How to Register a Domain Name in Cameroon
By Wondering how to register a domain name in Cameroon for your brand, organization, church, school, small business, startup etc??? if yes, then this article was specifically written for you.
A domain name is like a land (our address) in the virtual world (internet), just like we buy lands in the real world to build a house, you will also need to buy a land in the virtual world; where you can create your website or a blog; which is like your home or business premise in the virtual world.
Going by the aforementioned analogy, we can deduce that a person without a website or blog, is like a person living in a rented house or a person running a business in a rented business premise.
If you have ever lived in a rented house, then you don’t need to be told the importance of having your own house.
Nowadays its almost impossible to move in to a house without signing tenancy agreement; a document which spells out the dos and don’ts in a rented house i.e. If you fail to obey the clauses in a tenancy agreement, you will receive a quit notice. Some land lords may even issue you a quit notice even if you haven’t violated the terms of the tenancy agreement i.e. some may issue quit notice because they wish to renovate their house…and you have no choice but to live.
In a similar manner, if you are running your business on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, free blogging platforms (with a blogspot.com .wordpress.com domain name) and other websites which isn’t yours, then you are just like the person living in a rented house in the real world or a person running a business in a rented building i.e. you won’t experience total freedom.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the free blogging platforms have (over the pass few years) adopted strict policies to control the amount and type of content that is published on the their platforms.
I remember, during the 2020 US presidential election period, some of the posts of president Trump were tagged as propaganda and deleted by Twitter. Trump’s account was later suspended by twitter for the same reason. Facebook also took a similar action against Trump for spreading misinformation about the Coronavirus.
Not even the president of America is permitted to enjoy total freedom on the social media websites as he is just like a common tenant; who must abide to the rules/conditions set by his landlord.
On the internet forums, its very common to find threads of people complaining bitterly about how Facebook and Instagram deleted their business accounts which had tons of followers and likes.
Listen up
Facebook, Youtube and other free blogging/vlogging platforms are good platforms for brand awareness, content marketing/to drive traffic to your blog or eCommerce website…and not something to totally depend on (to build an empire on). You may wake up one morning to find out that your whole empire (business account) has been deleted…just like a man whose house and properties was ravaged by fire.
In this article, i’m going to show you how to register/buy a domain a name in Cameroon; which is the first step towards gaining total freedom in the virtual world.
What is a Domain name (AKA web address) ???
For those of you who found this article by accident and are wondering what a domain name is, a domain name (commonly called web address) is the names we often type in to the address bar of our web browsers whenever we want to visit any website or blog. For example cameroonforsale.com, facebook.com, wordpress.org, themeforest.net etc.
Simply put, a domain name is like a virtual house address which takes internet users to a particular home (website/business) in the virtual world.
Your web browser is like the taxi in the virtual i.e. when you enter a domain name (virtual/web address) in to the web taxi and press go, it will take you to a particular site in the virtual world.
Ok now that we all know what a domain name is and why they are essential, i believe its time for us to move to more important topics.
How to choose a good domain
When brainstorming on a domain name to choose for your website of blog, you must pay attention to these 7 qualities, in order to choose a good domain name for your website or blog.
You should know the qualities that make up a great domain name as your domain name will become an important part of your brand, which is why it should be chosen with careful thought and consideration. The list, below, will help you get started in the process of choosing the best domain name for your business.
1) Memorable
To start, your domain name should be memorable. Memorable domain names are catchy as well as easy to pronounce and spell.
A domain name that’s memorable will be more shareable on the social media i.e. people will be more likely to share a link to your site or talk about your site with someone they know.
2) Descriptive
Ideally, your domain name should be the name of your business. However, using the name of your business is not always possible. For example, if the name of your company is really long or if the name is already being used by another business.
It’s a good idea to have a few different domain names in mind in case your first choice is unavailable. No matter which domain name you choose, it should be descriptive of your brand.
3) Unique
Most single-word domain names are taken, which means you might have to get creative. You could try creating your own word by combining two words (YouTube). You could also modify an existing word (Flickr), or make up a new word (Groupon). Whatever you decide to go with, try to come up with something unique.
4) Maximizes SEO
Your domain name can impact your SEO, which is another reason it should be selected with care. Although your domain name can impact SEO, it shouldn’t be chosen based on the keyword that you want to rank for. This is known as an exact-match domain (EMD). Choosing an EMD could actually hurt your SEO.
Around 2012, Google noticed a lot of sites were using exact-match domains to rank high in search engines. In response, Google changed their algorithm to reduce the number of low-quality exact-match domains in search results.
As mentioned above, the best thing to do is to use your brand name as your domain name. Using your brand name will build brand signals for your business. Brand signals are any mention or occurrence of your business or website on the Web. Search engines will learn to associate your brand name with your keywords as you produce more content and your brand grows in popularity.
5) Short
Remember to try and keep your domain name short. Domain names should be under 15 characters. A domain name that is too long increases the chance of visitors misspelling or mispronouncing it.
6) Doesn’t contain numbers and symbols
A domain name should also be brandable. Hyphens and numbers in a domain name don’t look or sound brandable. Instead, they seem generic.
Domain names with hyphens and numbers are also usually associated with spam. For that reason, you should avoid using hyphens and numbers when possible.
7) Uses a common top-level domain
A top-level domain (TLD) is the suffix that appears at the end of the domain name. When selecting a top-level domain, it’s best to go with a common TLD, like .com. If you don’t use .com, be careful what you select. Certain TLDs –like .biz and .us — are often associated with spam and receive less traffic. Other high-quality top-level domains that you could use include .net and .org.
Now that you know the qualities that make up a great domain name. It’s time to put what you’ve learned into practice and choose a domain name for your website that’s unique, catchy, and aligns with the look and feel of your website.
Where to register a Domain name in Cameroon
After you have chosen a good domain name for your website/blog, the next thing you need to do, is to register the domain name. Domain names (web addresses) are registered on websites known as domain name registrars (domain name registration website).
Nowadays there are lots of domain name registrars.
The most popular and also the best domain registration website is Godaddy.com.
How much does it cost to register a domain name in Cameroon???
At Godaddy.com, you can register a domain for just $12 (about 7000frs CFA)
However, in the course of searching for an available domain name on the Godaddy Website, you will notice that there are certain domain names (labelled as premium domain names) with extremely high registration price (which range from hundreds to thousands of dollars).
Those premium domain names were listed by domain name flippers/brokers.
For those of you who don’t know, Domain flipping is the practice of buying a domain name as cheaply as possible ($12). Then, without doing anything with the domain, you’ll sell the domain to an interested party for more than you originally paid. There are many people who make money via this way. They will register a good domain name for $12 at Godaddy and then put it up for sale (for hundreds and even thousands of dollars). In Cameroon pidgin slang, we can describe these people as Domain name buy and sellams.
So if you check the availability of your desired domain name, and you notice that it has been listed at a very expensive price; which you can’t afford, then your desired domain name was already registered by a domain name flipper. If money no be problem (like Sarkodie always say), you can simply buy the domain name at the hefty price tag.
Most premium domain names (listed by the domain name flippers) poses the qualities of a great domain name hence they will make it easy for internet users to visit your blog or website hence premium domain names are expensive but worth the investment.
So if you try to register your preferred domain name and you notice that its still available but has been listed at a price way beyond the normal domain name registration price ($12), then the desired domain name was already registered by a domain name flipper; who has listed it for sale at that price.
Bear in mind that the average registration fee of an available domain name in most domain name registration website is $12 (per year renewable).
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Like i mentioned earlier, a domain name is like a land in the virtual world.
Just like in the real world we have real estate brokers who buy and sell houses. Similarly in the virtual world we also have the domain name brokers who buy and sell domain names.
Just like in the real world, some lands are worth more money than others due to factors such as accessibility, size, location etc. Similarly, in the virtual world, some domain names are worth more money than others due to the qualities mentioned above.
Great domain names are just like lands at the center of a big city, beside the road, close to the market and other strategic locations. It will cost you lots of money to register such a domain name (if still available for sale).[/wpsm_box]
Will i need a credit card to register a domain name in Cameroon???
YES! but not compulsory.
To register a domain name at Godaddy.com, you will need a credit card (prepaid card or debit card).
Nowadays its very easy to get a prepaid card from most banks in Cameroon.
If you don’t have a prepaid card, go to your nearest UBA bank and apply for the UBA Africard.
UBA Africard is an affordable prepaid card which Cameroonians from all walks of life can get from UBA (for you just 10,000frs)… and the most interesting thing about UBA Africards, is the fact that, they are issued instantly. This simply means that you can go to a UBA bank today and get a UBA Africard and then use it to register a domain name at Godaddy.
However if you can’t get the UBA Africard, you can still register your domain name at Godaddy with a PayPal account.
However the PayPal option is expensive because you will need to create a Foreign PayPal account and then deposit $12 in to the foreign PayPal account to be able to register a domain name in Cameroon (without a credit card).
If you are interested in getting a foreign PayPal account, contact me via WhatsApp and i will create you a foreign PayPal account and help you to fund it. This service isn’t fee (it will cost you $62 or 34,ooofrs CFA).
Steps to Register a domain name at Godaddy
Its very easy to register a domain name. In fact, it will take you just 10 minutes maximum to register a domain name in Cameroon. Yes! you read that right. Just 5 minutes.
In this article i’m going to show you how to register a domain name in Cameroon using the UBA Africard.
To register a domain name at Godaddy with UBA Africard, you will need to go through these 6 simple steps….
- Visit the Godaddy domain name registration website
- Create an account on the Godaddy website (Its free!).
- Check the availability of your chosen domain name.
- Add the Available domain name to your cart.
- Choose how long you wish to register your domain name.
- Pay the domain name registration fee… which is just $12 to complete the registration process
Ok lets get started…
STEP 1. Click on the this link to go to the Godaddy website.
STEP 2. Create an account on the Godaddy website (Its free!).
To register a domain at Godaddy, the first thing you will need to do is to create an account on the Godaddy website (its free!).
To create an account, you just need to click on the SIGN IN dropdown menu and then click on the CREATE MY ACCOUNT button as shown in the screenshot below.
…and then click on the Create My Account button as shown in the screenshot below.
Now enter your Email, Username, Password and your 4 digit Support Pin. Your 4 digit support pin is any 4 combination of numbers which you will use to identify yourself whenever you want to contact the Godaddy customer service. Whenever you contact Godaddy to make an inquiry about their domain name registration service, they will ask you to give your support pin before they can attend to you. So enter any combination numbers.
Ok after you have filled in all the required info, just click on the Create account button below and your Godaddy account will be created. As easy as ABC.
STEP 3. Check the availability of your domain name.
After you have created your Godaddy Account, the next thing you will need to do, is to check the availability of your chosen domain name.
At the Godaddy domain registration website, you will find a long domain name search bar at the center of the Godaddy website. That search bar is called domain name checker as shown in the screenshot below.
A domain name checker is used to check the availability of a domain name OR to check whether a chosen domain name has already been registered or not.
Let’s take for example that you wish to register myubaafricard.com as the domain name of your website or blog. The first thing you will need to do, is to check if somebody has already registered that same domain name myubaafricard.com. If the domain name has already been registered you won’t be allowed to register the name.
Two websites or blogs can have the same domain name.
To check the availability of a domain name, you just need to type the domain name in to the Godaddy domain name search bar and click on the Search Domain button as shown in the screenshot below.
From the screenshot below you can see that that the domain name myubaafricard.com has already been taken (already registered by somebody). So i won’t be allowed to register that particular domain name. I need to choose another domain name.
If the .com extension of your chosen name has already been taken, you can also check if other extensions (.org .info .net .biz .city etc) of the same name are still available like myubaafricard.org myubaafricard.net, myubaafricard.biz etc.
If the .com extension of a name has already been taken, Godaddy will suggest other extensions of the name which are still available as shown in the screenshot below.
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If you will like to register the name with the suggested domain name extensions, you may have to do a little research to make sure that the person who is already using the the name with the .com extension, is not selling a similar product or rendering a similar service. Be sure to avoid using a name that’s similar to a competitor’s domain name.
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However its always advisable to register your domain name with the .com extension because that’s the domain name extensions which most internet users are familiar with i.e. immediately the internet users remembers the name of a website or blog, they just type it in to their web browser with the .com extension. So the person who registered the .com extension of the name will always have an upper hand in case there’s any competition. So if the .com extension of your chosen name has already been taken, its advanceable to choose another name… and still enter it in to the domain name checker to check its availability.
For example since myubaafricard.com is taken and i don’t want to register the name with the suggested available extensions, i will need to choose another name and still check if its still available.
From the screenshot below you can see that i have entered another domain name i.e. myubaafricardblog.com in to the Domain name checker and fortunately its not not yet taken (still available).So i can now proceed to register the domain name myubaafricardblog.com.
Once you find a domain name that is still available (not yet taken) you will need to register it as fast as possible before somebody else does.
STEP 4 . Add the Available domain name to your cart.
After you have found a domain name that is still available, just click on the cart button to add the domain name to your cart.
After the domain name has been added to your cart, just click on the CONTINUE TO CART button to proceed to the next step.
In the next section, Godaddy will ask you if you will be interested in other services like the Domain name protection and Privacy service & Business protection service.
Simply say no by selecting the No Thanks option as shown in the screenshot below… and then click on the CONTINUE WITH THESE OPTIONS BUTTON to proceed to the next phase.
STEP 5. Choose how long you wish to register the domain name.
You can choose to register your domain name for periods which range from 1-10 years. If you choose the default option i.e. 5 yrs, it will cost you $71.95 as shown in the screenshot below.
The 1 year option cost $11.99. If you choose the 1 year option you will be expected to renew your domain name registration after 1 year (yearly).
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Choose the 2 yrs option.
When you register for 2 years or more, you will be charged $1 for the first year and $11.99 for each additional yrs. So the two year option is the cheapest option as you will be charged just $1 for the first year. So you will be expected to pay $13 for 2 years registration. This simply mean that after paying the 13, you will be able use your domain name for 2 yrs before you can renew the registration of the domain name.
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Ok after you have chosen your length of registration (the 2years option), just click on the CheckOut button below and enter your UBA Africard details and click on the Complete purchase button to register the domain name.
All the required information can be found on your UBA Africard. The security code of your UBA Africard is the 3 digit number found at the back of your UBA Africard.
After you have filled in all the required information, just click on the Complete Purchase button and you are done!
Congratulation, you have successfully registered your domain name.
What is Domain Name Renewal???
It is important to note that domain registration is renewable. This simple mean that if you register a domain name for 2yrs, after the 2 yrs registration period has expired, you will be expected to pay a fee (about $15 per year) to renew the registration.
If you fail to renew your domain name, your domain name will expire and go back to the market i.e it will become available for registration at Godaddy and another person can register it again.
It should be noted that when your domain name expires, internet users won’t be able to access your website or blog using the d0main name until you have renewed your registration.
From the screenshot below, you can see that Godaddy has notified me that one of my domain name is about to expire in 81 days. If i don’t renew it, i will lose it.
When your domain name is about to expire, GoDaddy will also send you a series of emails to inform you that your domain name is about to expire.
Nevertheless, if your domain name expiry date reaches without you renewing your domain name, GoDaddy will still give you a 20 days grace period for you to renew your domain name. Failure to renew your domain name within the grace period, you will lose your domain name.
So after you have registered a domain name, you will need to constantly renew the domain name every year so that you can continue using it.
In my opinion, the yearly domain name renewal fee charged by Godaddy and other domain name registrars, is not too costly. Just $17 per year (after every 12 months). You can even pay for 10 yrs in advance.
You will keep using your domain name “till thy kingdom come” as long as you are paying your domain name renewal fee.
Now you have registered a domain name, What next????
There are many things you can do with your domain name…
- You can start a self hosted WordPress blog with your domain name
- You can link your domain name to your blogspot.com blog and make your free blogger.com blog appear professional and trustworthy
- You can create an eCommerce website (online shop)
- You can create a professional email address with your domain name eg solowayne@myubaafricardblog.com
- You can resell your domain name at a higher price and make 100% profit (like the domain name buy & sellams are doing).
Like i mentioned earlier, if you create a website or blog with your own domain name and hosting space, you will able to publish any information, video, photo etc on your blog. In other words, you will be able to enjoy total freedom on the internet. For example i can freely express my opinion about any issue on this blog and nobody can delete my posts.
Ok we have come to the end of this article, if there’s anything you haven’t understand, leave a comment below or send me a message on WhatsApp.
Do you want me to help you to register a domain name or create a foreign PayPal account for you??? WhatsApp me.
