How to Buy Web Domain Names

About Domain Names

A domain name serves a multitude of purposes, including being:

• A hostname in the site's URL
• Used in the Domain Name System (DNS) as part of an e-mail address
• The name of a product being sold or pitched on that website
• Used as the registered domain name
• Used to identify one or more IP addresses

Practically every website ever visited has a domain name in its address. Each domain also has a suffix that identifies its Top Level Domain (TLD). While many large countries have their own TLD suffixes, there really only a limited amount available for use. Some of the more common suffixes include:

• .us: United States
• .uk: United Kingdom
• .com: Commercial business
• .co.uk: Commercial United Kingdom
• .biz: Business
• .name: Families and individuals
• .jobs: Jobs and employment
• .travel: Traveling
• .gov: Government agency
• .edu: Educational institution
• .org: Nonprofit groups
• .mil: Military
• .net: Network organization
• .ca: Canada

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a not-for-profit group that manages the Internet's domain name system and IP address space allocation, has a complete list of Top Level Domains.

Choosing a Domain Name

Now that you know how domain names are created and categorized, it's time to choose your site's name. Keep in mind a few things:

• Make sure the name is relevant to and the same name as your website.
• Keep the words and numbers simple so that others will remember it.
• Come up with more than one name in case your first choice is already taken.
• Don't abbreviate words in the name if what you want isn't available. For instance, "marybethwebsite.com" is easier to remember than "mbwebsite.com"

Assigning a Domain Name

Domain names are commonly alphabetic in nature as they are easier to remember than their numeric IP address counterparts. It also allows multiple domain names to be assigned to a single IP address. Domain names are restricted to 67 characters in length, including letters "a" through "z" and numbers "0" through "9". Characters such as hyphens are allowed as well. An International Domain Name system has also been developed that lifts these restrictions for domain names that are not recognized as hostnames, specifically those written in a non-English language.

Ready to Buy? Keep These in Mind

There are thousands of places on the Internet where you can go and register your domain name. Your best bet would be to find a reputable company, found by either word of mouth or an expert in the web design industry. But if you don't know anyone who can help, here are a few things to look keep in mind:

• Cheapest is not always best: Many places offer $1.99-a-year (some even free) domain registration; however, there is fine print to read. That price may not be for a ".com" domain, but for a less popular one such as ".info" or ".org," neither of which would benefit most websites. That price also doesn't include private registration, additional bandwidth or storage. These types of companies will also add on fees if you decide to host your website with another company.
• Pricing plans: A good domain name company will offer a variety of packages to fit everyone's needs. Long-term registration (up to 10 years) should give you the best price.
• Private registration: When you register your domain name, you will be asked to provide personal information such as your full name, address and phone number. This information will then be published in a the public WHOIS database. For a minimal fee (no more than $7 a year), you can keep that information private.
• Customer service: For starters, make sure the company you are selecting has its name in the URL, as is in Register.com, Aplus.net or Go Daddy.com. Good customer service should be available 24/7 either online or by telephone.
• DNS transfer: If you plan on transferring your DNS (or even if you don't), a good registration company will offer access for this transfer.
• Free hosting: Some companies offer free domain registration with a hosting package. But be careful because if you change or close your hosting account, you can lose your domain name since it was purchased together as a package deal.

A Final Thought on How to Buy Web Domain Names

When choosing a registration company, carefully read its Terms of Service, as all of the fine print about the dos and don'ts will be in there. When in doubt, find three companies you are interested in using and contact their customer service departments. A reputable company should be able to answer all of your questions.