HOW TO REGISTER A WEBSITE NAME
Before you can use a website name you must determine if anyone else has already registered (owns) that name. This can be done by doing a name search at a domain name registration website. I use http://www.networksolutions.com because it allows you to enter multiple names and shows possible extensions. DO NOT register the name yet as that will be free if you continue to follow this procedure. Domain registration services generally charge a fee of from about $10-$35 per year to register a domain name. Domain names are generally registered for from one to ten years at a time and the registration must then be renewed. If a domain name is not renewed that domain name becomes available to others. This procedure recommends hosting with IX Web Hosting who will register your domain name for free.
For business websites it is best to use a ".com" extension. If you can, pick a domain name where the ".com", ".net", and ".org" extensions are all available. It is a good idea to also register all of these extensions to prevent anyone else from using them. Someone might use them for an undesirable type website and people might go to it thinking it is your website. You can register other extensions for your domain name after you have completed the host sign up procedure. I recommend www.godaddy.com. It is very inexpensive to register several extensions and set them up so they will forward to your primary extension. If it is not a business website there are other extensions that are suitable.
NOTE: Some domain name extensions are country unique. The above registration method works for most domain name extensions. If you are not able to use this method to register a particular country-unique domain name extension you will have to do a browser search to find an organization that registers the desired extension.
Register the Website Name
