So you're new to this Internet thing, and you're looking to get yourself or your business online. You know you need a domain name, but you don't know much more about it than that. Well, you're in luck, because we're about to go over all the basics you should know.

What is a domain name?

The Internet is actually a bunch of numbered addresses in the format of XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX (called IP addresses). Now, imagine how hard it would be to remember that many numbers every time you wanted to visit a website. Domain names are the solution! For example, if we didn't have domain names, and you wanted to visit Bob's Flower shop online, you'd have to type in 242.132.14.5 - but with domain names, all you have to do is type in www.bobsflowers.com. The domain name is simple and easy to remember, and in fact I bet you've memorized it already, but can you tell me what the IP address was without looking at it? Domain names provide memorable words and phrases that are much easier to memorize/type in than an IP address.

But domains are only half of the equation. To put your website online, you need to purchase a hosting account as well. The hosting account is the physical computer your website will be located on, and the domain name will provide an easy way for your visitors to access your page.

Why do I want a domain name?

You may be saying to yourself, "Do I really need the added expense of a domain name? Can't I just get a web hosting account?" While it's possible to host your webpage without a domain, you will run into the same problem we discussed before. Your website won't have an IP address, but its address will still be long and difficult to remember. For the relatively inexpensive cost of domains, it just makes sense to get one along with your hosting account.

Where should I buy my domains?

Usually the best course of action is to get the domain at the same company you purchase your hosting from. That way, you only have to contact one company to get support for your webpage. Advanced users can save a bit of money by registering domains at the big domain companies online. If you take care of the registration yourself, remember that you have to keep your domain registered every year, otherwise it will become available for someone else to register.

The most common domain name scam...

As new beginner to domain name registration, the biggest scam you need to watch out for is the renewal/transfer scam. A company will send you an email or even a letter in the mail that will look like an invoice, and they will word the letter to sound like you are obligated to take action. This is a trick to get you to transfer your domain name to another registrar and have to pay an additional year of registration as a result of this. Unless the email or letter comes from the company you registered the domain with, just ignore it! When it doubt, contact the company you used to register your domain and ask them!

What makes a good domain name?

So if you’ve decided to take the plunge and register a domain, you’ll quickly realize that a lot of the premium domains are already registered, so how do you pick a good domain name? If you're making a personal website, then the domain name won’t matter all that much. You should just pick a domain name that you like. However, if you’re picking a domain name for a business website, you should put some careful consideration into your choice. Obviously, “yourcompanyname.com” is probably going to be the ideal choice, unless your company has a very long name - in which case you should try to find an abbreviated form of your company name. For instance, if your company was called “Teledyne Technologies” you could go with “TeleTech”.

You want to keep your domain as short and easy to remember as possible, without losing the connection to your brand name. If your company’s name is already registered, do not try to use a domain with a hyphen. Often times, visitors will forget to type the hyphen in and you’ll lose potential customers to the other website. Instead, try to pick a domain name that incorporates your industry and the geographical area. If you were a painter from San Francisco, you could use “sanfranpainting.com” or “bayareapainting.com”. Your domain name is relatively significant, so don’t rush through it. Use your imagination and spend some time until you come up with a good domain name that is still available.

Which TLD should I use?

Right about now, you’re probably thinking "what’s a TLD?" Well, it’s not as complicated it as it sounds; a TLD is just the extension for a domain name (.com, .ca, .net etc.). Again, with personal sites, the TLD isn’t overly important. .com, .net and .org are the cheapest if you are trying to keep costs down. For a business, statistically .com domains are the first TLD the average user will type in, so that’s the ideal TLD. However, if you are running a national business and not global, you may want to go with your country’s TLD (.ca, .us, etc.)

So now that you know the basics of domain names, it’s time to go out and apply that knowledge and get your website up and running! Remember, take your time and don’t rush into anything and you’ll be fine.