X Marks The Spot
In order to provide a way for individuals and customers
to locate your web site, you must have an internet address
which is called your DOMAIN or SUBDOMAIN name.
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Let's use an analogy to make it easy to understand these terms.
All of us are familiar with phone numbers so we'll use them as
our example. In order for individuals or customers to contact you
when you open your business or move into
a house or apartment you contact your local phone company who
provides you with a phone number. This number is unique (only you
have this number). Businesses may also have what are called
extensions or a subnumber. The main number gets you to the business
and the extension gets you to the individual or department that
you need to speak with.
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In order for individuals or customers
to contact you they need to know your number. If they don't know
your number how do they get it ? You're right ! They look it up
in the phone directory or
call operator assistance and have them look it up.
The directory associates our name (business or personal) with our
phone number and address. This makes it easy on us. We don't have to know the
actual phone number in order to make a call.
Internet Addresses are setup somewhat like your phone service.
Every computer that uses the Internet has a
unique address just like you have a unique telephone number.
This internet address called an IP Address looks something like this
216.183.103.150 . If you're anything like me
I'd hate to try to memorize and remember addresses like this.
Fortunately, we don't have to. The internet has its own "directory"
just like the phone company. This "directory" requires anyone wanting
their own address on the internet to register a name (Domain Name).
This "directory" is a part of The Domain Name System (DNS).
It's purpose is to help users find and locate websites on the internet
by typing in a name instead of a bunch of numbers.
So instead of typing 216.183.103.150 you can type
in www.yourdomainname.com.
The yourdomainname.com is the
Domain Name.
Let's dissect this address (remember Biology class ?)
www.yourdomainname.com
- The portion of the name at the very
end com is called the Top Level Domain (TLD)
Some Of The Top Level Domains and what they represent.
.COM represents the word "commercial" and is the most popular
extension in the world. Most companies and people
prefer a .com extension because
of its popularity and recognition.
.NET originally intended for network providers but
becoming increasingly popular for all types of sites.
.BIZ business sites
.EDU educational sites
.GOV government sites
.INFO sites that provide information on various topic
.ORG non-profit organizations, clubs and association sites
.US - America's Internet Address
More and more Top Level Domain Names are being approved as the internet
continues to grow.
- The yourdomainname portion is
called the Second Level Domain and is the
the portion of the domain name that you come up with to
uniquely identify your site.
- The left-most portion of the name www is the host name.
The only portions of the name that concern you are the Top Level Domain
and the Second Level Domain. You need to choose a top level from the choices
available from your registrar and come up with what you want to call your site.
A Subdomain or sub directory address is similar to the extension that is used with a business
phone number.
A subdomain address looks like
this
www.yourname.theirname.com
and a sub directory address like
www.theirname.com/yourname.
The theirname.com part of the address is the domain name and the
yourname part is the subdomain. You mainly run across subdomains when
you use "free" hosting services and enroll in affiliate programs
that provide you with a "free" site.
Nothing Beats Having Your Very Own Name
If you're a business you do not want a site with a subdomain name attached or
you'll be the red headed step child.
You want www.yourname.com .
If you want a personal or hobby site
a subdomain name is fine.
The benefits of having your own domain name:
- You select the name you want if not already being used by someone else.
- Easier to remember than subdomain names.
- Easier to type without making an error.
- Promotes credibility and confidence in your site.
- Better search engine recognition.
Now you know what a domain name is and how it's used so how do you get one ?
Steps in Registering a Domain Name
1. Choose your name
Select the type of domain name namely com/net/biz/us/info/etc.
and come up with a unique name for your site. The name should be
something meaningful such as your business name (full name or abbreviated) or
a name that describes the product or service you're promoting. Try to avoid
very lengthy names that might be hard for someone to remember or require
a lot of typing (causes typos when searching for your site).
2. Check to make sure the name is available
You need to check that the name you want yourname.com or yourname.net
is not already being used by someone else. How do you do this ?
Most registrars have a tool on their site that allows you to type in the
name you want and checks to see if that name is available. The fancy ones
even give you alternative names if the name you want is not available.
My hosting service
Bean Counter Hosting
also allows you to check on the availability of names.
3. Find and choose a Registrar (fancy name for a business that registers names for you)
The registrar you choose will ask you to provide
various contact and billing information. You
must also furnish information about where your
site is hosted . This is the IP address where your site is located (web host).
In addition, you need to decide on
how many years you want to reserve your name. You can start out with one (minimum)
and each year the registrar will remind you when you need to
renew your name in order to prevent someone else from getting it.
Some registrar's offer discounted rates if you reserve your name for more
than one year. You might want to factor this in to your decision.
You do not actually own the name you register.
What you are purchasing is the right to use the name for the number of
years that you decided on. As stated earlier you can continue to renew your name
and extend the length of time that you have the right to use the name.
If you haven't purchased a hosting service yet the registrar (name service) allows you
to "Park" your name and come back later and update your account when you
get your hosting service.
Parking allows you to reserve your name until your ready to
actually get your site up and running on the internet.
If you've typed in any internet site names
and had a page
displayed that says future home of XYZ the site is "parked" and waiting
to be be finalized.
After you have provided the IP address of your hosting service, your
registrar (name provider) will finalize your account and submit
your site address to a central directory known as the "registry".
This is the step that provides the necessary information
that allows users and customers to type in your name
and find your wonderful site. It takes about two or three days
for this to be completed.
The registrar also requires you
to enter a contract which spells out
the terms and conditions of your your registration.
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Last but not least you need to dig into your piggy bank.
How deep should you dig ? In the early days, $35.00 per year
was the normal rate. Many registrars are still selling
domain name registrations for $35.00 per year. Nowadays you
can reserve your name for less than $10.00 a year.
I use GoDaddy and my own
domain and hosting
service Bean Counter Hosting
to register names.
GoDaddy charges $8.95/year for a COM name and Bean Counter (me) charges $6.99/year if
you also elect to host your site for $5.95/month.
Do the $35.00 a year registrars provide anything more than the
cheaper registrars ? Absolutely Not !
Most registrars require you
to use a credit card but many are starting to offer other ways
to pay for the service such as charging your checking account or
setting up a special
fund.
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There are many other good registrars and hosting services available
besides GoDaddy and Bean Counter and many not so good.
Only you can decide who will treat you fair
and you feel comfortable dealing with.
If you need any help in registering most of the registrars provide
excellent help
on their site and phone support if needed.
If you
noticed Bean Counter Hosting provided both
domain names and hosting services.
Many other registers and hosting services also provide both services.
We'll discuss Web Hosting in
detail in Lesson 3.
What About Me ?
If you already have a domain name and are paying too much, help is available.
Just because you made a bad decision doesn't mean you have to live
with it.
Domain Transfers allow you to transfer
your name to a different
registrar (hopefully better and cheaper). A small waiting period is required
before you can request a transfer. You must wait until you have had your name with your current provider
for at least 60 days.
For details on how to transfer
your name you need to contact the new registrar (name service) you want
to provide you with the service.
Won't I lose out on money already spent ?
Not at all.
GoDaddy charges $7.75 to transfer your
name and all the time remaining on your existing registration transfers
plus you get a FREE one-year extension.
