Everyone has a Domain Name. How do I get one?
By the way, what is a domain name?

By Lisa Gullette, CreatiVisibility, September 1, 2007

These days everyone seems to have a domain name, and if they don’t, they may feel embarrassed to ask what one is, or how to obtain one. Here is the basic information to arm yourself with enough to get started with your own domain name.

What is a domain name, anyway?

A domain name is the Web address text after the “www” part of that address. The domain for this business is creativisibility.com. Top level domain is the letters after the dot (.) such as com, org, net, edu. Top level domains have guidelines for usage, but are usually available to anyone, anywhere in the world.

How do I get a domain name?

Companies charge different prices so it is best to shop around by going to several registry sites and clicking through links to see the prices and services that are offered. It may be easier for you to register at the same company that will provide the hosting of your Web site. Hosting is the service of a Web server machine where you place your Web files that are associated with your domain name. Also review the customer service availability and the ease of use of the registry Web site. Most communications and set up for the domain registration are done solely through electronic communications of that Web site.

Smart domain name selection

Domain names are important in the branding of your company. You may want to protect your brand by purchasing your domain name in some of the more common top level domains. This should all be considered with your marketing strategy and the uniqueness of your name. You wouldn’t want a copy cat to set up shop online with a similar name doing similar work and gaining from your offline marketing campaigns.

Having a domain name and selecting a plan with your hosting company that provides e-mail accounts under your domain name is very wise. An e-mail address for your business that doesn’t use your domain name in the address appears unprofessional or at worst fraudulent. For example, joe@mailbox.com doesn’t look as legitimate as joe@raleighframing.com. Having a professional domain name e-mail account will help prevent your e-mail messages from being deleted or filtered out as spam by the recipient.

Steps for obtaining and using a domain name:

1. Brainstorm smart domain names for your use
2. Search a domain name registrar for availability
3. Review the registrar Web site for ease of use and other services such as email and hosting accounts.
4. Set up your account at the registrar’s Web site and pay the fee for the length of registration you select.
5. Select the option for the company to hold or “park” your domain at the registrar until you are ready to point the domain to the Web pages for that domain.
6. Read the help files on the registrar’s Web site to gain an understanding of such terms as IP address, DNS (Domain Name Server) and other industry buzz words. This will arm you with knowledge when dealing with issues in the future.
7. After your Web site is developed, you will need to communicate with your registrar through their Web site that you wish to associate your Web site with the domain you have parked with them. Most companies have instructions on how to accomplish this task, or have help desks to contact through e-mail or telephone. A full service Web site design/development company should be willing to handle this task for you.

For more information about CreatiVisibility and how it can help you create, build, post and effectively market your Web site, please contact us through the Web: www.CreatiVisibility.com.

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