Thursday, June 26, 2014
How to Book and Host a Domain
A website is a separate thing from a domain name. As I explained in my article on How to Create a Website, a domain name is just a name. When you register a domain, you merely get the right to associate it with your website. In the brick and mortar world, a domain name is like the business name that you register with some government organisation, while a website is analogous with your shop or office premises. Just as you can register a business name without renting premises in some building for your shop, so also can you register a domain without "renting" space on a web host for your website files.
Having said that, most (if not all) domain name registrars, the companies through which you get your domain, will automatically associate a dummy (placeholder) website with your domain when you register it. This is called domain name parking, and the end result is that when you type your domain name into your browser, you end up at the placeholder site set up by your domain name registrar.
(For the curious, all that happens when you don't associate any website with a domain is that when someone types that name in a web browser, the browser will tell that person that the website does not exist or something like that. Don't worry. This message, in such a situation, merely means that the domain has no associated website; it doesn't mean that you suddenly lost your domain or anything of the sort. If you've paid for your domain, and kept your domain registration up to date by renewing it, you still "own" that domain no matter what the browser says. Remember that browsers don't really care about whether someone has registered a domain or not: their job is to display the websites located at those domains, not to give you a report on the state of the internet.)
In summary then, to reserve a domain name, you simply have to register it the normal way.
How to Register Your Own Domain Name
If you have a web site, you should seriously consider registering your own domain name. A domain name is a name like "thesitewizard.com" or "thefreecountry.com", which you can use to refer to your website. Note that you do not have to be a company or organisation ("organization" in US English) to register a domain name. Any individual can do it too.
Importance of a Domain Name
There are a number of good reasons for having a domain name:
- If you ever change your web host, your domain name goes with you. Your regular visitors or customers who knew your site name as www.thesitewizard.com (for example) would not have to be informed about a change of web address (also known as "URL"). They would simply type your domain name and they'd be brought to your new site.
- If you are a
business , a domain name gives you credibility. Few people will be willing to do business with a company that does not have its own domain name. - If you get a domain name that describes your company's business or name, people can remember the name easily and can return to your site without having to consult their documents. In fact, if you get a good name that describes your product or service, you might even get people who were trying their luck by typing "www.yourproductname.com" in their browser.
- If you want good sponsors (advertisers) for your website, a domain name is usually helpful. It tends to give your website an aura of respectibility.
Registration Overview
Getting a domain name involves registering the name you want with an organisation called ICANN through a domain name registrar. For example, if you choose a name like "example.com", you will have to go to a registrar, pay a registration fee that costs around US$10 to US$40 for that name. That will give you the right to the name for a year, and you will have to renew it annually for (usually) the same amount per annum. Some web hosts will register it and pay for the name for free (usually only the commercial web hosts), while others will do it for you but you'll have to foot the registrar fees.
My personal preference is to register the name directly with a domain name registrar rather than through my web host. I've heard stories, in the past, of less-than-reputable web hosts that registered the domain under their own name, making them the owner of the domain rather than you (although I don't know if such web hosts still exist today). Registering with a domain name registrar allows me to make sure that I am registered as the owner, the administrative and technical contacts. Being the owner is vital — if someone else places himself as the owner (such as your web host), he can always decide to charge you some exorbitant fee for the use of the name later, and there is little you can do. The various other contacts are less vital, but may still play important roles, depending on your registrar. For example, for some registrars, the administrative contact's approval is required before a domain name is transferred out of a web host (or at least, it used to be). If he/she cannot be contacted, the technical contact is used.
Step By Step Instructions
If you want to register a domain name, here's what you need to do. Please read it all before acting.
- Think of a few good domain names that you'd like to use. It won't do to think of only one — it might already be taken (it probably is!).
- You will need either a credit card or a PayPal account to pay for the domain. This is a requirement of most if not all registrars. It will allow you to claim and get the domain name immediately on application. This is not an option (unfortunately).
- If you already have a web host, obtain from them the names of their primary and secondary nameservers. Don't worry if you don't understand what these things mean. Just save the information somewhere. The information can usually be obtained from their FAQs or other documentation on their site, usually under a category like "domain name" or "DNS" or "domain name transfer" and the like. 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. Don't worry if you don't have a web host yet. Just read on.
- If you do not have a web host, you can always allow the registrar to park your domain name at a temporary website specially set up for you. This way you can quickly secure your domain name before it's too late and still take your time to set up the other aspects of your site. As far as I can tell, most registrars (or probably all) automatically park your domain by default whether you ask them to or not, so if this is your situation, you probably don't have to do anything special to get it done. Some of those registrars also provide you with a free email address at your own domain name while it is parked at their site, like
sales@example.com(where "example.com" is your domain).
List of Domain Name Registrars
There are numerous domain name registrars. Listed below are just a few, along with my comments, if I know anything about them. Note that the domain name industry is highly competitive, with prices wildly fluctuating throughout the year, every year, so it's impossible to really mention accurate prices below unless I spend all my time updating this page. Please check their sites for the latest rates. (Note: all prices are in US dollars.)
Below are the site which provide good services in Domain name registration and Web Hosting---
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