Register Domain Name

After identifying your product and finding your niche, the next step is to Register Domain Name. A domain name is the name that identifies your website. In reality the name you choose for your site points web surfers to the IP Address of the computer which is storing and serving up your web site. It's normally easiest to have your web hosting company Register Domain Name when you set up hosting. 

The domain name comes in two parts. The actual name (i.e. yahoo) and the identifier at the end (i.e .com) When you Register Domain Name you are reserving that name for your use. Once you Register Domain Name, it then nobody else will be able to use that same name unless you fail to maintain the registration (usually a yearly renewal). 

When you Register Domain Name please consider: 

Register Domain Name as.com: .com domain names may be registered by any individual or organization anywhere in the world as they are unrestricted. Therefore, should your preferred domain name be available in the .com domain name space it would be wise to secure it as soon as practicable while it is still available. "dot" com is the most common end to a web site name, but others are available like "dot" net and "dot" org - these are just a little harder for people to remember than "dot" com but dependent on the nature of your site that may be perfectly okay. Worth to bear in mind that if you choose a non "dot" com name because "name.com" is taken - many people may accidentally go to the "name.com" site by mistake ! There are also some exotic endings like ".biz" use one of the domain registration companies below to check for those names.

You can Register Domain Name as .com or .com.au: If you provide products or services to the Australian community .com.au is recommended as it indicates that you are an Australian organization and more so, an Australian registered trading entity. The .com domain name extension, being one of the original domain name extensions, gives the impression that your business has been around for a while and has a well established presence on the web. It is a matter of personal choice depending on what you wish to achieve. However, in an attempt to protect commercial branding it is recommended that where possible all Australian businesses secure the .com.au, .net.au and .com versions of their company and/or trading name together with the names of their major products and services.

Register Domain Name as .org: Register Domain Name of your charity or non-profit organization in the .org domain name space. If it is not available you may wish to register an abbreviation, add a prefix or a suffix, or include a hyphen (-). You may also wish to consider registering additional domain names that reflect your services, programs, venues, events, activities, or the profession that the registrant members practice.

After your Register Domain Name you must use the domain registration company control panel to point your domain to the name servers of your hosting company. Then your hosting company must add the name of your domain to their domain name server.