Ice Design Studio | Library: Registering A Domain Name

IMPORTANT OF A DOMAIN NAME

There are a number of good reasons for having a domain name:

If you ever change your web host, your domain names goes with you. Your regular visitors or customers who knew your site name as www.domainname.com would not have to be informed about a change of URL. They would simply type your domain name and they'd be brought to your new site.
If you are a business, a domain name gives you credibility. Few people would be willing to do business with a company with a dubious URL like http://www.geocities.com/whatever/12345.
If you get a domain name that describes your company's business or name, people can remember the name easily and can return to your site without having to consult their documents. In fact, if you get a good name that describe your product or service, you might even get people who were trying their luck by typing "www.yourproductname.com" in their browser.
If you want good sponsors (advertisers) for your web site, a domain name is usually helpful. It tends to give your web site an aura of respectability.

REGISTRATION OVERVIEW

Getting a domain name involves registering the name you want with a web host provider. For example, if you choose a name like "mycompanyname.com", you will have to go to a registrar,

pay a registration fee that for that name. That will give you the right to the name for a year, and you will have to renew it annually for (usually) the same amount per annum.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

If you want to register a domain name, here's what you need to do.

Think of a few good domain names that you'd like to use. It won't do to think of only one - it might already be taken (it probably is!). There's more to it than meets the eye.
Obtain from your web host the DNS IP addresses and names of their primary and secondary name servers. Don't worry if you don't understand what these things mean. Just save the information somewhere. The information can usually be obtained from their FAQ's or other documentation on their site, usually under a category like "domain name" or "DNS" or "domain name transfer" and the like. If you can't find it, email their webmaster. If you don't have a web host yet, all is not lost. Use our web host of choice.
Get your credit card ready. This is a requirement of most if not all registrars. It will allow you to claim and get the domain name immediately on application. This is not an option (unfortunately).