Available Domain Names and the Ownership Search

Domain Name Ownership Search and What is an ISP?

Available Domain Names: Step-by-step Guide for Beginners

Tip! Finding a domain name is the first step to getting your website online.

Along with the many Internet advances over the years came a multitude of domain names and places to register a domain name. But, how and where do you find a domain name for your website? Here's a step-by-step guide to finding a great domain name for your website.

Step 1: Choose a Theme or Company Name for your Website

Write down the theme of your website. Is it a personal site about baking recipes or is it a business website selling financial ebooks? Whatever the theme, be sure the name you choose from the search list reflects this theme in some way. The purpose of a domain name is to help visitors locate your website quickly and easily. Your url (i.e. www.yourname.com ) should be simple and easy to remember.

Step 2: Definition of Domain Name - Understand the Suffixes, or Extensions

Domain name is just the address for your website. It's the www. if you will. Suffixes or extensions are what goes after the "dot" such as:

.com
.net
.org
.tv
.gov
.edu
etc., etc.

Choose a suffix that reflects your type of website. If it's a business site, choose .com or .net. If it's an educational or college-related site, choose .edu. If it's an organization, choose .org. This helps visitors to identify what type of website you have from the moment they view your domain name.

Step 3: Looking for Available Domain Names

Once you have a general idea of what type of suffix you want, you can begin brainstorming for ideas. Do a domain name ownership search through a registrar or provider such as whois.net . These sites offer a simple search form where you can fill in variations to check for availability. If the domain name is available, you can register it. If not, some isp sites will offer suggestions for other variations of the domain name. You can try out as many as you wish until you find the perfect one for your online presence.

Pre-Owned Names

Some will argue to get domains from an expired name list. This can be a plus or minus. If the site was simply given up and has page rank through Google, it might be a good choice. However, if it has been abused for spam or or other reasons, this avenue will hurt more than it helps.

I would only suggest getting the domain name for a redirect only. You can find a website which has good rankings in the search engines and then direct all traffic to your new web site. This can still be costly so it depends upon how much you want to pay for a url.

REMEMBER: Take plenty of time to find the right domain name for your website. You will be stuck with it for a VERY long time and many beginners hurry through the process only to have to change domain names later!

Choosing Your ISP

Here's a company where you can check for domain name availability and also register your domain name once you find the perfect one >>>

Available Domain Names at IX Web Hosting

This is one of the best sites on the web where you can find affordable names in the dns system and even host it at a very affordable rate. They offer space for personal and business including ssl web hosting so that you can run a store or sell products online. This company is on the top of my list when it comes to rates and service.

Here's a walk-thru of the domain name checking process:

a) When you arrive at IX Web Hosting, click on "Sign Up Now" in the left-hand menu to go to the Domain Name registering page. ** NOTE: Searching for the availability of a domain name does not commit you to buy it.

b) On the form to the left, click in the box labeled "Enter a Domain Name." Type your desired domain name (without the suffix), and then use the drop down menu to choose a suffix (.com, .net, .org, etc.) Pricing for the year shows in the drop down menu beside each suffix.

c) If the domain name has already been registered, you'll see a message letting you know this. If not, you can register your domain right then and there if you wish, or register it later.

As you can see, it's easy to find and register a domain name once you know how. As a beginner, however, this can be confusing.

Keep in mind, there are two simple steps to securing your website online: Register a domain name and Sign up for hosting space. Once you have a domain name and your hosting, you're ready to place your web pages online for everyone in the world to see!