Recently I received an email from one of my blog readers’ (name withheld on request) thanking me for providing valuable advise on domain names. However, this reader also reminded me that Domain Marvelous is set up on the concept of “Domain tips for Beginners”, therefore, he would like to see more topics that preached the basics of the basic concepts in domaining. Therefore, I will be writing the next few blog posts aimed at the very primary fundamentals. Let me begin with the first basic concept; how do I register a domain name.

While this post may seem very basic (just go to your favorite domain registrar, fill in a few details and presto, you have a domain name registered), there are quite a few people (a lot, infact!) who find it extremely difficult to register a domain name. This post will help them grasp this relatively simple process.

Before I actually go to showing the steps in domain registration, you may want to read this post on Picking up the right domain name. It talks about how to register the right domain name for your business or online setup. You wouldn’t want to spend your hard earned money on a domain name that will not bring you returns, would you?

Ok, to the main theme of this post….

Step One: Deciding on the Domain Registrar

Choosing the domain registrar usually filters down to individuals personal preference. There are hundreds of registrars to choose from but majority usually prefer the few mainstream companies, namely Godaddy.com, Name.com, Namecheap.com, etc. Making the right choice, however, is not limited to opting for any of the top companies. Different domain registrars offer varying levels of services and bonus offers. For instance, if Whois Privacy is vital for you, you may wanna consider name.com or namecheap.com. Both of these domain registrars offer free private Whois Service on every new domain name registration or transfer. If you need freebies such as Site Builder, Status Alert, Quick Blogcast, etc, then you may want to visit Godaddy.com. I suggest you check out the website of the few mainstream domain registrars to see what kinds of offers they attach to domain registration.

Step Two: Creating an account with the Domain Registrar

Once you have made a choice on the domain registrar, you need to create an account with them. So far, I have never come across any registrar that requires a fees to create an account. You may need to provide an unique username, email, and password in the account creation process. In most cases, the registrar requires your email to be authenticated, whereby you will have to click a link in an email they send you to confirm your identity.

Step Three: Searching for a domain name

All domain registrars provide a field whereby you can enter your preferred name to check its availability in various extensions. Most people will go for the .com, .net, .org, or .info version of the name in order of preference. Once again, the name and extension is entirely dependent on user choice and type of website. If you are planning to start a site optimized for mobile devices, you may go for the .mobi TLD; if your website is an online TV streaming service, .tv might be a preferable choice.

The other way to find a domain name is to check the registrars deleted, dropping or expired domain section. Occasionally, some good domain names with existing traffic are just abandoned by their owners. If you manage to pick up these names, your traffic creation process will be simplified since you already have SERP ranking, existing traffic and usually PR rank on such domains.

Step Four: Registering the domain name

With the preferred domain name decided, the next step involves the main focus: registering a name and taking ownership of it for a specified period. Once you have selected the desired name, the registrars offer an option to add the name to cart and continue shopping or checkout. Godaddy.com has a registration process that can confuse many users; they literally “shove their products” on your face at each and every step. Name.com seems to offer the easiest domain registration process, at least to me. No matter which registrar you choose, the underlying concept is the same. You need to pay for your selection of domains and associated products.

Payment can be done via several means, depending on the domain registrar. The most common methods of payment are either via a Credit Card or Paypal. Some registrars also accept Debit Cards, Money Transfer, Gift Certificates and other online payment processors, such as, Moneybookers.

After payment is accepted, you will be redirected to the domain name control panel where you can control all aspects of the domain. You can change nameservers, edit contact and billing details, enable/disable Private Whois Service and many more. The options offered to you may differ depending on the domain registrar and services subscribed to.

So there you have it, a simple concise guide to registering a domain name. If you have any questions, do comment below and I will be more than happy to answer them.

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