Register a Domain Name

You want to know how to register a domain name. This assumes that you have already decided which domain name to register for your business or activity site, and that you have done due diligence in going through the various processes of arriving at the best domain name for your specific purpose, and also that you have determined that the domain name you have chosen is available for registration, and has not been registered by someone else.

To register a domain name you now want to head over to a domain name registrar in order to claim this name as yours before somebody else gets there first. But how do you know which registrar to use? I'm against using the same company to register and host your domain, as I make clear at several points in my tutorials. The only exception to this is where the web hosting service offers you free domain name registration for the first domain in your hosting account, in which case this is a no-brainer. By all means take up this free offer. But apart from that instance, you should keep the hosting and the registration apart, as they are two different functions involving two different skill sets and priorities.

When it comes to register a domain name, price is important. Some registrars have higher prices while some try to justify such high costs by pointing to their added value services. Bear in mind that the core services registrars need to provide are governed by the rules of ICANN. So the chances are that these higher cost registrars are simply highlighting services that other registrars provide anyway. It is always the sign of a good registrar that they are completely transparent about their charging structure, so that you don't discover hidden fees when you least expect to.

When you register a domain name it is always a good idea to use a registrar that enables you to register a domain for several years, rather than just one or two. It is thought by some that search engines such as Google place more value in a website which has been registered ten years in advance, rather than just year on year, as this is an indication that the website is to be taken seriously, that this business is in it for the long haul! And remember, Google is also a registrar, so it will have access to registration data about how long your domain name is registered for: Google will know how serious you are about your website!

The Register a Domain Name app goes into detail about the kinds of things you should consider when choosing a registrar, and goes through each consideration in some detail. After much content you are able to then go to a registrar and register your domain name.