How to acquire a domain name

Getting a domain name is the first step in setting up a website. At times webmasters actually rush to register a domain name first since it comes at a first come, first served basis
A domain name is unique name that identifies a website. It is made up of a unique name followed by the extension which can be .com, .net, .org or .edu.

Domains names are what point to the address of a website or point to the ip address where a website is hosted. There are no two domain names which are exactly alike so when a domain name has been registered, it is different from other names and will keep on adding value as an asset as long as it exists.

What you will need to register/acquite a domain name
- A credit card with at least $10 balance
- A unique name to use as your domain name
- A registrar like Netfirms

How do you register a domain name?
It is quite easy. Just follow these steps below:
- Go to a domain registrar like www.netfirms.com and search for a domain of your choice e.g. myname.com
- If it is available, proceed to registering it
- Pay the required fee and include your original contact information

Tips: If you are registering a content or niche site like a blog or review site, try to choose a domain name that best relates to what your site is about for eg mynokia6300.com if your site is about marketing nokia 6300 phones or my appleipad.com if your site is about apple ipads.

What to do next?
After registering your domain name and the bill has been sent to your email, you can then log into your domain control panel and edit some settings. You may decide to leave the domain until your website is ready or you can as well get a web hosting account. Netfirms.com also offers web hosting services and so does Bluehost.com and you can get reliable web hosting from them from about $100 a year.

Domain name + Web hosting account = Complete website

Just point your domain name to your web host if they came from different providers and you can do this by editing the nameservers which are in the form ns1.webhost.com and ns2.webhost.com.

Your website
You can have your website designed by you or a web designer. You may also decide to use your web hosting account to setup a free website using their ready to go website package that comes along with your hosting plan. Blogs are also easy to setup and it is free as it comes along with your web hosting plan. You should just go into your web hosting control panel and look for scripts installation or wordpress or blogger platforms and setup your blog.