Wednesday, November 4, 2009

The Ins And Outs Of Understanding The Domain Registration Process

By Dhruv Patel

Launching your first website can leave you feeling very confused. You can set your worries aside though. It will not be as hard as you imagine. Help is available for understanding the domain registration process and this will get you started.

You first need to select the domain name you want. The domain name is what you will use for your link on your website. It will have to be registered with a licensed registrar of Internet domains. You will find many companies on the Internet that offer this service. When you find a registrar you will see a section on the website to check the name you want to use. It is only possible for one company or person to own a domain name, because it is unique like a signature.

Let us say the name of your company is Smith Office Supply. It is best to try to match the domain name as closely as possible to the actual name you use. On the website of the domain registrar company, type in smithofficesupply to see if it is available. You will also be able to select what type of extension you select for your domain name.

The most commonly known extension is.com, which will be at the end of the domain name. That extension is the most common because it has been around the longest. When you enter smithofficesupply.com, you can check to see if that name is available for you to choose. All domain names are entered into the whois database, and that is what the domain registrar company will use to determine if you can use that name.

After you find an available name, you can rest a lot easier. It is the step that is the most important. Registering the name will be your next step. The name is actually leased for some time, because you cannot really buy it.

You can pay for the name for just 1 year, or for many more years if you like. This is the job of the domain registrar, to register and administer names. Just continue to follow each step on the website of the registrar. It is important for you to get the domain before another party has the opportunity to register it first. You can often get a better price if you register the name for a few years rather than just 1 year.

After you have secured a domain name, you will need to purchase a hosting plan for you website. Sometimes the domain name registrar will also be in the web hosting business too, so maybe you will be able to use the same company for hosting too. Be sure to shop around on the Internet for prices. Prices can vary greatly, and there is no need for you to spend a lot of money for web hosting.

OK, you are almost finished. Now all you have to do is transfer your website to the computers at the web hosting company. Once that is completed anyone on the Internet will be able to find your site. Understanding the domain registration process does not need to be difficult. Most registrars will have a wealth of information that will easily guide you through the process.

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