Register Domain

Register Domain

Doing business on the Internet has become a leading medium in modern times. For any kind of business or related activity on the Internet, you have to have a web site. The first requirement for a web site is a domain name. A domain name is how you access any web site and what you put after www. in the Internet browser. For e.g. in www.yahoo.com, yahoo.com is the domain name.

There are thousands of firms, companies, organizations as well as individuals who have a web site and thus a domain name. And thousands more are being built everyday. So it is very important that if you have a preferred domain name in mind, you get it registered so that no one else can use it.

Registering Your Domain Name

You have to register your domain name with a domain name registrar. Some of these online registrars are www.register.com and www.networksolutions.com. You can also get an entire listing of domain name registrars from http://www.internic.net/alpha.html . Domain name registration usually costs $35 for the first year and $30 for every subsequent year.

Tips for Finding and Registering a Domain Name

• When looking for a domain name, you should try to choose one that is short, simple, easy to remember, and indicative of the services you wish to offer. If you are an individual looking to set up a personal web site, your own name would be the best option for a domain name. If you are in a specific business, say in the online matrimonial business, then it is best to have a domain name such as wedding.com or marriage.com etc.

• Try to get the suffix .com after your chosen name. There are other suffixes such as .org, .net, .in etc but they are not as easily remembered by everyone as .com is.

• When finding a domain name, make sure that it has not been taken or registered by anyone else. To do a search on available and registered domain names you can go to any online site that allows such searches. One of them is networksolutions.com

• It is a good idea to register more than one domain name for your site. So if you have a site specializing in law, it would be a good idea to have domain names such as lawyer.com and attorney.com for the same site so that people trying to search with both names can be directed to your site.

Registering Domains And Trademarks

Once you register a domain name, it is available for your use only and cannot be used by anyone else on the Internet. But that does not mean that they cannot use it to sell goods and services elsewhere. So to prevent that from happening you can protect your registered domain by applying for a trademark for the name.

You can apply with the Patent and Trademark Office for a trademark on your registered domain name. Although this is not necessary for online purposes, it will stop others from marketing or selling any goods and services under your chosen name.

Register Domain for Future Use

If you do not have a website already, it is still a good idea to find and register a domain name for your business as you may choose to have a website sometime in the future and your preferred domain may not be available to you.