There are many steps between deciding that you want to build a site on the Internet and actually having something that is attracting traffic and thriving. You have to go through each individual point in the process with care and consideration if you want to actually make it to the end and feel confident that you have done everything that is possible to get great results. When you have reached a stage where you are actually ready to put a name to your site and to move forward with beginning construction, it is time to take a serious look at website domain name registration.
What is it?
Most people assume that the addresses that they type into the URL bar of a browser are what the computer actually uses to contact the site. In reality, it is a little bit more complicated. Computers understand numbers better than words, so they actually convert the written address into a numerical address before attempting to contact the server. This process of conversion relies on contacting a special system known as a DNS server that knows which numbers match up with which URLs. The process of claiming a particular URL domain as your own and getting control of what address it points to is registering your domain.
How Does it Work?
The actual procedure is generally pretty simple. There are companies that offer this registration as one of their services, and they do their best to make it easy to look up whether a particular option is available and then to claim it as your own. In fact, if you want one of the more popular top-level domains like .com or .org, the hardest part will probably be coming up with a choice that you like that also happens to still be available.
Can You Make Things Easier?
One of the factors that are worth considering is whether you want to just do the website domain registration with the same company that is going to be providing your website hosting services. If you are planning to pay for a company to host for you, they will frequently offer to handle domains on your behalf as well. This can simplify the process a lot at your end since it means only dealing with bills from a single source and not having to worry about moving information back and forth between companies to allow accounts to be tied together properly.
What Else Should You Consider?
Make sure that your choice does not violate any trademarks, or it could be taken from you through the legal system. You may also want to consider looking for an option that allows for anonymous registration, which is where the company will put its contact information into the database on your behalf. This is not much of an issue if you are registering as a company, but can save you from spammers and scams if you are signing up under your individual name.
Other than having to figure out the name you want for your site, domain name registration is generally the easiest step in the entire process. Companies have invested a lot in making it as simple as they can because they want to attract your business.
About the Author: Clint Reeves is the Content Marketing Manager for Midphase, a web hosting, and domain registration provider. Clint is an expert on website hosting and has been working in the industry for several years. You can visit midphase.com to find out more about domain name registration and buying domains.
