Are you interested in having your own web site, but have no idea where to begin? Since this is something that many people do not really know how to do, I have decided to go over the steps with you over the next few weeks. Today, we are going to talk about registering a domain name.
The first step in setting up your web site is to decide on a name for your site, and then to register the domain name to go with it.
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A domain name is simply a unique address used to identify an internet site. Since each domain name is unique, if someone else has already registered the name you have in mind, you will be unable to use it. In light of this, it is a good idea to have a list of potential domain names that you can use before you get started with the registration process. There is probably a good chance that several of the names you come up with will already be taken.
Once you have a list of potential names, you can go online and find an available name to register. There are quite a few places on the internet that you can register domain names, and you might have your favorite.
I prefer GoDaddy for my domain registration. I have been registering domain names there for years now. Their low prices make it easy to register several domain names at first, and then figure out which one works best for me.
GoDaddy also has a central place where I can log in and view all my domain names, see when they expire, and make changes to them. This makes it easy to manage my domains.
You can find GoDaddy using this link:
On the godaddy page, find the section that says, “Start Your Domain Name Search Here” Type in your first choice, you don’t need to type in the www part of the name, or the three letter ending (.com for example) you will be able to select the ending from a drop down list. Click the “Go” button and the next page will tell you if the domain is available or already taken.
Don’t be too disappointed if your first choice is already taken, you can go ahead and try your next choice, or scroll down to the “more options” part of the page to see some available suggestions from GoDaddy. You might find just the right domain name listed there, or it might help you to brainstorm the perfect name.
Once you find several available domain names, look them over, and select the one that is best suited to your needs. Put a check mark in the box for your domain (you can select more than one if you want), click the “Proceed to checkout” button to begin the purchase. GoDaddy might try to sell you a few extra things along the way, but I usually just click the link that says “No thanks… proceed to checkout”.
At the checkout, you don’t have to worry about hosting, we will talk about that in a couple of weeks, and you don’t have to worry about all the other extras that GoDaddy will offer you. At this point, all you need is a working domain name that belongs to you.
Next week, I will take a look at creating some content for your web site. Before you put your web pages online, you need to create the pages. I will share the program that I use, and give you some tips for getting started.
Elizabeth
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