How to Register a Domain Name for Your Blog

The hard part of registering (purchasing) a domain name is choosing it. Once you choose your domain name, the actual registration process is as easy as any other online shopping.

There are many domain registrars to choose from. Whichever registrar you use, I recommend making sure they are accredited by, or are a reseller for a company accredited by, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). ICANN manages the assignment of all IP addresses and domain names.

I have domains registered at three different services and would recommend any of them.

1. A couple years ago I came across a good review and a discount coupon for Namecheap and have used them regularly since then. Two things I like about them are that they offer WhoisGuard for free for the first year of registration, and they often offer a coupon for new registrations. (WhoisGuard is explained below.)You can pay with a credit card, PayPal, or Google Checkout. One thing I don’t like is that because I pay with PayPal I have to remember to fund my Namecheap account before they come up for automatic renewal to avoid any risk of losing my domain names. (That may be the same for other registrars. I don’t know because it’s the only place I’ve used PayPal for domain registration.) Registrars all give plenty of warning before it’s time to renew, but I’d really prefer to have the whole process automatic “just in case.” I probably should just switch to a credit card payment to solve that little annoyance.
2. GoDaddy is probably the best-known of the domain registrars. They are the first service I used and I still have a few domain names registered there. What I like about them is their solid reputation.

   Find out why I transferred my domains away from GoDaddy and will no longer do business with them.

   Coupons are also available and some say that using coupons they can usually get a better price than at Namecheap. What you have to watch out for at GoDaddy is their upsells, some of which may be preselected for you during the check out process. Payment options include credit cards, PayPal, echeck, and wire transfer.

3. I have registered domains through InternetBasedMomsHosting”s because it’s owned by a friend and I like to support my friends. It’s a reseller service for a major domain registrar.

Here’s a quick walk through of how to register a domain at Namecheap. The other registrars’ processes are very similar:

1 – On the home page, fill in the search section with your chosen domain name. If you are registering something other than a .com, choose the top level domain type from the drop down list (.net, .org, .biz, etc), and then simply click the search button.

2 – If the domain name is already taken you will be presented that message, and you’ll also be provided with a list of any of the alternative top level domains that are available. As discussed in How to Choose a Domain Name my recommendation is to stick with a .com.

Use the search box to enter your 2nd choice and so on until you find an available name.

3 – When you find an available domain name you will be presented with a “buy now” button. Click it.

4 – The shopping cart will show your domain name and includes any extras you added. The default registration is for one year and you can add additional years if you prefer. I recommend leaving WhoisGuard selected in the shopping cart. You can change it later in the process if you decide against it.

You may also be asked if you want to enable SSL. SSL is needed when you collect sensitive information from your users such as passwords or credit card payments. More information about SSL.

Be sure to add your coupon code on the right hand side of the shopping cart. (For a limited time during the month of May, 2012 the Namecheap coupon code is DOMAICA.)

5 – Log in or create an account. If this is your first purchase you will need to create and account. The terms of service require that you provide your real name and accurate contact information and keep it up to date. If you don’t use privacy protection this information will be available to the public (more about that in the options section below).

6 – Next is the options screen. Here you can select whether a public or private registration. Public registrations will be visible in the whois.com directory. The whois directory allows people to type in a website and view the owner’s personal identity. If you do not want your personal information shown, choose private registration (WhoisGuard is free for the first year at Namecheap; subsequent years will be billed. Other registrars likely charge a small fee for privacy protection.)

In the nameservers section leave the default “use our free name servers” selected (unless you already have your hosting and site set up). You will change that later when you have your site ready for public viewing. You hosting company will provide you with the information you need to set the nameservers.

The “URL forwarding services” section is used only if you are redirecting the new domain to an existing domain. Again, that’s something you can do later if need be.

“Email Forwarding Services” would only be used if you are setting up a domain name solely for a new email address that you want to forward to an existing email address.

7 – And the last step is to select your payment option and complete your purchase.

After your domain is registered (and in some cases during the process) you must also select whether you want the registry to automatically renew your domain when it expires. You will be notified by email either way, but if you want to make sure you don’t inadvertently lose the domain, set automatic renewal.

Ready to Register Your Domain Name? Get a discount when you register your domain at Namecheap using coupon code DOMAICA (For a limited time during May, 2012; check back next month for the new code).

Have any questions? Post them in the comments section and I’ll answer them right away.

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You might also like these posts:

• How to Set Up Your Domain Nameservers
• How to Choose a Domain Name for Your Blog

2 Responses to “How to Register a Domain Name for Your Blog”

1. Andrew Clarke from VA Loan Austin says:

   Sep 7, 2011 at 10:07 am

   Hi Linda,

   I’m on the process of looking for the best hosting company for me. It intrigues me if Namecheap is really reliable. I know hostgator is a remarkable hosting company but i’m still looking for options. Does namecheap has a reliable back up system and customer support?

   Thanks.

   Reply
2. Linda says:

   Sep 25, 2011 at 11:18 am

   Hi Andrew; thanks for your question. I can’t speak to the reliability of Namecheap’s hosting because I haven’t personally used it. I use and recommend Namecheap for domain registration, but I have always preferred to use separate companies registration and hosting. That way a problem with one can’t spill over to become a problem with both. Here’s a post that will help: How to Choose Blog Web Hosting.

   Reply