How to register your own domain name
One of the first things to do when starting your own website is to register your domain name. As I mentioned before, you should do this BEFORE choosing a web host.
And if you want help with deciding on your domain name, see the article How to choose a good domain name.
Quick note about your domain name:
Your domain name is separate from your web host. So, if you switch web hosts, people can still type the same exact URL address to find your site. You can register your domain for as many years as you would like.
Registration Overview
To get a domain name, you need to register the name through a domain name registrar like GoDaddy. Most registrars will charge a fee in the range of $10 per year for each site. Once you register, you own the rights to that name for as long as you sign up, which is generally for a minimum of one year.
I have heard that some web hosts will register and pay for your domain name for free. Don’t do it. That could be a scam where they assume ownership of the domain name, and if you switch to a new host, you can’t take your domain name with you. It doesn’t cost much to register through a registar, and this way you know that you own the domain name.
Yes, it is true that most of the good domain names have been taken. If you think someone else has the domain name, they probably do. But don’t assume it is not available. Try all of the names you can think of and you just might get lucky.
Step By Step Instructions
Here are the steps you need to take to register your domain name.
- Think of as many good domain names that you possibly want to use. There’s a good chance that some or all of them have been taken, so you might need to get creative. You can find some tips on choosing a good domain name from my article, How to choose a good domain name
- Make sure you have a credit card or a PayPal account to pay for the domain.
- If you already have a web host, obtain from them the names of their primary and secondary nameservers. You don’t need to know what that means, but you need to be able to find it. You should be able to find that information somewhere from your web host. It could be found in their FAQs section or maybe by typing a search in their site for “domain name,” “DNS,” or “domain name transfer.” If you can’t find it, email them. You’ll need the information to point your domain name to your website after you buy your domain.
- If you do not have a web host, the registrar will park your domain name at a temporary website specially set up for you. What this means is that when someone browses for your domain name, they will see a page that says something like, this site is being parked at GoDaddy.com or something like that. This way, all you have to do is register the name, so you can worry about all of the aspects of your site. Some registrars even provide you with a free email address like contact@website.com if your site is “website.com.”
List of Domain Name Registrars
There are a ton of domain name registrars. Listed below are a few of them with pricing information along with any additional information I could find. Prices seem to change often, so there is a good chance the prices below are different.
Quick Note: All of these prices are for .com domain names. Other domain name extensions like .net, .us, .biz, etc. will probably have a different price. With the exception of 1&1 Internet, each of the registrars listed offers pretty much every extension out there. I will do my best to keep this information updated, but feel free contact me if you have any updates.
- GoDaddy.com — This by far the most common and popular registrar. Their domain names cost $10.69 per year for a new domain name and $6.99 if you transfer from another registrar. They have a web interface to manage your domains, free web redirection (if you want people who visit your domain to be transferred to another URL), free starter web page, and a free parking page.
- Dotster.com — Their domain names cost $15.95 for a new domain name and $6.99 if you transfer from another registrar. They offer a web interface to manage your domains and lots of domain extensions.
- Register.com — They are one of the largest registrars around and they charge $9.99 per year for a domain name with a free business email account or 14.95 if you transfer.
- Moniker —At the moment they have a limited time offer of $8.02 for a new domain. I don’t know the price for a domain transfer, and it appears you need to create an account in order to do so. Their web interface allows you to manage web forwarding, where you can forward visitors to your domain to another URL of your choice.
- 1&1 Internet — This is primarily a large web host that is also a domain name registrar. Their domain names cost $8.99 for a new domain name and $6.99 if you transfer from another registrar. You also get a free email account, DNS management, domain forwarding and masking, and a starter website with each domain.
After You Register Your Domain Name
If you are just starting your website, you can find a step by step instructions for all of the rest of the steps in the process in the Starting Your Own Website tutorial.
Conclusion
Please make this one of the first things you do. It is easy to do, doesn’t cost much, and saves you a HUGE hassle if you create your site, only to find out you can’t use the same you wanted.
