Other People Are Reading

               Public DNS Vs. Hosted DNS

The world wide web is growing at a rate that is quicker than ever expected. The internet is full of opportunities but good domain names are getting harder to come by. This means you should not let a good idea for a domain name pass you by. If you have an idea for a business you should reserve the domain name for later use. There are two ways to reserve a domain name until you are ready to develop or host a website at that address. If a domain name is available you will just purchase the name to reserve the web address. If the domain name is unavailable you will have to reserve a domain name so if it expires you will own it. It is a common misconception that a hosting service is needed to reserve a domain name. The steps below show you how to reserve a domain name without the cost of a hosting service.

One

First, find out if your domain name is available...
You can check if a domain name is available by doing a simple search of the term "check domain availability" and several tools and sites will be listed. If the desired domain name is available you can move on to the next step. If it is not available you should do another search to on whois.net to find out when it will expire within your needed time frame. Repeat this step until you find a domain name that will work.

Two

Next, Do a comparison of domain name pricing...
Do a comparison of companies that offer the option to purchase or reserve a domain name. By purchasing an available domain name you will reserve that address for a website at some point in time. If the domain name is not available and you would like to reserve it in case it expires you will have additional fees. Since you are not looking at a hosting service you do not need to compare features. In this step you are just comparing pricing to reserve or purchase a domain name.

Three

Then, reserve the domain name but don't get a hosting service to save money...
After you choose a company make sure they have a domain name reservation option, so that you can just reserve or purchase the domain name. Unless you are ready to put up a website you do not need hosting with your domain name. A domain name with a hosting service will cost much more per year so save the money until you are ready to build a website.

Four

Last, keep your domain name account current and active...
Domain names often expire without owners knowing. If you have hosting services you get constant reminders but as the owner of a domain name it is your responsibility to keep track of it. Consider signing up for recurring billing to ensure that you don't lose the domain name. Without an organized system or recurring billing you may lose the rights to a domain name you wanted to reserve. Continue to do this step so when you are ready to build your website the domain name will be good to go.

 More