Whether you want to share information of your business on the Internet or choose to sell online, you need a place for you or your business on the Web. A domain name is your unique address on the Internet. You take ownership of that domain name by registering it with an approved domain names registrar. Businesses typically register domain names with their company name or their product names, while individuals often register domain names with their family names or names that have a personal interest to them.
What are the parts of a domain name?
Domain names have different parts, separated by periods:
Top-Level Domain Name(aka extension) The top-level domain of www.domainwhiz.net is .net. We share this name space with every other web site under the .com umbrella. There are many different top-level domains, such as .com, .net, .org, .info, and .biz.
Second-Level Domain Name The second-level domain name follows directly to the left of the top-level domain, identifying us out of the many other sites residing under that “dot com umbrella”. Our second level domain is domainwhiz. The top-level and second-level domain names combine to form the domain name that we have registered, domainwhiz.net.
What does it mean to "register" a domain name?
When you register a domain name, you take ownership of the domain name. The domain name will be associated with the computer on the Internet you designate during the period the registration is in effect. From that computer, you can create a website which will be accessible to Internet users around the world.
How do I register a domain name?
Domain names can be registered through many different companies (known as "registrars") that compete with one another. A listing of domain name registrars can be found here.
- Visit a domain name registrar's website.
- In the search area on the registrar's site, type the name you want to register.
- Click to begin your search. The results of your search are displayed.
- If the name you want isn't available, you can enter another name to see whether it's available.
- You repeat steps 2 to 4 until you find a good available domain name (or until you give up).
- You register the domain name of your choice following the domain registrar's online instruction.
How long does a registration last?
Each registrar has the flexibility to offer initial and renewal registrations in one-year increments, provided that the maximum remaining unexpired term shall not exceed ten years.