Domain name registration is the first task in the process of launching a web site on the Internet. Internet Domain names are the web addresses that we are all familiar with such as mysite.com. These are the names that most browsers use to locate web sites.

Internet domain names function as pointers to specific IP addresses and we are lucky to have them since they are a lot easier to remember than a series of numbers.

Numbers and Words

Every website has what's known as an IP address in the form 123.456.78.9. The domain name system translates these numbers into names such as mysite.com.

All Internet domain names are registered in a central domain name registration database maintained by InterNIC, a subsidiary of ICANN - the organization which certifies domain name registrars.

Domain names are filtered through specialized computers called domain name servers (DNS) which link the domain names with their corresponding numeric IP addresses. Each web site typically has at least one primary and one secondary domain name server - duplicates that increase reliability.

Master Your Domain

The very first step in domain name registration is to choose one! You can choose just about anything you like but, to be most effective, it should directly relate to the nature of your website.

If you are selling jewelry it would be smart to choose a domain name that has something to do with jewelry - BestJewelry.com, for example.

The requirements for domain name registration are straightforward - only letters, numbers or hyphens are permitted. Also, a domain name may not be more than 70 characters long, but it is wise to keep it as short as possible so that it may be easily remembered.

You are allowed to use upper or lower case for your domain name as case is ignored by DNS. Using both upper and lower case can make the name more recognizable. MySite.com is easier to read than mysite.com, but DNS reads them both as being the same.