Registering a Domain Name: Simple Steps to Follow

 

In today’s world where in the internet plays an important role in the business industry, competition among businesses is very high. And thus, if you want your business to succeed and stay in the industry despite the competition, you need to have a website that really stands out. A website is the representation of your company in the online world, a virtual company where your customers can easily find the services or products you are offering and also the best place where they can communicate with you.

However, a website would not be visible without a domain name. A domain name is unique and thus, when the visitors want to visit your website, they will just type your domain name and they will be directed into your website. In order for your website to have an effective domain name, you have to consider these things:

Creating the Domain Name

In deciding the right domain name for your business, you need to make it simple, unique and short. This will help the visitors to remember the domain name easily. You need also to decide on what domain extension to use. You may choose .com, .net, .biz, or .org, depending on the purpose of your website. However, .com is the most ideal since it is widely known and used. As much as possible, avoid using hyphens and underscore to your domain name. A one-word domain name is best, either for business or personal websites.

 

Register Your Domain Name

Once you formulated your domain name, you need to register and purchase it immediately before others get it. You can check the availability of the domain name first and if it is still available go ahead and use it. There are several domain name registrar where you can register your domain name. However, you have to make sure that the registrar is accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). You can search for the complete list of the registrar authorized by the ICANN. Lastly, you need to keep in mind that the web hosting terms and payments may vary depending on the registrar. Thus, complete research must be done before purchasing the domain.

Provide Required Contact Information

To completely register your name, you need to provide important contact information which is also required by the authorizing agency, ICANN. Generally, there are four sets of contact information you need to provide – the domain owner’s contact information, the administrative contact information, the technical contact and the billing contact. Each type of contact has its own function and you can give the same contact information for all types.

The domain name owner’s information is the one who is in-charged for the entire organizational function. The administrative contact is someone who is responsible in carrying out administrative tasks. The technical contact is responsible for all the technical requirements and lastly, the billing contact is the one who handles all the payment and billing aspects.

Choose the Length of Registration

The next step is to choose the length of the domain name registration. You have the option to choose one year, as the minimum length and ten years as maximum. It really depends on you on how long you intend to own the domain name. In most cases, the longer the registration, the higher the discount you can get. However, if you decided to start it with a one year registration, you can have the auto-renewal settings. You can make use of your Paypal account or credit card to pay for the auto-renewal. By doing so, you don’t have to worry and remind yourself as to when your registration will expire.

Choosing the Best: Public or Private Domain

You have the option to register the domain name publicly or privately. Both have its own advantages and disadvantages and thus, you need to choose which works best for you.

If you register your domain publicly, your personal information will be published in a searchable online database. Some of the information may include your names, address and contact information including telephone and email address. On the other hand, when you register the domain name privately, all the information will be kept private. Thus, instead of showing your information in the database, the information of the proxy company will be published. When you choose private registration, you need to pay additional fees. However, with the fee, you can enjoy minimal junk emails and telemarketing calls which are somewhat annoying when you are running a business.
Many website owners opt to register their domain names privately because they want to minimize the headache of receiving spam and snail emails. However, the decision really depends on you.

Provide Web Hosting Servers

If the web hosting servers, both primary and secondary, are required, you need to provide the name servers. You can find this information by logging into your web hosting account or by asking the information directly from the web host.

If you do not have the web host yet, you can check in the registrar if they are offering domain parking services wherein the domain name will be automatically directed to a dummy web page. You can contact the registrar if you want to take advantage of this offer.

Pay Your Domain Registration

The last step is to pay your registration. Most registrars accept Paypal and credit card payments to give convenience to their clients. Make use of this for the first purchase and also for the renewal.

Registering a domain name for your website is not as difficult as designing your website. However, you need to be very careful in choosing the right domain name to use. If you are not familiar and knowledgeable about domain name creation and registration, you can ask some professional help and assistance from the expert.

Once you have your domain name registered, your website is now ready to be noticed in the online world. Choosing the right domain name is the first and most crucial step. Register the domain name immediately and be ready to stand out. For more information about this, you can visit SEO Solutions