# Securing Site Address



## Paver (Jun 9, 2015)

Hey guys, 

Looking at creating a website using either Wordpress (read that it was good on a forum here) or Shopify. 

Something that I have been unsure about was if I use a certain url such as; jimmysclothes.com, by setting it on one of these e-commerce sites. Will I be able to have the same URL for a future site if I branch away from using Wordpress or Shopify

Regards


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## calhtech (Feb 4, 2012)

Paver said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> Looking at creating a website using either Wordpress (read that it was good on a forum here) or Shopify.
> 
> ...


Yes, you can move the domain name to any host and any platform Domains are universal.


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## Preston (Mar 21, 2006)

Paver said:


> Hey guys,
> Something that I have been unsure about was if I use a certain url such as; jimmysclothes.com, by setting it on one of these e-commerce sites. Will I be able to have the same URL for a future site if I branch away from using Wordpress or Shopify
> 
> Regards


Depends. Many places that give you a free domain registration when you sign up will register the domain name as belonging to them. If you leave, you cannot take the domain name with you. The best thing to do is go to Godaddy and register the domain name yourself. Then you own it and can do what ever you want with it.


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## calhtech (Feb 4, 2012)

Preston said:


> Depends. Many places that give you a free domain registration when you sign up will register the domain name as belonging to them. If you leave, you cannot take the domain name with you. The best thing to do is go to Godaddy and register the domain name yourself. Then you own it and can do what ever you want with it.


Yea, I didn't think about that. That does make a difference. I have been registering domains since the 90's when there was only one place to register them (Network Solutions and cost $70.00 for 2 years), since I always register them independently of hosting, I just assume every one else is too. I currently manage 100+ domains. I own about 35% of them, the rest belong to customers.

CalhTech > (yes calhtech.com is mine


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## Paver (Jun 9, 2015)

I went and checked out Godaddy, the domain name with .com is quoted at $1200  I also went to Australian Domain name register and it told me the name is taken, this was before Godaddy told me it is available. What is the go there? Also, are domain names always this damn expensive?


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## calhtech (Feb 4, 2012)

Paver said:


> I went and checked out Godaddy, the domain name with .com is quoted at $1200  I also went to Australian Domain name register and it told me the name is taken, this was before Godaddy told me it is available. What is the go there? Also, are domain names always this damn expensive?


More than likely it is a preferred domain (somebody has registered for resell) . To verify whether the domain is really registered follow this link. WHOIS Search for Domain Registration Information | Network Solutions

CalhTech>


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## Paver (Jun 9, 2015)

Yeah, someone in the U.S has it for re-sale. What would you recommend I do in a situation like this? I want to create an online start-up. Buying the domain would be a must I guess but handing over $900 to buy it would destroy me before I start! haha.


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## TeeBird100 (Apr 13, 2015)

Don't sweat it. The guy selling the domain will come around. 

Instead get a variation of the domain. TheXXX.com or my trick XXXtees.com work just as well as you are driving traffic, and if they hit his site, the consumer will google and your site will outrank his landing page every time. 

This is just a speed bump, not a brick wall. Some of the best startups ran into this and after they got off the ground, spending $1,200 for the domain name will seem like pennies.


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## calhtech (Feb 4, 2012)

Paver said:


> Yeah, someone in the U.S has it for re-sale. What would you recommend I do in a situation like this? I want to create an online start-up. Buying the domain would be a must I guess but handing over $900 to buy it would destroy me before I start! haha.


If you're set on the name buy it. But if I were you I would register a derivative. Use your imagination.

CalhTech>


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## Paver (Jun 9, 2015)

I see. If you established your company, would the cost of the domain name rise, especially if it grew in popularity? Also what is the chances that the owner doesn't re-new the name and it becomes available? Thanks for the responses so far, this would have to be the best forum I have come across


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## rzfarrell (Jun 8, 2015)

Use namecheap.com or godaddy.com and find one thats available for around $10 (namecheap) - $13 (godaddy)

jimmysclothes.com looks to be available

Don't spend that much on a domain name, its not going to be worth it unless the current site has been around for a long time and you can get some page rank and history for SEO off it. Even then, I'd say no.

If you get large enough that you really need to move to the other domain name, the price probably won't matter. Save your money now.


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## NoXid (Apr 4, 2011)

Paver said:


> I went and checked out Godaddy, the domain name with .com is quoted at $1200  I also went to Australian Domain name register and it told me the name is taken, this was before Godaddy told me it is available. What is the go there? Also, are domain names always this damn expensive?


*f-that! *Some opportunistic jerk is sitting on the domain and looking to rape whoever wants it. Don't let the sucker be _you_. New URLs are _dirt_ cheap! Be creative, think of a different one! Don't justify the business model of some URL parasite by giving him your money.

You can abbreviate words, put a dash between words, get creative with the spelling (think of all those name brand products out there that spell their name "incorrectly," that is so they can trademark what would otherwise be a common word).

Also, _all_ short URLs are taken. ALL OF THEM. This is the opportunists sitting on random letter combinations that they hope turn out to be the initials of some business or organization that just has to have AAA or PDQ or NPZ or whatever.

FYI I've used GoDaddy and NameCheap; I like NameCheap better, less BS. GoDaddy is always trying to trick you into spending more money.


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## tcrowder (Apr 27, 2006)

Do the Who Is lookup on it and it will tell you when it is set to expire. I did this once and waited the fellow out, he finally let it expire and I grabbed it.


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## calhtech (Feb 4, 2012)

Paver said:


> I see. If you established your company, would the cost of the domain name rise, especially if it grew in popularity? Also what is the chances that the owner doesn't re-new the name and it becomes available? Thanks for the responses so far, this would have to be the best forum I have come across


Yes, if you dont snatch it up before you start your business, speculators will purchase it and double, triple or quadruple their money depending on how bad you want it. They know once your business is established, you will pay that to protect your brand. BTW, I checked and it looks like the domain you are inquiring about is available - jimmysclothes.com 

networksolutions.com
Congratulations, your domain is available!
jimmysclothes.com


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

I don't know if it still happens, but it use to be if you checked on a name at godaddy or networksolutions, but did not purchase right then and there, they would block the name. So going back it would show it was for sale at a much higher price. A scam basically.


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## calhtech (Feb 4, 2012)

splathead said:


> I don't know if it still happens, but it use to be if you checked on a name at godaddy or networksolutions, but did not purchase right then and there, they would block the name. So going back it would show it was for sale at a much higher price. A scam basically.


I suppose that could still happen but most of the reputable registrars don't do that. Network Solutions, 1and1, Godaddy, etc, make real money from their hosting and most often will give the domain away with a hosting package.

CalhTech>


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## Paver (Jun 9, 2015)

NoXid said:


> *f-that! *
> 
> Just so everyone is aware 'jimmysclothes.com' was just an example ahha, not the actual domain I want to use. I have another name free that I am happy to use, just not mentioning it in-case someone wants to try snatch them  The only thing now is, I was talking to a Godaddy assistant through chat and he explained if I want to use a domain as an E-commerce site I would have to use there package thing. Turns out it is $38.99 a month.. Can any domain name work as an online store (as long as it has .com?)


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Paver said:


> Just so everyone is aware 'jimmysclothes.com' was just an example ahha, not the actual domain I want to use. I have another name free that I am happy to use, just not mentioning it in-case someone wants to try snatch them  The only thing now is, I was talking to a Godaddy assistant through chat and he explained if I want to use a domain as an E-commerce site I would have to use there package thing. Turns out it is $38.99 a month.. Can any domain name work as an online store (as long as it has .com?)


He must have been talking about if you buy hosting from them. you can always add that later. Just lock up your domain now. You can then use that domain anywhere, with godaddy or with someone else.

As far as i know, any domain extension can work as an ecommerce solution, including .net, .org., .biz, etc. You'll want .com if you can get it. That's what most buyers expect to see.


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## Paver (Jun 9, 2015)

splathead said:


> He must have been talking about if you buy hosting from them. you can always add that later. Just lock up your domain now. You can then use that domain anywhere, with godaddy or with someone else.
> 
> As far as i know, any domain extension can work as an ecommerce solution, including .net, .org., .biz, etc. You'll want .com if you can get it. That's what most buyers expect to see.


Alright I will do that! What should I be expecting to pay for a fresh name? A certain amount a month or is it an outright $30 for example? Don't want to be fooled into paying more


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## calhtech (Feb 4, 2012)

Paver said:


> Alright I will do that! What should I be expecting to pay for a fresh name? A certain amount a month or is it an outright $30 for example? Don't want to be fooled into paying more


Well you can go several different ways depending on your expertise. You can register your name out right at a place like 1and1, godaddy, register.com, and use a a service like bigcartel.com. You can use your own domain with bigcartel. Start small then pay as you grow. If you have web design experience then you can buy some hosting and install a webpress ecomm site together. Or pay a developer. If you keep control of your domain independently, then you can manipulate it at will. If you tie it to a registrar/host it may be difficult to move it when your ready. Hope this helps.


CalhTech>


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## Paver (Jun 9, 2015)

It does help very much, thankyou! I will be using the bigcartel/wordpress strategy initially as long as it looks semi-professional


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Paver said:


> What should I be expecting to pay for a fresh name? A certain amount a month or is it an outright $30 for example? Don't want to be fooled into paying more


$10 for a year. Cheaper if you find a sale. Every once in a while godaddy has a $2 sale.



> I will be using the bigcartel/wordpress strategy initially as long as it looks semi-professional


They both are very professional. Still pay $10 for your own domain name with godaddy. You can use it on both bigcartel or any wordpress hosting company.


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## Preston (Mar 21, 2006)

Paver said:


> NoXid said:
> 
> 
> > The only thing now is, I was talking to a Godaddy assistant through chat and he explained if I want to use a domain as an E-commerce site I would have to use there package thing. Turns out it is $38.99 a month.. Can any domain name work as an online store (as long as it has .com?)
> ...


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## Webs (Oct 6, 2014)

I like TeeBird100's idea. Just take the name you want and add "tees" after it.

There are some great deals on Comodo SSL certificates. 
Why do you want to use WordPress for your site?

Rather than spend a lot of money to get what you want a shopping cart to do, (Woo Commerce, Shopify, etc.) Why not just get CubeCart?

It's free, and it as a great cart. We just started using it for one ecommerce site.
There are a lot of plugin's for it that are free as well.
It is set up for use with SSL.

If you are stuck on using WordPress, you can get a plugin so your WP site will also be SSL.

Then just create links back and forth form your cart and WP site

e.g.
https://jimstees.com/wp links to https://jimstees.com/cart

Hope this helps




TeeBird100 said:


> Don't sweat it. The guy selling the domain will come around.
> 
> Instead get a variation of the domain. TheXXX.com or my trick XXXtees.com work just as well as you are driving traffic, and if they hit his site, the consumer will google and your site will outrank his landing page every time.
> 
> This is just a speed bump, not a brick wall. Some of the best startups ran into this and after they got off the ground, spending $1,200 for the domain name will seem like pennies.


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## jennGO (Mar 11, 2014)

I use a .clothing URL and I am still selling. Sometimes my email address cannot be entered in certain online forms because of the domain but so far I've successfully had sales from persons who found me via web search. 

With that I would say a .net .org whatever should be okay. 

The $38/month is ridiculous. I pay $100/year for hosting and that is only because I do deluxe hosting to handle all of my domains. I personally like godaddy but it is the only hosting service I have been using for years. It has everything I need but I don't put a lot of strain on the system. Easy for me to download my databases etc

If I were you since you are going to host through shopify I would just buy the cheapest domain. You can always transfer the domain anywhere if you ever want to host your own site. 

As for the names you can do creative abbreviations. Like for your example:

Jimmysclothing could become

JCstore
JimClothing
JMYC


Or reverse it
ClothingbyJimmy

If you change your mind you can always buy another one and have your store redirect to both (not sure if shopify allows this but if you host your own you can).


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## Webs (Oct 6, 2014)

I agree $38 a month is insane unless, they are doing everything including the social marketing for you.

For regular hosting, I would not go with Godaddy. I use them for domain registration. I also use name.com

Hosting is inexpensive and we have have great service at:
Hostmonster.com
Glowhost.com

Liquidweb is more expensive. Their service is pretty good. We use them as well.

I would not use shopify. Too expensive.

We were using OS Commerce, and are moving everything to CubeCart.
Both are open source. Cubecart use to be a paid cart only. Then it got opened up.

The support group at cubecart.com is excellent!


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## Paver (Jun 9, 2015)

I hadn't heard much about cubecart up until now, is it as good as shopify? Shopify is looking to cost $14 a month at this stage. I had a quick look at Cube but the example web pages looked like there wasn't much customization to the templates?


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## Webs (Oct 6, 2014)

They have a vanilla theme where you can customize from scratch, and Foundation theme that you can customize.

Foundation is a better starting point in my opinion. I'm no expert on CubeCart. But anything you want to do, the people in the forums can help you.

They give you code you can cut and past, if needed. And will answer any question.

I'm cheap, and did not see the value on paying for shopify. I looked at around 10 different popular carts, then asked several people who were also looking at charts.


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## Paver (Jun 9, 2015)

Do you need to use another service to host the website?


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## rzfarrell (Jun 8, 2015)

The benefit of using shopify is that you don't have to worry about hosting, troubleshooting bugs and updates. $14/month is nothing especially when you think that hosting anywhere else will cost $10. If your going real cheap on the hosting you have to worry about security, speed, etc plus installing a SSL cert which will cost at least $50/year. The time you save in trying to install and set up an open source cart is invaluable especially if you have never dealt with installing web software.


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## Webs (Oct 6, 2014)

It is really simple to install a SSL certificate. It takes minutes. in fact it takes longer to fill in the puhase form than it does to set it up.

Glowhost.com, and Hostmonster.com are I believe around $50 a year for shared hosting.
To update CubeCart is the click of a button.
You can set Wordpress to update automatically.

regarding Installation if you have cPanel and some of the others which all come with hosting. You simply push a button to install, then tell it where you want it installed.

Or you can pay someone $50 or so to install it for you.

Yeah, the first time doing it is a bit never wracking, but the plus side is if you screw it up (almost impossible) you can always uninstall and install again and you don't lose anything because you have not added your info(data) to it at that point..


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## Webs (Oct 6, 2014)

@ Paver, I don't understand your question.
Do you mean do you need a different website than [yourregistereddomsin.com] to host Cubecart or one of the other open source shopping carts?

If so, the answer is no. It/they install on your hosted domain.


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## SangBenito (Jun 15, 2015)

Paver said:


> I went and checked out Godaddy, the domain name with .com is quoted at $1200  I also went to Australian Domain name register and it told me the name is taken, this was before Godaddy told me it is available. What is the go there? Also, are domain names always this damn expensive?





Paver said:


> Alright I will do that! What should I be expecting to pay for a fresh name? A certain amount a month or is it an outright $30 for example? Don't want to be fooled into paying more


Who said godaddy is offering .com registration at $30? Because recently I have purchased my .com domain at only $0.99 per month by collecting its discount coupon at *cheapsslcouponcode.com*


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