If you look at your web browser's address or location bar, you'll
usually see in it a URL like "http://www.mikesalsbury.com" (the URL for
this site). The "domain name" for this site is therefore
"mikesalsbury.com". Since that domain name is already registered to me
(and will be for some time), you can't register that one for your own
site, even if your name happens to match mine. But you could register
some other domain name that you like, such as "mike-s.com" if that's
available. All that domain names really do is make it easier for human
beings to remember the address of your web site. Without domain names,
we'd have to give people URLs like "199.205.42.113" to find our sites,
which wouldn't be as easy to remember as "mikesalsbury.com" or
"spamtoons.com".
How Do You Get a Domain Name?
Getting a domain name is actually pretty easy. You find a company that
has the authority to register domain names with one of the Internet
authorities, pay them a small fee, and they'll register the name for
you. This assumes that the name you want is not already registered to
someone else.
Once you've registered a domain name, it's yours for at least one year.
Some registrars allow you to register the domain name for several years
in advance. Pricing can vary greatly. Some registrars will allow you to
register a ".com" domain name for as little as $2.99. For example, Yahoo
Small Business is currently allowing new customers to register domain
names for $2.99 for the first year. GoDaddy.com offers domain
registration for $1.99 if you purchase some other product, such as their
web hosting services. A quick Internet search should reveal any number
of registrars and prices.
What Does Having a Registered Domain Name Do for Me?
If you don't have a web hosting account somewhere providing content for
that domain name, registering a domain name does little for you. People
who visit your new domain name will at best get a page saying that the
domain name is registered but there's no site yet, or at worst get an
error message in their browser saying the site isn't responding. Either
way, it doesn't do anything much for you unless there is a web site for
that domain to point to.
GoDaddy.com, for example, will provide you with a year of free web
hosting when you register a domain name with them. Your domain can then
point to this free web site and you can offer whatever content,
products, or services you like there. Because it's a free hosting
account, GoDaddy.com is going to automatically insert ads on each page
on your site. If that bothers you, you'll need to pay for a hosting
account. If it doesn't, then you can get on the web with your own
domain name pretty cheaply this way.
If you have an email server or an email account somewhere, you can
usually configure things for your domain name such that all email flows
to that account or server automatically. Thus, instead of using an email
address like "
" you can use a more personal one like
"
".
Can I Make Money With a Domain Name?
The answer to this is yes and no. While it was pretty common in years
past for someone to be able to register a domain name like (for example)
"toys.com" and later sell that domain name to someone else for lots of
money, that doesn't happen as much anymore. Odds are you're going to
have to register lots of domain names (meaning lots of out-of-pocket
expense) and get really lucky finding someone who desperately wants that
domain name and is willing to pay you for it. Personally, I think you'll
have about the same odds winning your favorite lotto game.
Anything Else I Should Know?
If you're thinking about registering a domain name, I can provide the
following recommendations:
Consider Private Registration: Many (but not all) registrars
offer an option to make your domain name registration details private.
Since the domain registration should include your real name, address,
phone number, etc., you might understandably be a little nervous about
having that published in your domain registration. Both GoDaddy.com
and Yahoo Domains allow you to add "privacy" to the registration,
which means that your domain name looks (electronically) like it's
registered to a company, but that company knows who it's really
registered to. If someone (such as the police) needed to find you, the
private registrar would be able to help them. But it would be a lot
harder for identity thieves, stalkers, or others to find that
information out.
Know What You're Going to Do with the Domain: Buying a domain
name is a little like buying a magazine subscription. If you don't
have a plan for using that domain name pretty soon after you buy it,
you're wasting your money. While it may indeed be worth registering
the domain to ensure that it's ready when your new web site is, it
might also be worth just holding off until your content is ready.
Avoid Domain Name Speculation: I think the bubble on this
wealth-building technique has long since burst. Registering lots of
clever domains with Yahoo Domains or someone else might someday land
you "big bucks" but more likely is just going to cost you money.
There's a simple reason for this. Let's say I really want the domain
"bigdog.com" and you own it. You offer to sell it to me for $5,000. I
can do a quick check and find that, perhaps, "bigdog.net" or
"bigdog.org" is available and costs only $8.95 to register. Why pay
you $5,000 just to get the ".com" version of the name when for $8.95 I
can get a slightly different version myself?
Shop Around: I used to have my domain name registered with a
company that charged me $35.00 per year. I didn't get very good
service from them. When I switched to GoDaddy.com earlier this year, I
was able to save a lot of money, get some free services bundled in,
and get a lot better customer service. While I'd be leery of any
company that I haven't heard of, or whose prices seem too good to be
true, it's not hard to find a reliable and legitimate registrar who
won't charge an arm and a leg.
Register for At Least Two Years: Many spammers and sploggers
register domain names for a single year, figuring that before the year
is out most spam filters will be blocking email and messages from
them. When that happens, they switch to a new domain name and try
again. Because search engines like Google and MSN know this, domain
names registered for only one year tend to rank lower in search engine
results than those registered for longer periods. Given the
relatively low cost of registering for multiple years, I recommend
doing that whenever you can afford it. It will help your site in the
search engine rankings and it won't cost you much more.
If you've read all the above and feel you're ready to register your
desired domain name on the Internet, I can recommend the following
registrars for you. All should be pretty safe to deal with, secure, and
reliable (but always check such recommendations out for yourself):
The last link in the list above is the most valuable. Based on the kind
of domain name you want to register, it can help you locate a registrar
who is truly authorized to accept registrations (and not some scam
artist pretending to do it).
