for free domains, website builders or anything of that nature that may be offered for free by domain registrars that are added to your shopping cart by default.

The problem here is, there’s a big chance you won’t use them, but, you’ll be charged for them in 12 months time. This is why we are big fans of Namecheap. With Namecheap, there are no sneaky tactics and their website is super easy to navigate and understand.

Just so you know - Namecheap leave domain privacy checked by default. This can easily be unchecked if you’re happy for your contact details to be made public.

Thanks for reading. I hope this article has helped you buy your domain.

For more help turning on web traffic, leads and sales, be sure to download our Toolkit or talk to us about having the work done for you... that means you having us as part of your team!

Affiliate disclosure: We may receive an affiliate commission at no cost to you should you purchase via some links here on the deano.it website.