How to Register a Domain Name

What is a Domain Name, Anyway?

A domain name is an easy-to-remember, common-language name that, once properly registered and configured, points to a particular computer (a server) on which an individual or organization stores files that they wish to make accessible over the Internet. In most cases, those files collectively constitute a website that is intended to be viewable by anyone with an Internet-connected computer.

A domain name allows individuals to access a website by typing an easy-to-remember phrase into a web browser, rather than the server's all-numeric IP address.

The World Wide Web is the most efficent communications medium in the history of humankind. For as little as pennies a day, you can reach the world with your message, whether that message be commercial, artistic, musical, inspirational -- or virtually anything else, for that matter. And your first step toward harnessing the power of this medium is to register a domain name.

Top-Level Domains

A top-level domain (or TLD) is the right-most label in a domain name. In other words, it's the letters that follow the dot in .com, .net, .biz, and so forth. (So for geekontherun.net, the TLD is .net.)

The original United States TLD's established in the 1980's were .com, .edu, .gov, .int, .mil, .net, and .org. Of these, three were available for unrestricted use: .com (intended for commercial businesses), .net (actually intended for Internet providers and similar companies, but also open to others), and .org (intended for non-profit organizations, but unrestricted). The remainder of the original TLD's were (and remain) restricted.

Since then, several new unrestricted TLD's have been added such as .biz (businesses), .us (a generic TLD restricted to United States citizens and organizations with a bona fide presence in the United States), and .info (intended for informational sites, but unrestricted).

So which TLD is the best?

Well, for businesses, .com is still considered the most prestigious TLD. Even people who don't own a computer know what .com means. But if the domain name you would like isn't available in .com, consider one of the other TLD's, like .biz, .net, or .us. Many businesses also own the same domain name in multiple TLD's. For example, Geek On The Run owns our domain name in the .com, .biz, .net, and .us TLD's. No matter which one you type in your browser, you will wind up here. (We still use .net as our primary domain out of tradition, because it was the first one we registered.)

Of course, if you are a school, museum, non-profit organization, or any other entity qualifying for one of the restricted TLD's, then you should look into getting your name in the appropriate specialized TLD.

If you are an individual who simply wants a personal, non-commercial site to post pictures you've taken with your new digital camera, then any of the unrestricted TLD's will likely do just fine.

Becoming a Dot-Something

Registering a domain name is very easy. What's hard is thinking up a good one that isn't already being used. Here are some important points to consider:

• Ideally, your domain name should be short, catchy, easy-to-remember, and at least somewhat descriptive of you, your company, or whatever it is that the domain will represent.

• You should avoid domain names that infringe on registered trademarks (unless you enjoy spending time in court), as well as those whose meanings may be easily misconstrued.

• If the domain name you are considering is already in use under a different TLD, you may want to consider another. At the very least, check out what will come up if someone types the domain with the other TLD instead of the one you are considering.

• On the same note, if you are a business, you may want to consider registering your domain name under multiple TLD's. Multiple Registrations of the same domain name can be "parked" on a single server, so that people who type your domain name under any of the TLD's you've registered it under will wind up on your site.

If You are a Local Business,

You may be interested in a domain name that identifies your business with the locality that you serve, like "podunkwidgets.com." If this is true for you, please try our Word Wizard. This tool will quickly combine the one word that most describes your business with every US State and many US cities, and will then show you whether the domain is available in each of six TLD's. There's no obligation: You don't even have to give us your name.

Let's Do the Twist!

Geek On The Run has another handy little tool that we use to help people find that "perfect" domain name. It's called Domain Twist, and what it does is takes the one or two most important words describing your intended site, and combines them with the most popular words used on the Internet. Next, Domain Twist shakes them up to help you find available domains in each of six TLD's. Click Here to give it a try. No obligation.

Or We Can Check it Manually...

If you already have a pretty good idea of what domain name(s) you'd like, then we have easy-to-use search forms that will let you know if the name(s) you want are available. Just type in the name you want, and our domain search engine will let you know if it's available. You can search for Single Registrations or Multiple Registrations

All finished?

Congratulations! You're a dot-something!