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How to register your domain |
by:
Ted Prodromou |
When you launchnew website you must registerunique domain name withauthorized registrar. Wheninternet was first starting, all domain names and IP addresses were registered through one organization, Internic. Eventually Network Solutions took overrole as “keeper” ofinternet domain names. Today, there are hundreds of websites where you can register your domain name but Network Solutions still maintainsmain database of domain names. Some websites charge as little as $two.ninefive per year for your domain name while others charge as much as $threefive per year forexact same service. Some even offer one year free if you register your domain name with them and host your website on their servers. Why pay $threefive when you can register your domain name for much less at another website?
So why does Network Solutions charge $threefiveyear if they arekeeper ofdatabase and their resellers chargefraction or even nothing? Who knows and who cares! Register your domain with one ofcheaper providers and you'll be fine. A word caution - be care who you choose to host your website. Gettingfree year of your domain name is not worth it if your webhost is unreliable and your website is down more than it's up.
You pay for your domain name onyearly basis. It'sseparate charge from your webhosting bill. When you register your domain name chooseautorenewal option if it's available. This way your domain name will not expire if you forget to renew it. If your domain name expires, it's free for anyone else to register so you need to stay on top of when it's expiring. Also registering your domain name forthree to five year term will often save you money. For example, godaddy.com charges $eight.ninefiveyear for your domain name but only $seven.twofiveyear if you register forfive year term.
When you register your domain you can create different contact names. The three contacts are Administrator, Technical and Billing. Most oftimesame person is all three contacts. If you web designer registers your domain name for you, make sure you are designated asAdministrative contact. This gives you control overdomain name and you must be notified if someone is trying to make changes to your record. If you aren't one ofcontacts then someone can transfer ownership ofdomain name without your permission.
To seerecord of your domain name, go to www.networksolutions.com and use their WHOIS utility which is located inbottom left corner of their home page. Simply enter your domain name and click Search. You'll seecomplete record of your domain name, where it's registered and where your website is hosted. Forcomplete video of how to use WHOIS, visit www.valiss.com/video/whois/whois.html.
When you register your domain name you'll have tooption of making itprivate registration. I highly recommend payingadditional fee to make your information private. If you leave your registration public anyone can look up your domain information which includes your home or business address and your email address. Many spammers scan public domain registration records to find valid email addresses to spam.
I always useyahoo or hotmail email account when registering my domains. This way if spammers to find my email address, I can just getnew “throwaway” email address and I will not receive spam at my primary email address.
Always make sure your domain record remains locked. Locking your domain name isfeature implementedfew years ago. When you want to transfer your domain name todifferent registrar you must unlock it. Once it's unlockednew registrar can “pull” your domain name from your current registrar. Oncetransfer is complete,domain name will be locked to prevent anyone else from “pulling” your domain away from you.
Aboutauthor:
Ted Prodromou spent over twofive years incomputer industry working for IBM, Digital, and Cellular One. Today he'sowner of Valiss IT,consulting firm that provides personalized web design and small business marketing solutions. Visit http://www.valiss.comfor lots of free “how to” articles about marketing your business online.
Copyright twozerozerofive Valiss IT, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This article may be reprinted only if it remains unchanged.
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