Internet Help for Small Business

Registering a Domain Name for Your Business Website

There are many accredited registrars that compete with one another, ensuring there’s no monopoly and thus keeping prices of domain name registration affordable.

In most cases small business owners have enough on their plates and won’t want to get involved in the technicalities of registering a domain name. Usually this is taken care of by a company or individual who specializes in designing and building websites, which is the option most small businesses will choose.

Nevertheless, it’s useful to know a little about how domains get registered, just so know you’re not getting ripped off.

If you do it yourself, it costs around $10 to $15 to register a domain for a year, so if you’re being charged $150 for this service, you’ll feel entitled to query the amount.

Should you opt to do it yourself, the registrar you choose will ask you to provide various contact and technical information that makes up the registration.

The registrar will then keep records of the contact information and submit the technical information to a central directory known as the “registry.” This registry provides other computers on the Internet the information necessary to send you e-mail or to find your website.

You will also be required to enter a registration contract with the registrar, which sets forth the terms under which your registration is accepted and will be maintained.

I normally use Domainsite for registering my domain names and have never had any problems with their service. Their normal charge for registering a .com domain name is $9.99 a year, which is good value and cheaper than many others.

There are businesses offering even lower rates or special deals, but for me it’s simply more convenient to have a number of domain names registered with one registrar.

For a full list of registrars, you can visit the Accredited Registrar Directory.

If you’d like to find out more in-depth information about registering a domain name, the Frequently Asked Questions at ICANN is a useful and comprehensive resource.

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