To buy a .co.ke domain or to register a .com domain name. Which is the best way to go for Kenyans just starting a website or blog? I will share with you some tips that will help settle on the right domain name extension for your website / blog project.
When to register a .co.ke domain name
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-When running a company that targets primarily people coming from Kenya.
-When running an online shop selling mainly to people living within Kenya’s borders.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. When you click on something I recommend and purchase it, I will receive a commission for the sale – at no extra cost to you.
-When starting a blog targeted only at Kenyans.
-When starting a venture that will later on can be expanded to other regions, but starting the arm targeted at Kenyans with a co.ke. For example, Jumia operates in many countries and use the name Jumia in all / most of them, with different domain name extensions. They settled on Jumia.co.ke for their arm / brand operating in Kenya.
-If the .com version of the name you want to register is already taken but the .co.ke version is available.
-If you want to position yourself as a local brand in the eyes of buyers and search engines. I have seen this happen with companies such as Sasahost (moving from Sasahost.com to Sasahost.co.ke), Kenya Web Experts (moving from KenyaWebExperts.com to KenyaWebExperts.co.ke).
When to register a .com domain name
-When you want to follow what most people think of domain names. .com is one of the most popular extensions out there. Most people on hearing your company / domain name, will at first just assume that you’re using .com for your domain name.
-When you want to position yourself in the eyes of readers and search engines as a n entity / company / blog / website that is not focused only on the Kenyan market. The .com extension is usually used by almost all truly global companies.
-When you want to move your blog from .co.ke to a .com extension. I have seen this done by brands like BiznaKenya (moving more of their content / focus from BiznaKenya.co.ke to BiznaKenya.com).
Where to register the domain names
For .co.ke domain names I find that some of the best companies you can use include Kenya Web Experts, HostPinnacle among others. Check this list of the best web hosting companies in Kenya, to pick a domain registrar of your choice.
For .com domain names some of the big registrars you might want to use include Namesilo.com (use BP coupon on checkout) or Namecheap.com. There are many others out. Also remember that can just use Kenyan web hosting companies to register your .com domains. You can use HostPinnacle or KenyaWebExperts for example.
Domain name pricing for .co.ke and .com extensions
The pricing for these two extensions is more or less the same. If you go to HostPinnacle.com, domains with .co.ke and .com extension will cost you KSh 1000 annually.
For .com domains registered with Namesilo, you will part with USD 9.95 yearly.
What next after registering a domain name?
Get web hosting. Pay for a hosting plan from any of the companies mentioned above. You can also use other popular brands like Bluehost and HostGator.
You can pay annually or monthly for your hosting.
Kenya Web Experts provides great shared hosting for KSh 3100 / year. There hosting is great.
HostPinnacle offers a started annual shared hosting plan at KSh 1999 / year.
You can also pay hosting monthly at between KSh 150 and 250 from the hosting company Garanntor Kenya.
Do note that there are some affiliate links in this content. If you make a purchase through them, I’ll get a commission at no extra cost to you.
Install a free or paid SSL certificate. All the companies listed above will give you the option to use free SSL on your domain / site.
Setup your website or blog. Once the SSL is installed, you can go ahead and install a software you can use to run your blog or website. One such common software is WordPress.
Add content and keep growing your site afterwards.