How to Safely Register Your Domain Name

Have you chosen the perfect domain name for your online business? Great! Time to get it registered.

Be careful where you search for your domains. "Domain kiting" is a very common problem and many unethical companies monitor domain searches. So be prepared to immediately register your domain, or the chances are it will be registered by a large company within minutes or hours of your search. If this happens to the domain you want, wait about 5-7 days, don't search for it again and don't visit the website during this time, and then see if it's become available again. If the domain name doesn't generate traffic for the corporation who purchased it they may release it before they have to pay for it and it may be available for you to register. You can Google "domain kiting" if you want more details about this problem.

To the best of my knowledge at this time, a good place to search is www.whois.sc and their searches don't appear to be monitored.

But to protect yourself, the best practice is to only search when you're ready to register and register your domain immediately.

Where to Register a Domain Name?

Does it really matter where you choose to register your domain name? Here are some things to consider when choosing a registrar:

* All legitimately registered domains are directly entered with ICANN no matter who you purchase from.

* You need to make sure that your domain is registered in YOUR name and information. Unless you have a written agreement with a designer, the designer should not register your domain under their name, or they are technically the owner of your domain and you do not have ownership or control of it.

* This is one area where "you get what you pay for" does not always apply. Take time to look for and read customer testimonials and experience with the company. After 15 years experience on the internet I can tell you that often the more expensive registrars can sometimes be the most difficult to work with.

* Check out what features you get with your domain. You should be given access to a control panel where you can update your information and nameservers free.

* Consider a registrar that includes or at least offers privacy protection. Spammers continually harvest email addresses from the WHOIS domain records database. Really, I get enough spam already and I'm sure you do, too. If you take that extra step to protect your email address you can save yourself from at least some of the junk email.

* Be sure you read all the terms & conditions of the registrar you choose. If you let your domain expire, most have a grace period, but there is generally a hefty fee to renew it. Remember this. Be sure to renew your domain early.

If you aren't ready to get your website and hosting setup yet, don't let that stop you from registering a domain. It's easy to repoint it to your website once it's up, so just as soon as you decide what domain you'd like, grab it!

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

And now, let me give you access to some great free resources for small businesses including 101 Free/Cheap Ways to Market Your Business, 119 Things You Can Outsource, and more at www.michelleshaeffer.com

Michelle Shaeffer has been a work at home mom for more than 10 years and loves to share the tips and strategies she's learned to help other home based business owners balance, manage, and market their businesses.

Print This Article Comment on Article Email to Friends Ezine Ready

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated