Things You'll Need:
- a computer
- about $10
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Step 1
Internet domain names are controlled by ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. This non profit organization has a list of Accredited Domain Name Registrars. These registrars are companies which have been approved to sell domain names.
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Step 2
Select an accredited registrar company that you will use to register or buy your domain name. The link to the ICANN accredited registrar list is at the bottom of this page, and there are several hundred different registrars you can use. Any one of these companies will work. Some of the most popular registrars revealed by a Google search are networksolutions.com, godaddy.com, and register.com.
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Step 3
Search for domain names. Check domain name availability by going to one of the accredited registrars sites and browsing domain names. When you enter your desired domain name, it will tell you whether it's available and quote you a price for it.
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Step 4
Create an account with the registrar you chose, and buy your domain name. It will typically cost about $10 - $20 for an unused domain name. More popular domain names are more expensive. Note that this is the price PER YEAR for registration and you will need to renew the domain name every year. Domain name renewal is easy and it will cost roughly the same amount, just go back to the same site that you registered at to renew.
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Step 5
You may need to search around for a while to find a new domain name as it's possible the one you wanted is already registered. If you're dead set on a certain domain that is taken, you will need to buy an existing domain name. These domains are usually under competition and are bought and sold like other goods. Who owns domain names that you want and how do you get them? Current owners auction them or have asking prices for them on the major ICANN registrar sites. You can hire one of these sites to act as a broker for you in contacting the domain owner and making a bid for it. Some domains simply aren't for sale.
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Step 6
Buying a domain name that's already in use or already registered is more expensive and can range anywhere from $20 a year to register, all the way up to $5 million to $10 million dollars for domain names like toys.com and business.com.
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Step 7
Don't forget to check out the list of ICANN accredited registrars at the bottom links section of this article. You can shop around at any of these sites to find the best deal for the domain name that you want.
Comments
plausitron said
on 10/2/2009 Very informative and resourceful! 5* thanks!
fortunate said
on 9/30/2009 This is a fantastic article! Very user-friendly. Thanks! 5* and rec.!
fortunate said
on 9/30/2009 This is a fantastic article! Very user-friendly. Thanks! 5* and rec.!