How and Where to Register Your Domain

A domain name is registered through a domain name registrar or one of their resellers. A domain name registrar is a company, accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) or by a national ccTLD authority, to register internet domain names. ICANN has authority over generic top level domains (GTLD's) but not over country code top level domains (ccTLD's), which are managed by an appointed trustee for each ccTLD.

So all of that sounds perhaps a little confusing but at the end of the day all you need to do is register your domain with a registrar who is accredited to sell the type of name you require. Most registrars sell GTLD's such as com, net and org and also a selection of ccTLD's that are related to the region of the world that the registrar operates in. For example, an Australian registrar may sell GTLD's, nz and au ccGTLD's among other things in their product line up.

The vast majority of domains are registered over the internet and this would have to be the most convenient way to register your domain. Shop around and compare prices paying attention to advertising as you go. Most of the larger registrars or resellers rely on internet advertising to keep sales volumes high so they can offer lower prices. In practical terms most registrars offer the same product, domain names, so competition is high to get your business. Once you have located a registrar that has the TLD you require in a price range you are comfortable with you might consider doing a little googling to see if you can find any reports that might dissuade you from buying your domain from them. Nobody can have a perfect track record but if you find pages and pages of bad news it might be best to try your luck elsewhere.

Once you have chosen a registrar keep your credit or debit card handy and go to their website. Most registrars have a box on the front page of their site with words to the effect of Search for a Domain, Start a Domain Name Search or similar. Often they have a drop down menu or box you can tick to select your top level domain (eg .com). Type your chosen domain name into this box click go or search or whatever is required and it will search to see if your chosen domain name is available for registration. You may need to repeat this process a few times to find a domain name that is available that fullfills your needs. Once you have found the domain name you want there will be a buy or proceed to checkout button that you should click to make your purchase. To purchase your domain the details required are generally name, address, phone and fax number. These should be filled out correctly but if you have a post office box it is preferable to a street address. You will also be asked for an email address and you should enter your current email address. Most definetely do not make one up as your email address is the primary contact point for the domain and important information such as renewal notices, passwords and registry keys will be emailed to this address. Avoid using a free email address as they are usually shut down if they are inactive for a certain period of time and you can effectively lose control of your domain. If your email address changes in the future you can use the domain management web interface to change it.

Another, though less popular, method of registering a domain is to call the registrar and have them register the domain over the phone. Once again a credit card or debit card is handy though some registrars may accept cheques, money orders or direct bank deposit if the domain is registered in this fashion. An operator will guide you through the process and its very easy to register your domain in this way.