Introduction to domain names
If you are starting your own website, the very first thing to do is to get your domain name. As I mentioned in the Starting your own website tutorial, your domain is really nothing more than the name you will give your site, like “cnn.com.”
To get your domain name, you will need to go to a domain name registrar like GoDaddy. There are lots of domain name registrars out there, but I don’t think the site you choose makes much of a difference and generally suggest going with the cheapest price. It is not necessary to do this step first, but it doesn’t cost much and it would be a shame to begin working on a site and then realizing that you can’t get the name you want.
And don’t count on your site name being available! You may have to try a handful of names before you get one that is available. You can check if your site name is available without paying by going to any of the above mentioned sites and searching. If you can’t decide on one name, you can always register more than one. Since it’s only about 10 bucks and gives you the piece of mind of knowing nobody else can use the names, it might be worth it.
Note: picking a domain name does not mean that you have a website yet! All it means is that you bought the rights to the name and nothing more.
Some people might say that now is the time to choose your web host (they make your site active on the internet), but I don’t suggest that because you don’t have any content yet and don’t know what you need from your host. Plus, most good hosts require a monthly fee (anywhere from $10 to $100 or more), so you might as well wait.
