Your Digital Identity, A Practical Guide to Your First Domain

So, you've decided to build a professional website. That's a huge step, and honestly, it's probably one of the best decisions you'll make for your career this year.

This article is the very first in a complete, multi-part guide I'm putting together. The goal is to walk you through every single step of building that website from scratch. Over the course of this series, we will go from having nothing to launching a live portfolio on your own custom domain, complete with a professional email address and hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Today, we begin with the absolute cornerstone of your online presence: your domain name. We'll walk through how to choose a great name, buy it without getting ripped off, and make sure it's secure. Let's get into it.

1. What Actually Makes Up a Website Address?

It looks a bit technical at first, but let's break down what a web address really is. We'll use my website, "https://www.ashaytaksande.com", as our example.

The very first part you see, "https://", is called the protocol. Think of it as the delivery method for your website's data. The "s" stands for "secure", and it means the connection between your browser and the website is encrypted. This is like sending your information in a locked briefcase instead of on a postcard. It's essential for trust and security, and modern browsers will show a padlock icon (🔒) for sites that use it. In a later part of this guide, we'll set this up for free.

Now, let's look at the rest of the address using our library analogy. Imagine your website is a book you've written, and the internet is a massive, world-spanning library.

• The Library itself represents the entire Internet.
• The Library Section, like the big signs for "Non-Fiction", is your TLD (Top-Level Domain). This is the bit at the end, like ".com". It tells you the broad category your book is in, aka the genre.
• The Book Title, like "The Works of Ashay Taksande", is your unique Domain Name. This is the "ashaytaksande" part. It's your personal brand, the one-of-a-kind title that separates your book from all the others in the section.
• A Specific Chapter in the Book is the Subdomain. This is the "www" or "projects" part at the beginning. It directs the reader to a specific part of your book.

For instance, if someone visits "www.ashaytaksande.com", they are going to the ".com" (Non-Fiction) section, finding the book titled "ashaytaksande", and opening it to "www", which is Chapter 1: "My Portfolio". Now, what if they want to see your work? The address "projects.ashaytaksande.com" takes them to the same book, but directly to "projects", which is Chapter 2: "My Case Studies & Projects".

2. Why Your Domain Name is Your Book's Cover? And make no mistake! People do judge the book by its cover.

Your domain name is the very first thing people see. It’s the cover of your book, and it makes an instant impression. Think about it: when you"re in a bookstore, what makes you pick up one book over another? Often, it's a professional, intriguing cover. Your domain does the exact same job online.

A custom domain like "ashaytaksande.com" is like a beautifully designed, hardbound book cover. It feels professional and signals that the content inside is worth taking seriously. On the other hand, a free domain from a website builder, like "ashaytaksande.wixsite.com", is like a stack of photocopied pages with the print shop's logo stamped on the front. It just doesn't build the same confidence or credibility.

3. Choosing the Right TLD: Which Library Section Fits You, i.e., what is your book's genre?

The TLD, that little extension at the end, is surprisingly important. It sets the context for your website by placing your "book" in a specific section of the library. However, the cost of placing your book in the most in-demand genre is the highest.

• ".com": This is the undisputed king, the main "General Non-Fiction" section of the library. It's the most trusted and recognized TLD globally. Because of its premium status, its price is the standard benchmark. It's not always the cheapest, but it often provides the best value in terms of credibility.
• ".dev", ".tech": These are the modern, specialized "Technology & Engineering" sections. Choosing one of these has a certain cool factor and instantly tells visitors you are part of the tech tribe. Sometimes, their registration or renewal prices can be slightly higher than a ".com" because they are considered premium and targeted.
• ".in": This is like the special "Indian Authors Collection" in the library. It clearly signals that your content is especially relevant to an audience in India. Its pricing is generally competitive and often in the same range as a ".com" domain.

A Note on Cheaper TLDs:

As you explore, you will see many other TLDs that are significantly cheaper, sometimes costing less than ₹100 for the first year. These include extensions like ".xyz", ".online", ".site", or ".club". While the low price is tempting, it's important to be cautious. For a professional portfolio, the goal is to build trust and credibility. Some of these cheaper TLDs have, over the years, been heavily used for spam or low-quality websites. This is not always the case, but the association can sometimes create a subconscious negative first impression for a recruiter or potential client.

My Recommendation: For a professional brand you intend to build for years, investing the extra few hundred rupees in a ".com" or a ".dev" is almost always the better long-term strategy. The immediate trust and recognition they provide are well worth the small difference in price.

4. How to Brainstorm Your Perfect Domain Name

Okay, now for the fun part: deciding what to actually call your site. This can feel like a lot of pressure, but a simple process makes it easy.

Strategy 1: The Personal Brand (My Top Recommendation)

For a portfolio, your name is your brand. This is about playing the long game for your career. A domain with your name is professional and will stay relevant no matter where your career takes you.

• The Gold Standard: "FirstnameLastname.com". It’s clean, authoritative, and all about you.
• If it's taken, try these simple variations: Add a middle initial ("AshayMTaksande.com"), use just one initial ("ATaksande.com"), or add a keyword that defines your work ("AshayTaksandeCloud.com").

Strategy 2: The "Brandable" Name

If your name is very common, long, or hard to spell, you might want a more distinct brand name. The trick is to create something short and memorable that hints at what you do.

• Try a simple formula: "[Name/Noun] + [Verb/Keyword]". For example: "AshayBuilds.com", "TaksandeTech.dev", or even something unique like "VibeCoding.com".
• The upside is that it clearly states your purpose. The downside? It can feel dated if you switch careers. "AshayBuildsCode.com" doesn't fit as well if you become a product manager.

Strategy 3: The "Call to Action"

This is a creative approach using a short phrase, like "BuildWithAshay.com" or "AskAshay.dev". It feels interactive and can be very memorable, though it's a bit less formal.

Before You Buy, Run This Final Checklist:

• Does it pass the "phone test"? If you had to tell your future boss your domain name over a noisy call, would they get it right the first time? Keep it simple.
• Avoid hyphens and numbers. They are clumsy to say and can make a site feel dated or less trustworthy.
• Check for social media consistency. Do a quick 2-minute search on LinkedIn and Twitter. Is a similar username available? A consistent handle everywhere makes you look polished and professional.

A Quick Technical Note: Are Domain Names Case-Sensitive? i.e. Does capital or small letters matter?

The short answer is no, the domain name itself ("YourName.com") is not case-sensitive. "AshayTaksande.com" and "ashaytaksande.com" will take you to the exact same place.

However, the rest of the URL absolutely can be. The path that comes after the ".com" (like "/my-projects/") is case-sensitive on most web servers. This means ".../MyProjects" and ".../myprojects" could be two different pages.

Best practice: To avoid any confusion or broken links, always use and share your URLs in all lowercase letters.

5. How to Find the Best Price (And Not Get Ripped Off)

Let's talk about money. Domain registrars, the companies that sell domains, love to use a classic bait-and-switch. They'll offer you a super low price for the first year, but then jack up the price significantly for renewals.

1. Go to a price comparison site like https://tld-list.com/. It's not pretty, but it’s powerful.
2. Search for the TLD you want, like ".com".

3. On the left-hand side menu, in the WHOIS Privacy section, make sure the “Supported” option is selected. This is crucial because it filters your results to only show registrars that offer this vital privacy feature. As we'll discuss later, WHOIS Privacy protects your personal information from being public, so choosing a registrar that supports it (preferably for free) is a non-negotiable step.
4. You will see columns for "Register", "Renew", and "Transfer".
   • Register is the cheap, one-year introductory price.
   • Renew is the standard annual price you’ll pay after that. This is the true cost, and the number you should focus on.
   • Transfer is the fee to move your domain from one company to another.

A Pro Tip on Saving Money:

You can often save money by transferring your domain to a different registrar before your second year. But you need to know about the ICANN 60-Day Lock Rule. This is an industry-wide security rule that locks your new domain at its original registrar for the first 60 days. So, while it's a great strategy for year two and beyond, you can't switch immediately after you buy. And honestly, there's no need to; just plan to transfer your domain to a new registrar before your first year's subscription is about to expire.

After finally choosing your domain name, the TLD, and which registrar to buy it from, we move to the next step.

6. Buying and Registering Your Domain

Okay, you've chosen a name and a registrar (like Porkbun or Namecheap) with a fair renewal price. Here's how to buy it. I bought mine from Spaceship.com because it was the cheapest at the time.

1. On deciding which registrar to go forward with, visit their website and search for your final domain name.
2. Add it to your cart and go to the checkout.
3. Now for a crucial step. During checkout, you must enable "WHOIS Privacy" or "Domain Privacy". Without this, you are basically putting your personal phone number and home address on a public billboard for every scammer and spammer in the world to see. The best registrars provide this service for free. It’s a simple click that saves you from a massive headache later.
4. Finish the payment process. And that's it! Congratulations, you now officially own a valuable piece of digital real estate.

7. Do This Immediately: Secure Your Domain via 2FA!

I cannot stress this enough, please do not skip this final step. Your domain is a real, valuable asset. People have had their domains stolen, and it's an absolute nightmare to get them back. You need to protect it just like you would your bank account.

Log in to your new registrar account right now, go to the 'security" section of your profile, and enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).

This means that to log in, you'll need both your password and a temporary code from an app on your phone (like Google Authenticator). So even if a hacker somehow steals your password, they are stopped in their tracks because they don't have your phone. Setting this up takes 60 seconds and is the single best way to protect your new investment.

And there you have it. Take a moment to appreciate what you've just done. You've laid the cornerstone of your professional brand online. In the next part of our guide, we'll start gathering the free tools we need to build on this foundation. Stay tuned!