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We just rolled out a handy new feature for everyone out there who regularly searches for domains. It can be a bit of a hassle to go to the Domain.com website every time you want to see if that great domain name you think of is taken.

What if you could search for a domain straight from the search bar in your browser? Well now you can! If you’re using Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Google Chrome, head over to http://www.domain.com/ and click the link that says “Add Domain Search to Browser” highlighted in the image below:

That’s all you have to do, and you’re set to start searching for domains from your browser search bar.

Here is how to use the domain search in each browser, as well as how to add the search manually as opposed to using the link on Domain.com:

Firefox

Head over to http://www.domain.com/. When you look at the search bar in the top-right corner of the browser, you’ll see that the tiny drop-down arrow icon is highlighted in light blue like in the image below:

Clicking that button brings up a drop-down list, with an option to “Add Domain.com Domain Search” Listed below your other search options:

Click that “Add” option. Now, you can head over to any other website you’d like. We chose our friends over at Hak5.org. Click that drop-down link in the search bar, and you’ll see that Domain.com has been added as a search option:

Once you select the Domain.com search, enter the domain you would like to search for in the search box, with or without an extension:

Once you hit enter or hit the search icon, you’ll be taken to the domain availability search page displaying the results of your search:

Now you’re all set to search for a domain straight from your browser any time an idea pops into your head!

Internet Explorer

The process for setting up Internet Explorer is very similar to Firefox. First, head over to http://www.domain.com/. Look at the search bar in the top-right corner of the browser, and you’ll see that the drop-down button next to the search box has lit up with an orange color:

Click on that drop-down button, and a menu will appear. In this menu, you’ll see two different options. The first, called “Domain.com Domain Search” will work to search for a domain while you’re on our website, but if you want to have the option to search for a domain always available, go to the line that says “Add Search Providers” and click on “Domain.com Domain Search”:

When you click that link, it adds the Domain.com domain search to your list of search options. Now, you can head over to any other website you’d like. Once again, we chose our friends over at Hak5.org. Click that drop-down link in the search bar, and you’ll see that Domain.com has been added as a search option:

Click the Domain.com search option, and then enter the domain you want to search for in the search box, either with or without an extension:

Once you hit enter or hit the search icon, you’ll be taken to the domain availability search page displaying the results of your search:

That’s it! Now you’re set to quickly search for a domain straight from your browser search anytime you want.

Google Chrome

Google Chrome works slightly differently than Firefox and IE, but the powerful single “Omnibox” at the top of the browser used for both direct navigation and searching makes the domain search functionality even more useful. When you visit http://www.domain.com/ if your browser is set to defaults, it will automatically recognize the ability to search for domains and store that information for later use.

After you’ve visited, Domain.com, if you start to type domain.com into the Omnibox, you’ll see suggestions pop up below the box:

If you look to the right side of the box, you’ll also see a message directing you to “Press Tab to search Domain.com”:

When you press tab, a blue box comes up in the Omnibox indicating that you’re searching Domain.com. Enter the domain you’d like to search for either with or without an extension:

Once you hit enter or hit search, you’ll be taken to the domain availability search page displaying the results of your search:

Chrome is particularly handy because it adds the option to search automatically for you once you visit the site!

If for some reason Chrome doesn’t add the search capability automatically, you can add it manually. To do so, click the tools icon > Options > Basics Tab. Towards the bottom of this tab, you’ll see a section for “Default Search”. Click the “Manage” button in this section and then “Add”, which bring up an “Add Search Engine” box:

You can put whatever you’d like for the name, but the Keyword field is important. Whatever you put here is what you will type in the omnibox to bring up the domain search. If you put domain.com, it will give you the option to search anytime you’re typing in the Domain.com URL. However, if you want, you could give it the keyword “domain search” and any time you type “domain search” the search option will come up.

In the URL field, use: http://www.domain.com/search.php?domain=%s

A super-quick way to search for domains

We hope you find these domain search shortcuts useful. Next time you think of a perfect domain name, you’ll be able to immediately search straight from your browser search and see if it’s available and add it to your shopping cart at Domain.com

True or false: You should keep your domain name(s) and web hosting with separate companies.

Answer: False, mostly.

There is a long-standing perception that it’s a bad idea to keep domain names and web hosting with the same company. We see it all the time with people giving recommendations to friends looking to start a website and from people who have had bad past experiences.

The basic reason people have the belief that domains and hosting must be kept separate is due to a history of companies that sold hosting primarily but also registered domains as a reseller. Some of these companies would register domains for their customers under their company name rather than under the customer’s name. Then when the customer looked to move their domain elsewhere and use a different hosting company, they found themselves trapped because they did not “own” the domain they had been using. From a customer’s perspective, this certainly feels like the domain has been stolen from them by their hosting company, when the reality is that the customer never owned the domain in the first place and was instead “leasing” it from the hosting company.

At this point, it’s important to point out a distinction in the way domain registrars and hosting companies operate:

Domain registrars operate as direct connections with domain registries and register domains for customers. Many of them (including Domain.com) also sell web hosting.

Examples: Domain.com, Network Solutions, Register.com

Hosting companies are primarily in the web hosting business. Some of them offer domain registration to their customers, but most of them that offer domain registration are resellers of a larger domain registrar. A few have ICANN accreditation and are their own registrars.

Examples: Hostgator, Bluehost, Fatcow

All legitimate domain registrars (including Domain.com) will register your domains in your name. In a domain registry’s eyes, the domain is yours and you can move that domain to another registrar if you are unhappy with your service. This means that there is no danger in buying web hosting from your domain registrar.

In a very similar manner, hosting companies that run a legitimate business (which is most of them) will not hold a domain hostage if you choose to move a domain you registered through them elsewhere.

Now, about the “Mostly” part of the answer.

Unfortunately, there are still some shady businesses out there who will use the tactic of registering domains in their name instead of yours. These are mostly small hosting companies, and not surprisingly most of them also have very negative reputations. Unfortunately, those few companies have created the widespread perception that domains and hosting should not be kept with the same company.

The takeaway is this: Make sure the company you choose for domains and/or web hosting is reputable. ICANN accredited registrars such as Domain.com are often a safer way to go than hosting companies because these registrars must follow ICANN rules for how to handle domain names.

As for Domain.com, we always register domain names for customers in their name. We follow the standard transfer process set out by ICANN for domains which keeps your domains safe from theft but also allows you to change to another registrar if you are unhappy with our service. Our web hosting performs just as highly in reliability and performance as what you’d find at any hosting company, and we have additional options that are somewhat rare in the industry such as monthly terms with no commitment. Give us a try!