How to Buy and Register A Domain Name

Need a domain name for your new website? Where do you start?

This article explains “How to Buy and Register A Domain Name” something you must know in order to establish your presence online.

Now there are many places to buy and register a domain, but I exclusively use GoDaddy.com as the registrar of all my domain names.

By the way, as you delve deeper and deeper into Internet Marketing and affiliate marketing, you will find a need to register quite a few domain names.
Don’t panic—they’re not expensive.  Around $1.00 per month.  $12.17 a year on Godaddy at this writing, Jan, 2012.  Not too bad.

Anyway, step one.  You first decide the domain name you want.  Let’s say for example ClarkMixon.com
You must know here that just any domain name you might want might not be available.  In other words, it’s already taken by someone else.

Bummer–

So how do we know if it’s taken or not?

Easy

Let’s go to GoDaddy.com and let them tell us.
By the way, you don’t even need an account with them to check the availability of a domain name.  But if you find the one you want to register, you’ll need an account with them to let GoDaddy register it for you.

Again, no worry.  The account is FREE so go ahead and get one.

When you arrive at GoDaddy’s site, prominently displayed on the first page is a box where you can search domain names. Put in the name you would like to register (just the name, no spaces, no WWW., no .COM, just the name).

Hit search, wait a few seconds, and back will come a response.  Already taken, or available for $11.99 (at this writing).  Careful if it says anything else (available at auction or a premium domain).  These are sites others have registered and would like to sell.  You don’t want those.  Expensive.

If the name is available, you can buy and register it.  It will be yours, you will own it.  Your own piece of internet real estate.

If it is already taken, a list of other possibilities will be displayed on the page below where you entered the search.  Look at the .com ones for possibles.  I’d stay with those for now.  If you’re using this domain name as only a redirect (see previous post) a .org, .info, .net, or .biz might be OK, but one never knows the future.

You might want to build a website around this domain and a .com is better for search engine optimization.  Also, you might even want to sell this domain name later (it’s yours) and a .com would be more desired and easier to sell.

Or, go back and search for your second choice.   Keep trying (and compromising) until you find one that’s available. (I’ll add a post later on how to do keyword research to find the “perfect” domain name.  Watch for it.

Now that you’ve found the one you want, you’ll need an account to register it.  There are other places of course, but I use GoDaddy.com as the registrar for all my sites.  Never had a problem.  I’d highly recommend them.

Now that you have found the domain name you want to use and have decided to register it with GoDaddy, check each screen as you register your new name.  Be careful of “up-sells”.  I only buy the domain name, one year at a time, and end up at checkout for $12.17.  If yours is a lot more than that, go back and  make sure you didn’t check and agree to buy something you didn’t want – (email account, multiple years, etc.).  If you wanted it, OK.  Just watch out for the “up-sell” unless you really want it.

Proceed thru checkout, pay the bill and VOILA! – you now own a piece of internet real estate.  Park it, build a website or blog on it, or use it for a redirect (another post).  It’s yours.

Congratulations, I’m proud of you.

If you have questions or run into any problems with these instructions, just give me a call or shoot me an e-mail, I will be happy to help you get your domain up and running.

More to come…..

Clark Mixon
(828) 773-1730 (Clark)

(828) 773-0657 (Nancy)