How to Register a Domain Name

You may have the perfect domain name chosen but is it available? Despite what some might say, there are definitely still some wonderful domain names available. If you haven't chosen a domain name yet, consider the keywords people will search for your information with.

For example, if you have a site about running shoes you may want the words running shoes in your domain name. Make a list of 10-20 potential domain names and then hop online to see if they're available. You can just type them right into your search engine rather than going to a domain registrar to see if they're available. Make a note of the ones that are available.

The short answer is absolutely yes. It's the easiest to remember and will give your website legitimacy. People mix up .net, .info, and all those other extensions on a daily basis.

If, however, your website is for a non-profit then a .org is most certainly appropriate and recommended.

If you do wish to have a .net or other extension I strongly recommend getting the .com as well and then redirect one domain name to the other using one as the main URL and the other as a secondary.

You have essentially two choices here, through your website host or through a basic domain registration site, a registrar. Personally, I like to keep mine separate, sort of to avoid having all the eggs in one basket so to speak. I've also found that while many webhosts are great for hosting they're not so great with domain names and vice versa when it comes down to customer service and knowledge.

You'll need two things for this process, your credit card and your list of available domain names. Make sure you choose a registrar who has a good reputation in the industry and who has been around for a bit.

Registrars pop up all the time so it's easy to find one to get the job done but a little research will help to ensure you are registering your site with a reputable company who will be around when it's time to renew your registration - a process which typically occurs annually.

--> I use NameCheap for registering my domain names.

Four: If you already have a website host, you'll want to get the names of their primary and secondary nameservers. This information will allow you to redirect your domain name to your website host.

If all this is confusing, not to worry. It's generally a simple process of typing a bit of information where they ask for it. If you're registering your domain name with your website host then you're good to go.

However, before you sit down with your credit card in hand, make sure you have the right domain name for your site. Keep it as simple as possible, integrate keywords into your title and opt for a .com over the other types of extensions. If you want to ensure you're the only one with that domain name, you may also want to register a .net, .us, .org and so on to make sure you are the only one with that URL.