“When you want to launch your website on the internet so that it can be viewed by internet users, you need a web host to service you. However, you need first to complete the process of obtaining a domain name and getting this synchronized to connect with your hosting account.
Domain Name Defined
A domain name is a distinct name for your website that identifies it. Every website has a domain name that is used to access it and serves as an address for your website. Each time you visit a website, you will find in the address bar of the browser the domain name for that particular website.
The Purpose of a Domain Name
Some domain names contain the prefix “www” while others do not have it. Not all domain names may have the prefix but all domain names contain a domain suffix. To name a few, we have .com, .edu, .org and .net. Through the domain suffix, one is able to tell what the website is all about. For instance, .org domain is used typically for non-profit organizations while .com is used by commercial websites.
Probably the most basic purpose for a domain name is for your website to gain exposure on the internet. Through this, you can enjoy the fruit of your labour and convert this into profit for your business.
Owning a domain name means registering your domain name through a domain name registrar. In this process, you will have to pay a registration cost and you will have the privilege of exclusively having that name for your website for a year. Then you will have to renew it annually to retain the privileges.
Below are the step by step instructions in registering your domain name:
- Prepare a list of domain names that you would want for your website. There are thousands of registered domain names out there and having several alternatives will come in handy if your first choice is already taken.
- Should you want to claim the domain name immediately upon registration, you should have a Paypal account or a credit card for convenience of payment. This is a condition that most of the registrars impose.
- Obtain the names of the primary and secondary name servers from your web host. This is important as you will need the information for you to point out your domain name to your website.
Pointing your Domain Name to your Hosting Account
So, what do you do after buying a domain name? You will now need to point the domain name to your website. It is understood that in this process, you already have a domain name and a web hosting server.
Here are the steps:
- You should have the name servers of your web host
Name servers or DNS servers as they are also called, point the location of your website through the domain name. A quick way to find out what the name servers are is to ask your web host. You will need to input these names into the registrar’s system.
- Input the name servers to the registrar’s settings
After obtaining the name servers from your web host, you will need to log in to the system of your domain name registrar. Once you are in the system, look for a selection that will enable you to enter your domain’s name servers or change them.
- Once you find the correct location to set your name servers, you will now enter your listed name servers. You will most likely see a portion where you are asked to enter the primary name server, secondary name server or even more.
- Enter into the primary name server field the name server from your list which usually begins with “ns1”. Then enter the next name server, beginning with “ns2” on the secondary name server field. There should be at least 2 name servers associated with a domain name.
Once you have done the steps enumerated above and have now set your name server, you are already done. Yes, that is all you have to do.