How to Register a Domain Name

Web sites allow people to share their lives or services with almost anyone on the planet. When the Internet first gained popularity, only a handful of people felt comfortable building web sites. While most professional sites today rely on professional web designers, anyone can build a web site and share any part of his life -- personal or professional -- with the world. To share information on your own web site, though, you’ll have to register a domain name. Registering a domain name isn’t as daunting as it may sound; thanks to the Internet, registering a domain name takes only minutes.

Step

1. Select a tentative domain name. This name will go between the www. and the .com (or .net, or .org or .whatever).
   • It’s a good idea to come up with several possible names for a web site. Many names are already in use. Also, remember that a hyphen can make the difference between availability and unavailability. For example, while www.MyWebSite.com might not be available, www.My-Web-Site.com might be up for grabs.
   • Don’t rule out a .org or .net or other suffix like .name, .mobi, .tv, .biz, .info, .tel or .pro. Anyone can purchase domain names with these suffixes, so if www.AwesomeClothingForYourDog.com is unavailable, try www.AwesomeClothingForYourDog.tel instead.
2. Go to www.NetworkSolutions.com and see what domain names are available. Network Solutions maintains not only a list of what domain names people can still buy, they also offer alternative available domain names in case the one you want is taken.
   • Try out a few different domain names. Double-check the spelling of every word before committing to paying to register a domain name.
   • A domain name will identify your business or hobby for a long time, so look at the way it reads. For example, www.WeAreMu.com may just denote a fraternity, but it can also read “Wear Emu,” which may cause confusion or protests from animal activists.
3. Pay for the selected domain name. Network Solutions offers different levels of services.
   • Purchase only the services you need. Network Solutions offers packages that will help market a web site or even design it. These services, while helpful, aren't necessary. All anyone must spend is the cost of actually purchasing the domain name.

Tips

• Registering a domain name will get a new web site halfway to the Internet. You must also find a company to host the web site. This means paying a company to use their server, or computer, space to “park” a web site. Web hosting companies keep their servers live, or always on and connected to the Internet, so that people can always access the web sites. Many companies, including Network Solutions, will host web sites. Check with companies like ASmallOrange.com, 1and1.com and GoDaddy.com for web hosting prices.
• Network Solutions also offers a free “whois” service that will tell you who owns a specific domain name. If a desired domain name is unavailable, the whois service will provide the name and address of the person who currently owns that domain so you can contact that person, and offer to buy the domain name. Find this free service under the “Resources” section of the Network Solutions main page.