Tips and Info About Domain Names

Before you can put a website up on the internet, you'll need to purchase a domain name (www.something.com, www.yourwebsite.net...etc.). This is a very simple process that can be done through a registrar. Here are a few popular registrars where you can purchase a domain name:

www.godaddy.com
www.buydomains.com
www.register.com

Personally, I prefer Go Daddy...they have very reasonable pricing and they have a great reputation. You may want to consider purchasing other versions of your domain name...such as alternate spellings or .net or .biz names. It helps to ensure that someone else doesn't come along and use the same name. If you decide to purchase any additional names, you probably want to purchase (or select) forwarding services so all of your purchased names point to your one main website.

You will also need to decide how many years you want to register the name. If you know that you'll need the name for several years to come, go ahead and buy several years' worth of registration time. It can't hurt...besides, you might get a little better price if you purchase more than one year at a time.

To purchase a domain name, simply go to your preferred registrar and follow their instructions for making a purchase. If your first choice of domain names is already taken, you will be instructed to choose something else. After you have purchased the name (or names), then you are the official "owner". The registrar you used to make the purchase simply controls the registration and ensures that no one else uses that domain name. Your registrar is also responsible for notifying you when your registration is about to expire. They will most likely send you plenty of e-mail reminders.

Most domain registrars will offer some "extras" along with your registration. For example, lots of them offer web hosting space, e-mail accounts and/or forwarding services for an additional fee. Generally speaking, I would recommend that you do NOT host your website with the same company that you registered your domain name. There's just too much risk of losing control of the domain name if something happens to that company. Also, you probably don't need to use your registrar's e-mail service if you are putting up your own website. Web hosting companies always include plenty of e-mail accounts for you to use. However, if you have only purchased the domain name so you can have a special e-mail address, and you aren't going to put up a website, then using the registrar's e-mail service is probably the best option for you.

It's a very personal decison and you need to make the choice that best suits your needs. You should always check out any company very thoroughly before signing up for anything. It can only help you in the long run!