A domain name is the name you give your web site. It will become the main part of your web address. For example the domain name of this site is GerrysLibrary.com .com being the domain name extension. The address or URL is http://www.gerryslibrary.com. There are lots of domain registrars on the internet today and competition has reduced the charge to between $8 and $10 today from around $70 a few years ago. Just search for "domain registration" on Google or Yahoo and see how many results you get.

Choosing a domain name is very important of you if intend to go into business. It would work better for you if you relate the domain name to the business of the site. It makes it easier for your visitors to remember and it also helps with your search engine ranking. For example if you are opening a travel site then the word travel should be in the domain name. e.g. travelfromoursite.com or articlesgalore.info if you are starting an article directory. You will have a choice between .com and .info and .net and many others. Which one you go for is totally up to you if they are available.

Choose a name and a domain registrar and simply follow their procedures as they are shown to you while you proceed through the process. The first thing to do is always a search for that domain name to see if someone else has already registered it. The fact that there is no site there when you enter the domain in a browser does not mean that the name has not been registered. So use the search bar at the registrar's site. The minimum period for registration is a year, but if you are going into business you will very likely want to register your domain for five or ten years. You will not own your domain name. You are not buying the name. You are registering the name for the length of time you choose. If you forget to renew your registration, you may lose your domain name to a new owner. This is most likely to happen if your site gets a lot of traffic. It will then be attractive to other webmasters because traffic is a valuable commodity on the internet.

Your domain name registered, you will need to find a host for your site. The people with whom you registered your domain name may also supply hosting. You do not need to use the hosting service of the company with whom you registered your domain name, though if they do provide a quality service at a reasonable price then it may be convenient to have both in the same location. If you do decide to shop around (recommended) then just search "hosting" and choose the one that offers the best value. However, before you do the deal, do a search on their name. You may discover that their service is not everything you were hoping for. They may not live up to their promise. You can get this type of information on blogs and forums when you do a search of the host's name.

When you buy a hosting plan, again the minimum is usually a year, you will be asked to enter your domain name. The host will then tell you the address of the server your site will be hosted on. The address will look something like this: NS1.URHOSTINGSITE.COM and NS2.URHOSTINGSITE.COM. You usually have to enter the numbers into two boxes in the domain registrars system. NS stands for Name Server. Then you have to go back to the domain registrar and change the domain name server (DNS) address to point to the host's server. The host will have emailed this to you when you finish their setup process. So if you missed it when you went through the procedure it will still be easy the get. Usually the change is done by opening your account at the registrant's site and clicking on your domain name and then entering the numbers and letters in the boxes.

If you run into trouble just contact their support team. Their contact information is usually displayed prominently on all pages. If you have trouble with the support team, it could be a warning of things to come. I would advise you to move to another host immediately.

It can take up to twenty-four hours for the domain name to become active. But, it is usually less. The information has to propagate throughout the internet.
Now all you have to do is load your web site, but that is another article.

Think Twice Before Choosing Your Domain Name

by Ricardo d Argence

If you have an online presence, especially if you run a business online, you need to think about your domain name and what it needs to do for you. Your domain name is the address that people type to get to your website, and it is completely unique to you.

Think of it as your own online brand; it is often the first thing that a person sees when they search for you, and frequently, there will be an element of it involved in every aspect of your online identity, from usernames to emails.

There are plenty of things to keep in mind when it comes to choosing a name, but they are all fairly simple.

Ideally, your it should be short, simple and descriptive. If a person can tell what you do from the domain name itself, this is a sign that you are on the right track.

Avoid using dashes as most people forget to put them in; you might even find that having a domain name with strange punctuation can even lead your prospective customers to your competitor!

Similarly, make sure that your DN reads well. Say it out loud and say it slowly.

Listen for any corruptions of the words or any strange sounds. Although it will largely be written rather than spoken, make sure that it has a good sound to it.

Ideally, you'll ask some of your friends and see what they think. This is a great way to make sure that you don't get stuck with a domain name that becomes a joke!

To see if a domain name is available, take a few steps. First, try typing it into your address bar, and if it doesn't show up, chances are that you might be able to get it.

There are a few sites that will perform more rigorous checks, but the webhosts that will sell you the domain name will often perform this check for you as well.

You'll find that you can purchase it for a very small amount of money from the webhost, and, depending on the service, you will also receive a large amount of webspace to work with.

Don't forget to renew your domain name. Most registrations for domain names only last for about a year and if you let this lapse, you might find that your webhost will sell it to the highest bidder.

There are companies that look for expired web domains with high hits that they can then direct to their site, so getting it sold out from under you might be likelier than you think! Keep your registration up to date and current!

People often miss the importance of having their own unique domain name for their web sites. It represents you, your company and your online presence; as does a business card.

If you don't have your own name you won't be able to promote your own online identity and web site on the World Wide Web.

Take some time to really think about your DN and what it can do for you; don't get trapped into an online brand that does you more harm than good!

You are going to have to live with your choice of domain names for a long time. Take your time and choose wisely.

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