Part of the fun of creating your own website is the ability to also create your own domain name. Typically, people try to pick a domain name that provides an indication as to the content that will be found on the website. In other cases, all of the “good” domain names have already been taken and so the individual has to get a bit creative when selecting a domain name. This is one of the primary reasons that many people go about the business of obtaining their domain name before they are ready to actually go about the business of constructing their website.
The first step is to take a look at the domain name registry to see if someone has already registered the name. If it has already been taken, then you need to choose something different for your domain name. If it hasn’t been taken, then you can register the domain name for yourself. Registering the domain name is also referred to as parking it or reserving it.
Once you register the domain name, you have ownership of it. However, it all depends on the hosting site for it and whether or not you renew your registration for the name. You must also pay a fee when you complete the registration. This fee is renewable on an annual basis.
One point that you need to understand is that you must also have a place to park your domain name in order to get it. Even if your website hasn’t undergone any true type of construction yet, you can still place your name on a site. If people click on it, they will simply get the message “under construction,” which lets them know that it isn’t quite up and running yet.
In order to register your domain name, you will need to find a company that will help you to park your selection. In fact, some of these companies are even set up to check the availability of the domain name that you have selected. Lots of companies exist that are more than willing to help you set up your own domain name.
You need to be careful when deciding which company to go with. Some of these companies will set you up with a domain name for a one-year timeframe. After that time has passed, you need to renew your agreement with this company and pay the fee in order to keep the domain name. If you decide not to renew your registration that company will keep the rights to the domain name and you will be left to discover a new one elsewhere.
Some companies will agree to allow you to transfer your domain name to a different hosting company for a small fee. In order to experience less difficulty with transferring your domain name, you should list yourself as the technical contact as well as the owner and administrative contact.
Susan Keenan | August 26th, 2008
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