Before you can move forward with a self-hosted blog, you must register a domain name. A domain name is the URL or address that people use to locate your blog or web site.
So, for example, if you wanted to visit Apple’s web site to check out the new iPod shuffle, you’d enter the following address or domain name into your browser: “www.apple.com” or for most newer browsers, just “apple.com”.
As mentioned in our last post, selecting your own domain name is much more beneficial in growing your online business than using a sub-domain like yourblogname.blogspot.com. Therefore, you need to think about what name you’d like to use before the registration process begins.
Also, keep in mind that whatever name you choose may already be registered to someone else. So, you may want to have several names in queue just in case your first choice has been taken.
The registration process is fairly simple. You can simply log on to a company web site like GoDaddy.com and register within minutes.
We prefer GoDaddy.com because of their rock-bottom prices on domain name registration.
Also, as an ICANN-accredited domain registrar, GoDaddy.com offers products at prices up to 70% less than their competitors and supports them with world-class 24/7 live customer service. As of this post, you can purchase a .com domain name for as little as $1.99 for new customers.
Another recommendation is when you purchase the .com domain, go ahead and purchase the .net and .info domain as well. The reason is so that you maintain complete control of that domain and stop competitors from stealing your prospects. So, if a visitor accidentally types in yoursite.net, it can be redirected to yoursite.com.
In our next post, we’ll examine what to do with your blog’s domain name once it’s registered.
About Dr. Patrick MacNamara
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