Find a Domain Name for your Website

So you want to find a domain name for your site?

This article assumes that you do not know a whole lot about domain names. It will provide with step by step instructions to develop and register a domain name for your website.

If you already have a domain name in mind, you can move to the next step which is to check if there are still available. You easily do this by going to the websites of any domain registrar e.g. www.godaddy.com or www.namecheap.com.

Key in your domain name into their search/register tool (which is usually on the home page) and you will know immediately if the domain name that you want is still available. If not, the tool tells you if other top level domain (e.g. .asia, .name) are available plus give you some other permutation of domain names based on the name that you have entered.

If you like one of them, you can take the next step to register them. That is it and you are done. You have your domain name.

Generate Domain Names

If the name you want is not available, you now have a few options. If you are open to the idea of registering other domain names, you can put on your thinking cap and cook up more names and run them again through the domain registrar's search/registration tools.

I have another article called "Domain Name Generator" which shows a few easy techniques to develop suitable domain name. It could be useful to you.

If you must have a particular domain name and it is already registered, the next step is to check if there are available for sale. Pay a visit to the site. If your find a well developed website, then it is unlikely that the owner would want to sell. Even if he does it is not going to be cheap.

You are in luck if you see one of the following pages:-

Use the domain lookup tool such as the one at http://www.whois.net to find out who owns the domain name. Then email the owner and ask if he is willing to sell or simply make an offer. There is a good chance that the owner may want to sell the domain.

In the meantime you should also visit "domain for sale" sites such as Sedo to check if the domain name that you want is already up for sale.

Sometimes the names you want may have expired but not yet released back to the common domain pool. Unlike popular thinking expired domain names are not immediately available the moment the domain is not renewed.

If they are in the process of expiring, you can contract domain name snapping company such as SnapNames or NameJet to backorder the names for you. These companies use aggressive methods to grab the names for you, the moment they are available. Once these companies manage to secure the domain name that you want, they are put in an auction. If you are the only person who wants the name, the auction stops and you get the name. However if there are more than one person vying for it the auction continues and the names go to the highest bidders.

Other Top Level Domains

As a rule, domain name registrars act for multiple domain name registries which is why you can normally register your domain name with a choice of generic top level domains such as .com, .net, .name etc at one location. Some registrar e.g. GoDaddy also act for some country code top level domains registry e.g. .jp (for Japan) and .it (for Italy) and you can register your domain with these country code extensions is you wish. However this is not the norm and with some country code top level domains, you can only register them with registrars nominated by the country code domain registries.

For example if you wish to register the .my country code top level domain name, you must go to the .my registrar or resellers appointed by the registrar.

That in a nut shell is how you can find a domain name of your choice.


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