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106 guides
Domain guides
Short, honest answers to the questions people ask before and after buying a domain. New articles are added every week.
Domain Basics
What a domain is, how registration works, and the words you'll meet along the way.
- What Is a Domain Name? Plain-English Explanation
- How Does Domain Registration Work? Registrar vs Registry vs ICANN
- Domain vs Hosting vs Website: What's the Difference?
- What Is a TLD? .com, .net, .org, .io and Country Codes Explained
- Subdomain vs Domain: When to Use Each
- Can You Buy a Domain Name Permanently? Why Domains Are Rented
- Who Owns a Domain? Registrant, Admin and Tech Contacts Explained
- What Is an EPP / Auth Code and Why You Need It
- Domain Lifecycle: Active, Grace, Redemption, Pending Delete
- Premium Domains Explained: Why Some Names Cost Thousands
Choosing the Right Name
Pick a name people remember, spell correctly and trust, with the right extension for your market.
- How to Choose a Domain Name for Your Business (12 Rules)
- .com vs .net vs .org: Which Extension Should You Buy?
- .io vs .ai vs .com for Startups and Tech Products
- .co vs .com: Is .co a Good Domain?
- Should You Use Hyphens or Numbers in a Domain?
- Short Domain Names: Why They Cost More and How to Find One
- Brandable vs Keyword Domains for SEO
- How to Check If a Domain Name Is Taken
- What to Do When Your Domain Name Is Taken
- Trademarks and Domain Names: How to Avoid a Dispute
- Country Domains for Nigeria: .ng vs .com.ng vs .com
- Best Domain Extensions for Ghana, Kenya and South Africa
- Best Domain Extensions for Canada and the UK
Buying & Pricing
What a domain should cost, why renewals differ from first-year prices, and how to pay without surprises.
- How Much Does a Domain Name Cost in 2026? Real Prices by Extension
- Why Is the Renewal Price Higher Than the First Year?
- How to Buy a Domain Name: Step by Step
- How to Buy a Domain in Nigeria and Pay in Naira
- Can You Buy a Domain Without Hosting?
- Can You Get a Free Domain? What Free Really Means
- How Many Years Should You Register a Domain For?
- Domain Pricing Compared: Namecheap vs GoDaddy vs MailShrine
- What Is a Registrar Markup and Why Prices Differ
- Verisign .com Price Increases: What Changes in 2026
- How to Buy a Domain for Someone Else or a Client
- Buying a Domain Name That Is Already Owned: Aftermarket and Offers
Email on Your Domain
Turning a domain into you@yourbusiness.com, and the DNS records that make mail deliver.
- How to Get Email on Your Own Domain
- MX Records Explained: How Email Finds Your Mailbox
- SPF, DKIM and DMARC Explained for Domain Owners
- How to Set Up DMARC on a New Domain
- Why Your Emails Go to Spam on a New Domain, and How to Fix It
- Domain Warm-Up: Sending Email From a Brand-New Domain
- Google Workspace vs MailShrine Email on a Domain You Buy
- Using Another Email Provider on a MailShrine Domain
- Catch-All Email on a Domain: Pros, Cons and Setup
- How Many Mailboxes Does a Small Business Need?
- Email Aliases vs Mailboxes: What's the Difference?
DNS & Connecting Services
Point your domain at a website, a shop or an app, and understand what each record does.
- DNS Records Explained: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, SRV, NS
- How to Point a Domain to a Website (Any Host)
- Connect a Domain to Shopify
- Connect a Domain to WordPress or WordPress.com
- Connect a Domain to Wix or Squarespace
- Set Up a Custom Domain on GitHub Pages, Vercel or Netlify
- Point a Domain to a Server IP Address (A Record)
- What Is DNS Propagation and How Long Does It Take?
- Nameservers Explained: When to Change Them and When Not To
- TTL in DNS: What It Means and What to Set
- How to Verify Domain Ownership for Google, Meta and Microsoft (TXT records)
- Redirect a Domain to Another Website
- www vs Non-www: Which Should Be Your Main Domain?
- Free SSL for Your Domain: How HTTPS Works With DNS
Transfers
Moving a domain between registrars without downtime, and what to do when a transfer fails.
- How to Transfer a Domain to Another Registrar
- Transfer a Domain From GoDaddy
- Transfer a Domain From Namecheap
- Transfer a Domain From Google Domains / Squarespace
- Transfer a Domain From Whogohost, Qservers or Other Nigerian Registrars
- How Long Does a Domain Transfer Take?
- The 60-Day Transfer Lock Rule Explained
- Why Your Domain Transfer Failed and How to Fix It
- Will My Email and Website Go Down During a Transfer?
- Transferring a Domain vs Changing Nameservers
- How to Transfer a Domain to Someone Else (Change of Owner)
Security & Privacy
WHOIS privacy, locks, two-factor and the scams every domain owner should recognise.
- What Is WHOIS Privacy and Do You Need It?
- Domain Lock / Transfer Lock: What It Protects Against
- How to Stop Domain Hijacking
- Domain Renewal Scam Letters and Emails: How to Spot Them
- What Is DNSSEC and Should You Turn It On?
- Typosquatting and Lookalike Domains: Should You Buy Them?
- Registrar Account Security: 2FA, Recovery and Access
- GDPR, RDAP and the End of Public WHOIS
- What Happens If Someone Steals Your Domain: Recovery Steps
Renewals & Expiry
Keeping your domain, what happens if you forget, and how to get it back.
- What Happens When a Domain Expires? Timeline Explained
- How to Renew a Domain Name
- Auto-Renew for Domains: Pros, Cons and How It Works
- Redemption Period: Recovering a Domain After It Expires
- Domain Expired: When Can Someone Else Buy It?
- How to Buy an Expired Domain (Backorders, Drops, Auctions)
- Should You Register a Domain for 10 Years?
- Letting a Domain Expire Safely: Checklist Before You Drop It
Domains for Business & SEO
Domains as brand assets: multiple TLDs, international markets, rebrands and search ranking.
- Do Domain Names Affect SEO? What Google Actually Says
- Should You Buy Multiple Domain Extensions for Your Brand?
- Domain Age and SEO: Does an Older Domain Rank Better?
- How to Rebrand and Move to a New Domain Without Losing Traffic
- Exact-Match Domains in 2026: Still Worth It?
- Country Domains vs .com for International Business
- Domain Portfolio Management for Agencies
- How to Value a Domain Name (Appraisal Basics)
- Selling a Domain Name: Marketplaces, Pricing and Escrow
- Parking a Domain: What It Means and Whether to Do It
MailShrine Domains How-Tos
Step-by-step help for everything in the MailShrine Domains dashboard.
- Buy a Domain on MailShrine and Get Email in Minutes
- Add DNS Records in the MailShrine Dashboard
- Transfer a Domain Into MailShrine
- Switch Your MailShrine Domain to Another Email Provider
- Get Your Auth Code and Transfer Out of MailShrine
- Renewals, Reminders and Grace Periods on MailShrine
- Pay for a Domain in Naira with Paystack
- Registrant Details: What We Ask For and Why