Domains
Domain registration checklist: what to check before registering
Registering a domain is easy enough that people often skip the ownership and recovery decisions that matter later. Before paying, make sure the name, registrant, account, renewal path, DNS plan, and future transfer control are all deliberate.
Confirm the name works as a long-term business address
Check spelling, pronunciation, likely email addresses, confusing variations, social handles, and relevant company or trademark conflicts. Registry availability does not prove that a name is a good brand choice.
Register it in an account the real owner controls
Use a recoverable business-controlled registrar account with current contact information and multi-factor authentication. Avoid leaving a core domain permanently inside an employee, contractor, or agency account whose ownership can become disputed later.
Check the TLD rules and normal renewal price
Extensions can have different eligibility, contact, renewal, transfer, and dispute requirements. Compare the standard renewal cost and any premium-name status rather than choosing only from the first-year registration price.
Plan DNS, email, and future portability
Know where authoritative DNS will live, which systems will use the domain for mail, and how you would retrieve transfer authorization or change nameservers later. A domain should remain portable even when the website, email, or hosting provider changes.