{"id":4,"date":"2017-02-10T20:09:38","date_gmt":"2017-02-10T20:09:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.websitespot.com\/blog\/?p=4"},"modified":"2017-02-15T23:20:04","modified_gmt":"2017-02-15T23:20:04","slug":"how-to-register-a-domain-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.websitespot.com\/blog\/how-to-register-a-domain-name\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Register a Domain Name: A Step-by-Step Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"registerLearning how to register a domain name is essential to owning a website.<\/p>\n

In fact, it\u2019s the very first step.<\/p>\n

The name and other registration options you choose will either support the success of your website or hold it back it every single day.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t worry, though.<\/p>\n

Below, we\u2019re going to show you exactly how to register a domain name and even explain other features you can choose for your site.<\/p>\n

By the time you\u2019re done, you\u2019ll be ready to register a domain right away and begin enjoying the benefits of having your very own website.<\/p>\n

What Is a Domain?<\/h2>\n

Before we jump into explaining how to register a domain name, let\u2019s make sure everyone is on the same page.<\/p>\n

Your domain is what someone types into their browser\u2019s address bar to get to your site.<\/p>\n

For this website, it is WebsiteSpot.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"what<\/p>\n

The domain is literally a web address. It\u2019s the destination a web browser makes use of to ensure the user gets to their intended site.<\/p>\n

You cannot have a website without a domain. While you could build a site and keep it on your own computer, no one else in the world will be able to get to it until there\u2019s an address for a web browser to find.<\/p>\n

How to Choose a Domain Name<\/h2>\n

When most people register a domain name, they need to do an easy domain name search<\/a>. It's common to immediately pick the name of their business. This makes a lot of sense, of course.<\/p>\n

However, the domain name of your site doesn\u2019t necessarily need to be the exact same as the name of your business. Again, it\u2019s just an address.<\/p>\n

Some people actually pick domain names based on their SEO keywords. For example, a law firm may be called \u201cAnderson and Sons,\u201d but they know that people usually search for \u201cChicago law firm\u201d when in need of their services.<\/p>\n

Therefore, ChicagoLawFirm.com may give them higher rankings in Google. [Oh, and for the record, capital letters are ignored in domain names. We\u2019re showing them this way for readability, rather than chicagolawfirm.com.]<\/p>\n

Give some consideration to your future plans, too. At the moment, maybe all you do is repair computers. However, you know that someday down the road, you\u2019d like to build them from scratch for customers, too.<\/p>\n

Depending on your timeline, you may wish to choose \u201cChicagoComputerServices.com\u201d instead of just \u201cChicagoComputerRepairs.com.\u201d By the time you\u2019re ready to make the change, the former may already be taken.<\/p>\n

You can always register other domains and point them to your site later. Using multiple domains for one site<\/a> is a fairly common practice. So even if you\u2019re not building computers from scratch right now, you can buy a domain related to this service and it will be available when you\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n

As we just touched on, you need to be prepared for the reality that your first choice is already taken. Every year, countless companies find out that someone has already registered the domain name they wanted. After all, there are currently millions of domain names registered worldwide, and that number that grows significantly each year.<\/p>\n

This can even happen when the domain is the same as your company\u2019s name. Except for instances of copyright infringement, there\u2019s nothing you can do (other than try to buy the domain name from the owner).<\/p>\n

One way around this is to add the name of your service to the domain. For example, instead of AndersonAndSons.com, you might go with AndersonAndSonsLawFirm.<\/p>\n

If that\u2019s taken, you could get more specific and choose AndersonAndSonsCriminalDefense.com.<\/p>\n

Also, as we explained, you might want to go with a completely different approach than using the actual name of your business.<\/p>\n

You can opt for a different TLD<\/a>, too. This is the very last section of the domain name, right after the second period. The most common one is \u201c.com\u201d, but others include:<\/p>\n