How To Buy Domain Name for N520 Without Coupon

This is a guest post compiled by  Imran Muhammed for OgbongeBlog

Godaddy calls itself the world’s largest domain name registrar. It is known to sell domain names at very cheap rates. With coupons, you can buy a domain name for $2.17 (N360) or even as low as $1.17 (N194). I assume an exchange rate of N 166 to a dollar. But the problem of coupons is that they have terms of usage which most of us do not take time to read.





These terms may include the following:

• Expiration date: Some coupons are meant to stop working on a specific date.


• Number of uses: Other coupons are designed to be used so-and-so number of times e.g. 200. In other words, the coupon will continue to function until it has been used 200 times, after which it goes into oblivion.


• Country specific: That is to say, if you are a Nigerian, you will not be able to use a coupon intended for United States citizens; unless of course you change your IP. 

However, we do not want to go that route. In fact, we don’t want to use any coupon.



Here are the don’ts and dos of getting a domain name from Godaddy at $3.13 (N 520) without a coupon.



Don'ts

• Do not enter Godaddy website through the “front door.” In other words, do not type www.godaddy.com in your browser because that is the front door. You are to enter through the “back door.”


• If you have an existing account with Godaddy, do not use it. The discount is meant for new clients only. So, if you need 10 domains at $3.13 each, you are to create 10 new accounts.

Dos

• Visit www.google.com or www.google.com.ng (whichever you prefer) and type “godaddy” (without the quotes). You will likely get something like this:

Normally, Google displays two types of information: adverts and search results. Observe that Godaddy appears in both. Also note that in the advert section, Godaddy is OFFICIALLY advertising .com domain names for $2.95. That is what we are looking for.

• Click on the one in the advert section. This will take you to Godaddy website through the “back door.” I call it “back door” because the page that will open is not the usual home page of Godaddy; yet you will be able to do everything you would have done on the home page. The page should look like this:

• Type in the domain you intend to buy and click on “search.” For illustration purposes, I will attempt to register a hypothetical domain name: www.imran2015.com. A pop-up window will appear. 

• Click on “Add,” wait until the orange rectangle changes to grey. Then hit “Continue to Cart.” The next page ought to be the shopping cart.

• As can be seen above, Godaddy will automatically request you to register the domain name for 2 years ($2.95 for the first year and $9.99 for subsequent years). For the fact that, we are trying to spend only N520, simply change the Term to 1 year. The price will be updated.

• The total is now $3.13, i.e. $2.95 plus $0.18 ICANN fees which is N520. Click on “Proceed to Checkout” and complete the remaining steps.

Warning 



This Godaddy “bonanza” is on-and-off; meaning that it’s not always available. Don’t be surprised to get a search result like this:

Here, the $2.95 in the advert section is missing. If you see this, just try again later because once you click on the Godaddy advert, you will be taken to the “front door” www.godaddy.com.



Secondly, avoid the temptation of bookmarking the “back door” so that you will be going in as often as you wish. That will be “breaking into Godaddy’s house” which is illegal. If you do that, at the point of checking out, don’t be surprised to get a nasty error message like: Sorry, this offer is no longer available. So, you need to wait for the “back door” to be OFFICIALLY opened.



Final note



Domain names are renewed on a yearly basis. Discount prices companies like Godaddy offer applies for the first year only. Whenever you are to renew the domain, you have to pay the full price. The “full price” of a domain varies from one web host to another. But generally, it ranges from $10 (N1,660) to $12 (N1,992). The $9.99 we saw earlier in the shopping cart is a special discount for long term purchase.

This post was written by Imran Muhammed . He loves sharing web design lessons at his Hascy Technology blog. You can add him as friend on Facebook.

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Domain Renewal Scams You Must Watch Out For

This is a guest post compiled by +nesslyn aquino  for OgbongeBlog

The internet has always been crowded with all types of scams, from petty small amounts of money to full blown identity theft cases. So we all know that it is important to keep up with the latest ways to protect ourselves and one of the best ways to protect yourself is know exactly how to spot a certain type of scam.





One of the more recent scams that has become popular is the Domain name renewal scams. In this article we will review how it works, warning signs, and how to deal with it.



How it Works



The main goal for the scammers is to get you to pay a renewal fee that really isn't yours and there are two typical types of domain renewal scams.



The first is that the scammer will just end up sending you an invoice that has very small differences in the domain name and hopes that you just end up paying for it without thinking about it twice; also capturing your payment details and personal information as well in the process.



The second type of scam is that you will receive an actual letter or e-mail that looks exactly like your typical invoice and has your actual domain name, but shows a different hosting company. The scammer hopes that you either won't notice the name, or assume that the company re-named itself but is just sending out typical invoices.

Warning Signs





There are easy ways to spot if you are being scammed or not.



If you receive an invoice, double check the actual domain name you are about to renew, make sure that every letter is where it should be. Sometimes they will just switch a letter or two around to make it seem like just a typo.



If the hosting company name is different, make sure to contact them and verify the invoice. You never know, the company might actually be changing its name, but if it's a highly popular hosting company, chances are it is a scam.



Most hosting companies like WebHostingHub offer automatic renewal options, so if you have that applied, you shouldn't be receiving invoices anyways. If you are not on an auto-renewal plan, then most companies will give you months of notice to ensure that you don't lose your valuable domain name from a valid e-mail address.



Another big give away is the actual e-mail address you received the invoice from. If you don't recognize it, just go to your account directly on the website you purchased the domain name from.



Using common sense will go a long ways when it comes to preventing being scammed by these types of situations. Always make sure and review as much information as you can before giving your money away.

What to Do If You Have Already Been Scammed

If you were unfortunate enough to be one of the people who already paid the invoice, don't worry too much because you have options. The first thing you want to do is report the scam. Although it is a well known scam, the more reports it gets, the higher the chance of it being stopped.



Second thing to do, is to open a claim with your financial institution. If you used a credit or debit card, most major financial institutions will allow you to open a fraud claim to get your money back. Just because you were scammed doesn't mean you should have to forfeit your money without receiving anything.



Banks are well aware of the scams that happen all over the internet and are willing to help, so let them. If you used other payment types such as E-checks, your bank still might be able to help, so talk to them and keep them informed.



Then the next best thing to do, is to learn from your mistake. This scam isn't usually for a lot of money, so you can learn a lesson and be more vigilant in the future about your payments.



Always make sure that services have been rendered for any payments unless otherwise specified and always check the amounts, merchant information, and your personal information on each invoice. The last thing you want to do is to run into another scammer, only this time for a much larger amount.

This post was written by +nesslyn aquino. She is a writer for MakeAWebsite. Check out their website for more useful tips in making a website.

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Get Free .biz Domain Name from Namecheap.com Without Coupon

Earlier this week, after registering a .com domain name for a client who needs a custom domain for her blogspot blog, I noticed .biz version of the same domain name in my Namecheap account. Since I wasn't charged for it, I ignored it thinking it might be a bug with Namecheap servers.



The next day, I registered another .com domain name and again, noticed the same domain name with .biz extension in the list of domain name I've registered on Namecheap. I decided to use Namecheap "LiveChat" to ask if it was a promotion or a bug somewhere. The Live agent that chat with me told me it is a promotion; giving out .biz domain name for free for a year to anyone who registers a .com or .org domain name.



You don't need to enter any coupon to get the free .biz domain name. Namecheap automatically adds the .biz version of your domain name to your shopping cart as seen in the screenshot below; although you can remove it from the cart.

Wondering what you can do with the free .biz domain name?



Well, you can put it for like .99c on ebay or 1$ on Bido.It might sell! You can also retain it in order to gain access to a wider market, or to protect your name, brand, or product.



Remember, .Biz domains are second only to .com when it comes to business websites and must be used for "bona fide business or commercial use.”



Go to Namecheap.com now to register a domain name and get the .biz version for free.



Cheers!

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