Choosing Your First Domain Name

When the time comes to get a web domain name for a new hobby site or online business, or just to secure your own name as a dot com, the steps are very straightforward.

To begin with, think of the domain name you want. Most of the majority of the domain registration services, like Godaddy, offer various tools which will help here. You type in any domain, and they will reveal if the domain name is registered already or not. If it is still free, you can register it. If it is already owned by another person, then the registration service will offer you varieties of the domain name to consider, or you could try other suffixes, like .biz or .org.

Though .com domains are still the most familiar and most common, the daily hits you will get to your new domain will be due to your search engine optimization abilities and will have little to do with the suffix, so don't be to worried if you don't get the .com suffix of the domain you want.

Assuming you have thought of the internet domain name you like, and it is not already owned by somebody else, what exactly do you do now?

Having used a site like Godaddy, and having performed the search for your name and checked that it is unregistered, you will then click on a 'Proceed to Checkout' button or something like it.

Next you will select the number of years you want to register the domain for – from 1 to 10 years. If you have long term plans for the domain name, or want it as an investment, go for a higher figure. If the domain is just for resale, choose a lesser period.

Now, you have to enter your name and address and email contact details. If the domain is for a company, you will also insert the company name. These details is used for the internet domain registration – the domain is recorded as legally yours, for the length of time you have chose for the registration. Officially, you become the 'registrant' of the domain name, and no-one else can use it.

Following on with the registration, you should choose if your registration is to be a public or a private one. A public registration means that any individual using anything like theWhois lookup service will be able to look up the domain name and see who owns it. While planning the web site you are going to make, you may think paying the small amount extra for a private registration which restricts viewing of your details will be worth it to avoid spam or prying eyes.

Now having made your choice, you can give your credit card or Paypal details, pay the fee, and the domain becomes yours, for the length of time you have selected. The best registration services like Godaddy will tell you, using the contact details you registered with, when the date comes to update or renew registration of the domain.

You really can register a new domain as easily as that!