How to Get Your Own Domain Name

By Elizabeth Wasserman

After Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar of Springdale, Ark., became the subject of TV and newspaper reports due to the unusual size of their family (they have 17 children ranging from nine months to 20 years old and a baby on the way), the couple decided they needed a web site. It quickly became a family affair. Jim Bob took the first step by purchasing a domain name. One of their sons, Josh, designed the web site. Other children contributed pictures and links. And Michelle wrote an advice column for moms.

"We have probably had in the last few years two millions hits on our web site from around the world," says Jim Bob Duggar, who works in real estate. Ultimately, they set up their web site to share what they've learned in raising their large brood.

The Duggar family is not alone. People around the globe are staking their claim to a place on the Internet, whether for business, pleasure or because they have something to say.

But how to start? Here are steps you can take to easily grab your own domain name and build a home on the Internet.

Q. What is a domain name?
A. Basically, a domain name is a web site address. It usually ends in .com (but it can also end in .org, .gov or .net). A domain name is typically made up of three parts:

• The first part usually begins with www.
  
• The second part is a unique word (or combination of words) that you create. It could be your name, a family name, a business or a phrase. (Think about famous domain names like Amazon, eBay or Yahoo!)
  
• The third part of a domain name consists of what’s called a top-level domain. The most popular top level domain is .com.

"We're moving toward a world where everyone will be found by a domain name on the Internet," says Doug Shuman, senior vice president of customer marketing for Register, a company that sells domain names. Since there are an estimated 75 million active domain names already registered on the Internet today, the special name you want may have already been purchased by someone else. Another person named Mary Smith, for example, may have already registered that domain name. That's why Shuman suggests that people look in other top-level domains, which include .net, .biz. There is also a host of unique country code top-level domains, such as for the United States, or for the United Kingdom and even the increasingly popular for the Polynesian island nation of Tuvalu.

Q. How do I get my own domain name?
A. Domain names are registered for a period of time. You can only “own” a domain name for a set registration period. And if you let the registration lapse, your domain name can be registered by someone else. You can register a domain name with one of the numerous registrars sanctioned to sell them by a group called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), an international nonprofit that administers the Internet's naming system. Some of the top registrars, according to Name Intelligence, an Internet name research firm, include Register, Go Daddy, eNom, Network Solutions, Tucows and Registerone.

You can register a unique domain name for about $10 to $15 for one year or around $9.50 for 10 years. Most registrars give you a price break when you register a domain name for a longer period of time. At most registrars, there is access to the WHOIS database (pronounced "who is") to see if the domain name you want is already taken. You can even find out who owns it and, in some cases, people may be willing to resell domain names. Shuman says a good rule when selecting a domain name is "you want it to be memorable." He recommends that memorable domain names consist of three words or less, 15 characters or less, and don't use alternative spellings, such as a "z" instead of an "s" for a plural.

Q. Can I receive email via my own web site?
When you register a domain name, you can also choose to set up email accounts based on your domain name. For example, the Duggar family has email addresses set up at their web site so that visitors can reach them -- although they get so much email that they can't respond to everyone, Jim Bob Duggar says.

For a small business, as well, having email in the business name is a good idea. "There's no way to make your business look more legitimate than by having professional email," Shuman says. With most domain name registrations, you’ll get at least one free email address. If you want more, you’ll have to pay for them. Registrars will set up additional email addresses for an extra fee, usually around $5 or so per month.

You can check your email via a webmail page created by your registrar or by setting up your computer’s email program, such as Outlook or Mac Mail, to send and receive email from your new address. You can also arrange to have your other email forwarded to these accounts from free Google Gmail or Yahoo accounts. One benefit to owning your own email address is that you don't have to change your email with family, friends or professional contacts if you change Internet service or webmail providers.

Q. How do I create a web site that lives at my domain name?
A. Once you have a domain name, then you have to set up a web site, which needs to be hosted by a web hosting company in order to be live on the Internet.

If you want to keep things really simple, you can use one of the many free blogging services, such as Blogger or WordPress, to create a blog. The blog can serve as your web site and is hosted for free by the blog service. Then all you have to do is use your domain name registrar’s web site to “redirect” your domain name to your blog.

Web hosting services on the other hand start at about $10 per month. There are numerous web hosting services, including those offered by prominent Internet service providers, such as Earthlink and Verizon, to domain name registrars and other firms. Web hosting firms often offer packages including domain name, email and web hosting -- sometimes with access to do-it-yourself web site design templates. If your web host doesn’t offer templates, you’ll still have to design your web site too. Still, many of these services try to make it so easy to click and load your pages onto the Internet that virtually anyone in the family can do it, as the Duggar family found.

"It's been a good learning experience," Jim Bob Duggar says. "But we're probably due for an update. The last time we updated the site was after our last child was born."