!: How To Register A Domain Name In Five Simple Steps

A well chosen domain name is the mark of a professional website. Anyone can register a domain name and it only takes a few minutes. This article aims to inform the reader of just how to register a domain name. The major steps in registering a domain name consist of choosing one, finding a domain registrar, registering the domain and finally pointing it to the appropriate name servers of a website.

The first step to registering a domain name is actually choosing one. A domain should fall into one of two major categories. It should either be keyword-centric of brand-centric. As far as the specifics of domain names go, they must start with a letter and they can be composed of numbers, letters or a combination of the two. Domain names may also have dashes.

Keyword-centric domains will be focused more on a certain keyword for search engine optimization purposes. Typically smaller websites use these types of domains. When choosing this type of domain to register, often times the exact match domain will be taken. If this happens, feel free to use dashes between words or a permutation of the previously taken keyword.

Brand-centric domain names will focus on making and selling a brand. Sometimes the keyword that the website owner wishes to focus on will be located in the domain name.

It is important to remember to avoid choosing trademarked or copyrighted phrases. The proper holders of each term can later file legal action and force the domain name to be given to them by a court if they are found to contain such a term.

The second step is to find a domain name registrar. There are several hundred companies that can offer the service of registering a domain name. Some companies are also cheaper than others.

The third step is to pick a domain extension and check to see if your chosen domain is available. If it isn't, then another domain name will have to be chosen. The only exception to this is if the current owner of an already-owned domain feels like selling the rights to another person. Generally this involves a fair amount of cash compared to what it would cost to simply register a new domain name.

If one domain name is taken, try looking for the same name with a different domain extension. The recommended choices are ".com", ".org", ".biz" and ".net" for most business websites. Just about any top -level domain is available so long as the owner will let it be used. The only major top-level domains reserved for certain websites are ".gov" and ".edu" domains. The former is reserved for government websites and the latter for places of education like universities and schools.

The one word of advice towards top-level domains for a new domain is to stay away from ".info" domains. These top-level domains may be much less costly than other domains, but that also makes them a target to be used by spammers. The last thing that a website owner would want is for their website to be grouped with spammers solely based on the top-level domain.

The fourth step is to actually register the available domain in question with the registrar. The registrar will generally have to be paid money to complete this action and should be paid for the number of years the registering party intends to keep the domain name. This also requires that the purchaser either put in valid personal information or arrange a private registration using the registrar. Either way, valid information is required in case a domain name dispute arises.

The last step in how to register a domain name is pointing the domain to a web host's nameservers. This is done in order to resolve a name to an IP address and further an actual website. If the registering party of a domain does not have a website host, most registrars offer that service for a nominal monthly fee.

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