When it comes to your website one of the tools you're going to need is a domain name. Without one no one is going to be able to find your website no matter how catchy your name. No domain name, means no presence online - unless of course you want to be known as 113.22.12.1.

Hey everyone, Robert here, Managing Director at Boost Digital Media, and today I wanted to share some details about domain names and premium domain names.

So to get a domain name for your website what do you do?

Well there are two options here:

The first is you hire a website design agency to register a domain name on your behalf, this domain name is held by the agency in trust and will need to be renewed on a yearly basis.

An agency will handle all the technical aspects and renew the domain name on your behalf.

Your other option is to visit a domain registrar and register the domain name yourself, you will need some knowledge of DNS settings, so make sure you're confident in using these before you register domain name.

When carrying out a domain name search for your website you will often find domains that are regarded as Premium/Special/For Sale and so forth.

What is a premium domain name?

A premium domain name is, as the title implies a domain name, its nothing more and nothing less. Often a premium domain name has been bought and sold by other domain dealers and it has a past record.

I, like a lot of people, have, in the past, bought and sold domain names. My most expensive domain purchase was a few years ago, it cost just over £500 and for the money I paid there wasn't really anything unique about it other than the name.

But should you consider a premium domain name for your website?

The .com Scenario

As an agency we always advise clients to register a .com and the .co.uk domain name. These are the most common and popular domain names, it is what you type into the search bar when looking for Google, Yahoo, and even this website.

If your .com is taken, but is available for a premium price should you purchase it?

This comes down to personal preference and your budget for the domain name. If you're a start-up business spending £2,000 on a premium domain name for your website probably isn't your most sensible of ideas, especially if the .co.uk domain name is available.

In this instance we would advise to purchase the .co.uk domain for your website and then just monitor the .com over the next 12 months to see if the domain name is released back into the pool.

As an agency we have seen domains come up for sale and then be released back into the main pool for you to purchase at a much lower price.

Remember as businesses the goal is to keep your costs down and spending thousands on premium domain names is a clear way to push your expenses through the roof.

Branding & budget

Lets say the domain name is within your budget and it is imperative you buy the .com domain name.

Then in this instance purchase the domain name through a provider or directly from the domain broker.

Remember to keep in contact with the broker and keep a close eye on the transfer to ensure it goes through without a hitch.

I understand the need for premium domain names for websites, and if your branding dictates you own the .com and the budget is there for it then go for the purchase, but ensure you make use of the domain name and get a return on the investment you have made.