Domain Name Registration
Domain name registration is the initial step in launching an online website. It is the name of your website or your business, your recognition mark, as the total web address is your online contact address. Domain name choice should involve in depth market research and business knowledge. A well-chosen domain name can promote your business in a variety of ways one of them is by increasing search engine traffic.
Choice of domain name should involve correct keywords. These keywords can only make your web site search engine friendly. Be cautious while choosing right keyword for your domain name, it should have been searched by your target audience. Consider the recall capability of your visitor, hence select short domain names; this gives your visitor ease of recalling your domain name.
Just like any business, your distinctiveness is very significant. On the World Wide Web, your domain name is your distinctiveness
In order to use a domain name, it must be registered with a registry. ICANN "Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers" maintains a current directory of accredited registrars. The domain name is registered for a specified period of time, normally one year, and is renewable on an ongoing basis. When you purchase a domain name, it only belongs to you for the specified time you stated, in this case, one year. As long as you continue to renew it in a timely fashion, it will belong to you. It is important to keep track of the renewal period because if the domain name is not renewed, it can be registered by anyone for their own use.
The Registry or ICANN
The Registry or ICANN "Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers" is the company that keeps a list of which domain names are tied to which nameservers. The registry collects fees from registrars, who collect fees from registrants.
The Registrar
A registrar is the company that interfaces with customers, called registrants who own the domain names. The owner of a domain name has an account at a registrar. Any lookup in a whois database will show the account information of the account owner as the owner of the domain name. In addition, the owner can setup administrative, technical and billing contacts for each domain name.
Websites are built on Domain names
At each registrar, the account owner chooses "nameservers" for each domain. The nameservers (DNS) control where each and every lookup of any address on that domain is sent to either retrieve a webpage or receive an email. This is also tied into hosting.
To register a Domain name you should follow these steps
• Check Availability , this is where you check that your chosen domain name hasn't already been registered by somebody else. A domain name can only be registered once at a time and needs renewal annually, so if someone else has already registered it, you won't be able to (or you can put it on back order). Of course, the good thing about this is that, once you register your own domain name, nobody else can get it - it's yours for as long as you want it to be. A registered domain name is available again in case it didn't get renewed"
• If the domain is not available, try again using an alternative name.
• If the domain is available, continue to checkout.