How to Register a Domain Name

by Rick Morris.  May 4, 2008

Perhaps the most difficult, yet most important part of getting a web presence involves registering domain names. A domain is your physical address on the Net. You can't have a website without one.

Arming yourself with a good domain name is half the internet-presence battle. Just like your home's street address, you will want people to know where to go to visit you.

When you register a domain name it should be short, simple to remember, and easy on the eyes. Fewer people may visit you at "6465 This is Way Out There Street" than they would if you lived at 7 Main Street. And for those who do visit, you would want them to enjoy that fantastic curb appeal as they enter the driveway.

Of course, the bigger, or more significant your house, the more likely your visitors will be impressed. The same applies to website domain names - only that "bigger" means "easy to remember". Visitors who can read your web site address without peril, find you easily, and are impressed with your site are probably going to visit often and stay longer.

This section deals with where to go to search for the best domain name possible. Go here to learn about the three important domain name considerations - size, significance, and simplicity.

Register a Domain Name Yourself

Now that you understand the domain name registration practices, it's time to secure a domain name. we can do this for you or you may do it yourself. It's a very simple process. If you have ever made a purchase over the Net, you will have no problem here. One important reason you should register your domain name yourself is you maintain complete control of it.

About 1/4th of our clients ask us to take over their web sites because their current web designer can not be reached, won't perform updates, or just won't do anything! The first thing we ask them is "Who is the registrant for your domain name?" These 1/4th clients always say their current web designer registered the domain name. Not good.

We've learned that most of these web designers withhold the domain for various reasons (usually, it's a conflict of personalities). It can be very difficult to get the web designer to initiate a transfer of the domain name. Of course, we have honored any of the domain transfer requests we have received!

The first thing you need to know about searching for a domain name is where to begin that search. In the earlier days of the internet, Network Solutions seemed to be the obvious place. Domains went for about $40 per year to register and you could make your purchase online.

Things have changed dramatically since those 1990s days. Today, there are a truck load of registrants that are vying for your business. Some are small businesses who just got their license from ICANN (International Community for Assigned Names and Numbers) to act as registrants. Others, like GoDaddy.com have been around for quite some time and have developed a high standard for domain name registration and hosting.

And, it's GoDaddy.com where we recommend you start your search. They make it easy to search and register domains. Their prices are probably the best in the industry and the extra (free) services are plenty. When you are done searching and you do register with them, you get $2 domain registration if you let them be your hosting provider.

In short, for about $40 a year, you can get a domain name, hosting, free webmail with stat tracker, and tons of web space and bandwidth. we've not found a better company and have been trusting GoDaddy for five years (260+ web sites).

When you are performing your search for a domain using GoDaddy's search tool, you have options for looking for all the extensions (.net, .name, .us, .org, .tv, etc. Also, if you have them as your hosting provider, it's a breeze to set up the domain and hosting. We're sure you don't want to hassle with pointing name servers, for example. GoDaddy.com does it for you.

Remember, we include GoDaddy hosting and a domain name for free in all our plans.

It's time to put that domain to use.  In short, it's time to put up a website!  I can help you with that, of course!  Choose a website plan and a free website template, and I'll be in touch.