How do I start a web site? - Part One

How do I start a website? This is by far the most commonly asked question. This simple question comes from internet beginners looking for the freedom of the web to small businesses who are looking to advertise or sell their products online. While the idea of a website may seem complicated or hard to understand but it really is more simple then you might expect. Follow along with this three part series as we explain the steps to starting a website and terms to be familiar with.

Part One: Domain name

What is a domain name?
Website's all start with a domain name (e.g. v2i.biz). A domain name is the gateway for your users or customers to access your web site. Because of this you should think about if it will make sense to your users as well as how easy it is to remember. Be aware that it may be difficult finding the right domain name because there's actually a business in buying and selling domain names registrations, similar to buying bulk concert or sporting event tickets, and reselling them for profit.

First thing first, what will your domain name be? The most common domain names use the business name like fakecompany.com or fakecompany.net. If yours is available, great! If not, you can try adding something to the name like fakecompanyservices.com. Another alternative is using a - in the name: fake-company.com. This is allowed, but the caveat in using the dash is that when speaking we don't include the dash. If you were to tell someone your website address, you would need to say "fakedashcompany.com". This can become a problem with advertising as well, think about radio and having to spell out the address. Just something to think about when registering your domain.

Where do you register a domain name, and what does that entitle you too?
As we talked about earlier, there are several companies that buy and sell domain names registrations for profit. Since most companyies register your domain name and hold that registration on a yearly basis, it really comes down to price point. Finding the cheapest registrar with the best value-added services can be cumbersome so VinnoVations highly recommends a company that you may see on advertised on TV GoDaddy. Generally GoDaddy has the most value-added benefits for the lowest cost annually.

Why can I only register it per year? Do I not own the domain?
No. Not really. A domain registration is like a license. A license that allows you to use a domain name to direct users and customers to your website instead of using an IP Address (see below).

Please note: VinnoVations does not make profit for advertising GoDaddy.com, this recommendation is strictly based on the services provided per cost.

What's Next?

Have you purchased your domain name? Yes? Well congratulations on completing the first part. If not, hopefully we can convince you this process is not as difficult as it seems and you should register your domain name now! In the next part we'll go over how to get your website up and running with a web hosting company. Stay tuned!

Related Questions:

• Do I really need a domain name?
  In short, Yes. The internet uses an address system called Internet Protocol or IP. Because these are numbers and they are changing all the time, we need a system that isn't number based and we need a system that is easy to remember. Because of this, you register a textual domain name to point to your IP address.
• Do I include the "WWW" in my domain name?
  No. In this case you include only the name of your domain with the extension you want. The WWW is actually called the "host name". Other host names include "MAIL.domain.com" or "SECURE.domain.com. The possibilities really are endless, anything you can think of can be a host name. Once you buy a domain and setup your hosting, you can setup other hostnames, generally for free.
• What is a web presence?
  A web presence is more than just a website, it is a larger existence on the internet. For further explanation and more information on how VinnoVations can help, please see our article What is a Web Presence?