Buy domain names

A domain extension is also known as a top-level domain (TLD). It's the last part of a domain name – in the domain name example.com, .com is the domain extension.

To register your own domain, first you'll need to check if it's available. Here's how:

1. Type the name you want in the white search field. Choose from generic, country-specific and new top-level domains.
2. Click on "Check" after entering the name. The IONOS domain check will tell you within seconds whether your desired domain can still be registered.
3. If your desired domain is available, you can buy it, select it from the options displayed and simply follow the rest of the registration process.

No, you only ever register a domain for a certain period of time. The domain is usually registered in your name for one year. Then you have to renew this registration. In fact, you only ever rent the domain name and usually have to renew this rental contract annually. Thanks to the automatic renewal of your domain, as an IONOS customer you don't need to worry about this. The contract is automatically renewed every year unless you actively decide not to. This way you can be sure that nobody will snatch your domain name away, even if the domain purchase is not a one-off.

If you are planning to register a domain or have already done so, you will most likely come across the abbreviation DNS. It stands for Domain Name System. This system is responsible for ensuring that Internet users can access the desired website by entering a URL. Each website can be found uniquely under a specific combination of numbers - the IP address of the server on which it is stored.

However, as it would be cumbersome to memorize these numbers, they are linked to a unique designation, the domain. So you enter the domain in the form of the URL (http://www.) in the address bar of the browser and then land on the desired page thanks to the Domain Name System. Unlike IPs, domains also have the character of a business card, as users remember a meaningful domain better.

You can influence the choice of your domain with the domain name and one of the numerous domain extensions (top-level domains), for example name.de or name.business. The domain extension allows you to specify more precisely which subject area or country your website relates to. When you register your domain, you have various options for assigning your IP address. With IONOS domain hosting, you have a range of DNS settings at your disposal.

These should always be carefully considered, as they have a major impact on the accessibility of websites. The settings concern the choice of name server, the A-record for assigning the IP address to a domain, the CNAME for assigning another domain name ("alias") to an existing domain with IP addresses and the MX entries for mail server settings. If you register a domain with us, reverse mapping settings, TXT entries as well as SPF record and SRV entries are also available.

Anyone planning to register a domain should think about the choice of top-level domain (TLD). This is the last part of a domain. Well-known domain endings are .com, .de or .org. TLDs can be divided into different groups. Endings such as .com (abbreviation for "commercial") and .org (for "organization") are referred to as generic TLDs.

If you buy such a domain, the endings give an indication of the type of website. For example, .com was originally intended for companies. Under .org you will find organizations of all kinds. The ending .de is an example of the country ending for Germany. These always consist of 2 letters. Even if a very large number of websites can be found under endings such as .de, .net or .com, they still provide Internet users with a kind of orientation. For example, if you are targeting an international audience with your commercial website, you should consider registering a .com domain.

If you want to secure a domain, you may find that the name you want is already taken. Especially the country extensions and the established generic TLDs are overcrowded due to their popularity and limited choice. This was the reason why the registries decided to expand the range of TLDs.

If a domain name is occupied, there are now attractive alternative options for registering your desired domain. For example, if you have a good business idea, it could be advantageous to secure several variants of a domain before someone else does. For example, it is worth buying different variants of a domain, i.e. your individual domain name with different top-level domains.

You should at least secure your brand or company name in different variants. The new TLDs can offer advantages over the familiar solutions. Users can then find your online business under an address with an ending such as .store.

You can find out when you can buy such a new domain at IONOS. If you discover in the domain checker that your company or brand name with certain endings is already taken without you knowing about it, you can find out who is the owner of this domain via a Whois query. If they are infringing your trademark rights, you have the option of taking legal action against them. If you are the trademark owner, you generally have the right of first refusal to register a corresponding domain.