When you are in the process of developing your website, one of the first things that you would have to do is register your domain. If you are launching a website for the first time, and want to under how domain registration works, then read on and get yourself acquainted with the whole process.

A domain is nothing but an address on the internet where your website will be hosted. Internet addresses are nothing but numbers, technically represented in a certain automated sequence, separated by a ‘.’. But such numbers can be complicated for anyone except for tech experts. Hence they are assigned easy-to-recall ‘domain names’ against the numbers.

Registering a domain 

When you register a domain, you are leasing out a certain space on the web that will guide your users to your website. Consider it as buying an office space in a building. When you sign a lease with the tenant/realtor, you get assigned an address where people can contact you or visit you. A website domain is usually registered with the Internet Corporation for Names and Numbers (ICANN). They provide you with domains approved by registrars.

A web domain allows you to make your website available to the public and becomes the gateway to creating an online presence for your business. Hence, the next step is critical to this entire process. You must choose an appropriate and relevant domain name that will become your website’s identity. The right name is essential since your users, prospective audience and search engines will identify your site with the same.

So, before you decide on a domain name, here are a few tips to remember: 

• Use a name relevant to your business. You can get creative, but it cannot be disconnected from your business or industry space. Search engines like Google tend to rank domains based on relevance and clarity of business vertical.
• Always include SEO keywords in your domain name, to increase visibility and searchability. 
• Avoid using numbers in the domain name. It is not only an old-school practise but makes it confusing for users. 
• Research well to avoid already used domain names, even if it spelt differently. Even if those sites are deactivated, it is still better to skip those names, to avoid legal issues.
• A .com extension is better than .net, .info, and so on. It adds more credibility and has better resale value. 

Summing up…

Registering your website domain is essential. However, a web domain has no value of its own, unless, it is registered with a web host. Whether you opt for a simple shared hosting or a high-end VPS server hosting, domain registration is the first step to setting up your website. This is where you have to make another important decision. More than most hosting providers offer a domain registration service. There is no reason that you cannot do it by yourself, but if you are a first-timer, it is better to take professional help and opt for a hosting provider. Always opt for a hosting plan that includes a free domain registration service.