Finding the right domain name is the first step in building a successful website and boosting your online presence. Without a strong domain, you risk getting lost in the crowd.

Decide early on if you want to have a brand domain or a keyword domain. Brand domains make a clear link between your business and your website, whereas keyword domains may get better search engine results.

Classic domain extensions like .com work for both options. Country specific extensions (e.g. .co.uk) emphasise local relevance, and new top-level domains such as .video, .business etc. can also be effective.

It's worth registering more than one domain extension, especially the classic extensions such as .com, as many users will remember them better than the nTLDs. If you own the .com version but prefer the nTLD, you can always set up domain forwarding. This also prevents someone else from using your domain name.

Learn more about domains

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Forwarding a domain to a different domain

Domain name alternatives to .co.uk

Yes! People assume that it costs a lot of money to build a website, but that's simply not true. Our user-friendly website builder is designed to help small business create their personal website fast and without previous knowledge. IONOS makes it easy and affordable. Here's how the process works:

Step 1: Choose a package and a domain

If you already own a domain with your domain name, transfer it. If you don't have one yet, we'll help you find one. IONOS hosting packages, which include a website builder, offer extremely competitive pricing for budget-conscious business owners.

Step 2: Create your website using our website builder

Using our setup wizard, choose from one of our hundreds of website templates, which include options for many different industries. All of our templates are mobile-friendly, which means your customers can visit your site using their smartphones and tablets.

Step 3: Use Web apps for a customised visitor experience

Using our web apps, you can integrate social media, images you've stored in the cloud, and even online payments into your website. Let customers book appointments, track orders, watch YouTube videos, read content, and much, much more.

Bottom line: You don't have to spend a lot of money to create a beautiful, feature-rich, and surprisingly affordable website. It's not about how much you spend on a website - it's about how well it works for you and your customers.

IONOS WordPress hosting packages have many advantages:

• IONOS takes care of all technical and server-related issues

• Simple step-by-step instructions guide you through the installation process

• The most important plugins are pre-installed

• With the WordPress Assistant, you can choose from lots of free themes (design templates)

• Our 24-hour support team will help solve all your technical issues

• An SSL certificate is included

• Email is included

Create websites, shops and forums quickly and easily with WordPress. With many suitable themes, plugins and widgets, you will be ready to go in no time. As an experienced provider with an up-to-date IT infrastructure, IONOS ensures high performance and optimum security. Fast and reliable SSD drives save your files and databases and ensure short and secure access time.

No. The IONOS WordPress version does not differ from the version that can be found on the official WordPress site.

By choosing IONOS as your provider, you will automatically start with the newest version of the software and your WordPress will receive automatic updates to ensure it is up to date at all times. There are no differences between the two when it comes to functionality. IONOS customers benefit from a comprehensive service including round-the-clock support for any questions or problems that arise, automatic updates, high-speed servers and high-tech security. All your data will be protected by IONOS's high security standards.

The customisation possibilities of both varieties are identical. Users can install the same plugins, themes and widgets that are also available with other hosting providers. By choosing WordPress web hosting with IONOS, you can concentrate on the essentials – a great design for your website and first-class content for your brand-new digital adventure. We will look after everything else.

• If you wish, we can provide you with web hosting without a contract period, i.e. with monthly billing and a cancellation period in the corresponding packages of only one month. 
• IONOS web hosting is ideal for running WordPress; there is a complete package available especially for this. 
• The package includes a certain amount of data storage. 
• If you have any questions, our support is available 24/7. In addition, your personal consultant will also be at your side – completely free of charge.
• All our web hosting packages include an SSL certificate. 
• Discover these special features and many more with our web hosting packages!

Although an attractive website and intuitive navigation are important when it comes to an online shop builder, not to mention great deals and savvy marketing, the way you present your products should always be the main focus of your site. This means that your images must be high-quality with good lighting and must present the product in a positive way. Interesting and engaging product descriptions with as much detail as possible are also helpful for motivating potential customers to buy online from your eshop. For example, if you’re selling packs of items such as napkins or plates, then state exactly how many the customer will receive in the description.

Furthermore, it helps to have an easy-to-read and memorable URL, a simple and logical page structure, and attention-grabbing headlines to make your eshop stand out from the crowd. In general, don’t forget about developing a clear website structure, with informative descriptions and sharp images that detail exactly what your product is all about. Images with good titles and descriptions are also important for practising useful SEO (search engine optimisation) methods, so too is adding meaningful keywords to help shoppers find your website shop via Google and other search engines.

Depending on the package, there are many online store builder tools from IONOS that help you with advanced SEO features. Make sure you visit our page with a checklist for creating a professional online shop to help with making your ecommerce website look its best.

The website builder is easy to use and suitable for all levels. Depending on the number of products in your shop, you can be online in anywhere between a few hours and a day.

Yes! IONOS isn't just in the business of offering websites and affordable hosting. We offer several different options for attracting new customers to your site.

Get traffic from Google with search engine optimisation (SEO)

Along with our website builder, IONOS offers a set of tools. They're easy enough for beginners to use but powerful enough for SEO experts. In addition to optimising your site when you first build it, you'll get notifications about your search engine ranking. Our SEO tools provide ongoing analysis of your site's text and structure to improve your Google rankings.

Attract visitors from social networks

Whether you're active on Facebook, X, Google Currents, Instagram, LinkedIn, or other social networks, our web apps connect your social media accounts to your business website. If you own a restaurant, register your business with Foursquare so that guests can check in and find each other.

Take advantage of local search

IONOS can register local companies with Google Business Profile so that you're easy to find on Google Maps, Search, and Google Currents. You'll be able to display the same address, phone number, opening hours, and more across all of Google's services.