How to Register a Domain Name and Point it to a Web Site

Whether you already pay for a web host, or have a free web site from someone like blogger or myspace, you will find that you can easily point a domain to any of them that you choose. You can also forward subdomains to other places on the web, too!

Having a domain name is inexpensive. It will only cost you about $10 USD per year, and it offers greater flexibility and dignity to just about any online venture.

Rather than having to type out a long url or an affiliate ID, a person can instead use your easier to remember (and easier to type) domain name to get there.

Domain names get special favoritism on search engines such as Google and Bing, helping them to move up a few positions on search results. Domain names also look really good on business cards and brochures, too!

Registering a domain name for a web site complete with full DNS services is a bit different and more involved than just registering a domain name and pointing it to an existing site. With a new site that has hosting, you will usually need to work with the Domain Name Servers (DNS), mail exchange servers, ftp logons, and more. This article will not worry you with any of that though. By the time you're done here, you should be ready to register a domain name and just point it to anywhere that you like without any complication.

Registering a domain name is very easy. Just visit http://www.godaddy.com and use the search box they have to check and see if the domain name that you want is available or not. If it isn't, their system suggests names which are similar, as well as a few variations of the domain name that you may want to register.

Sometimes none of the suggestions that the system provides are adequate as substitute choices. However, you can always go with a different extension for your name instead. For example, if you wanted to register the name: mygreatblog.com the chances are likely that someone else already owns it. Thus, you'll need to select another choice.

The next most popular extension after .com is .net, and if even your .net choice is taken, then you can try .org if your registration is not being made for a for-profit business.

If you still need another extension choice, two recently more popular choices are .tv for media sites, and .us for sites that are based out of the United States or appeal to US citizens. If your site is an informative site (or about information in general)...then you might want to try for a .info domain name.

There are several more choices to choose from on their site, and some may be cheaper than others. A few selections may even be on special if you register them years in advance. Check out their specials before ordering to make sure that you don't miss out on any seasonal promotions that might fit what you want and save you more money.

Registration will require a credit or debit card with sufficient funds to purchase a name with, and the correct information associated with that card. They will ask for your name, telephone number that they can contact you at if they need to, and possibly your mailing address in addition to billing address.

Generally, all billing is done electronically. You will receive a receipt of purchase after you have paid for your domain name, along with a welcome email and information on how to log on to your control panel with godaddy using the username and password that you selected.

From here, you will be able to use each menu and section to modify how your domain name works, whether or not you can forward email from it, and most importantly, where you want it to point to.

After a year goes by (or however long you registered the name for goes by), you will get an email notice asking you to renew your domain name anywhere from a week to a month before it is due to expire. The system usually tries to use the card that you have on-file to do this. If it cannot, it will notify you that the card did not work, and that they need you to update and enter new card information before it expires.

If you do not renew your domain before the cut-off date for its expiration, your domain name will expire and anyone else in the world who wants it can buy it and take it away (along with all the traffic that you built up for it). The people who generally wait for domains to expire so that they can buy them or steal the traffic from them and direct people to other sites are unaffectionately known as cyber-squatters.

As long as you keep your information current and written down somewhere outside of your computer in the event of a catastrophe or data loss, you should be able to always contact godaddy or any other registrar that you choose and keep your account in good-standing. As long as you are up-to-date with your payments, cyber-squatters can't do too much to steal your name.

So that's pretty much all there is to it. Happy hunting for your domain name!