A domain name is an address on the Internet. Just as your street address must be unique so that the post office can deliver mail to you, and your telephone number must be unique so that customers can call you, your domain name must be unique so your e-mail reaches you and customers can visit your Web site.

An international address system, called the Domain Name System (DNS), was developed to ensure that every computer connected to the Internet has its own address. In the DNS system, however, that address is actually a set of numbers such as 164.223.161.99, which is called the computer's Internet Protocol (IP) address. Because these numbers are difficult for humans to remember, DNS allows you to assign a domain name, such as google.com, to your IP address.

Now, when you want to visit Google's Web site, you can type www.google.com instead of 164.223.161.99 .

Registering a Domain Name

Registering a domain name is similar to calling the telephone company to arrange for phone service. You can think up a great phone number, but if the telephone company doesn't set it up, you can't use it.

The actual process of registering a domain name is about as simple as going to a Web site, indicating the domain name you want, and paying the registration fee. Hundreds of Web sites offer registration services, but some are more reputable than others. Here's what to look for:

• Domain name search: The only reliable domain name search is called WHOIS; all reputable registration companies have a WHOIS search on their Web site. At a minimum, this search will tell you whether or not a domain name has been registered. You might also learn who owns the domain name and their contact information, the IP addresses associated with the name, when the name was registered, and when it expires. This information, however, can be made private by the domain name owner.

  Make sure the registration Web site allows you to search for an available domain name, and confirm that it is available, before you pay. Never fill out a request form that simply indicates the domain name you want and your billing information. Also, only register a domain name with a company that allows you to pay by credit card. Tens of thousands of domain names are registered every day; when you find one that's available, you want to pay for it immediately and know it's yours.

• Compare prices and features: There is a wide variance in how much companies charge for domain name registration. Sometimes prices reflect the level of service. For instance, some inexpensive registration services only offer domain name parking, which means you register the domain name so that you own it, but you can't actually use it for anything (no one can visit a Web site or send you e-mail at that domain). Look carefully at the services offered.
• Trusted business partner: How your domain name is managed is of utmost importance to the success of your Web site: if problems occur, customers may not be able to reach your site. If you need to make any changes to your domain name, you want those changes to be made quickly and reliably. Partner with a company that has a high level of professionalism and expertise, robust and reliable technology, and a range of services so that they can advise you as your business grows.

You do not have to register your domain name with the company that hosts your Web site. You can register your domain name with Company A and tell them to forward customers to Company B (the company hosting your Web site, or your own Web server) where your actual Web site is. To do this, the company that you register your domain name with must offer a forwarding service (also called URL forwarding ).

If you register multiple domain names, you can forward them to the same Web site. For instance, you could point hannahcoffee.biz and hannahcoffee.us to your actual Web site at hannahcoffee.com. Another way to handle this situation is by using a CNAME record, which is discussed in the next section.

When you register your domain name, you are doing so for a fixed time period (most companies allow you to register for a maximum of 5 years). You must keep good records and remember to renew your registration; if you allow it to expire, someone else can register your domain name and gain control of it.