Most people spend so much time on the internet that you almost need a website to prove that you exist. This applies not just to businesses that want to sell Vancouver granite countertops but also to private citizens seeking jobs or dates or even just new friendships. People's first instinct is to look for what they want online, and if they don't find it there, the chances of them crossing paths with it in real life are slim. So if you or your business would like to join the internet revolution, the first thing you'll need is a domain name. You can learn all about them here.

A domain name is your internet address, much like the number and street name that goes with the Bowmanville real estate you live in. Your address is not the house (or in this case, the website) itself, but rather the place where you can find it if you go looking. To avoid confusion, no two websites can have the same address, so your domain name will have to be unique. Identifiers, such as nation codes like .co.uk and .ca can help differentiate between sites, as can .com, and .org, which denote businesses and organizations respectively.

The challenge, of course, is choosing a domain name that is easy to remember and type, relevant to you and your work, and also unique. This is where most of your careful thought should go. Whenever possible use your name or your business name, but if Windows Burlington is already taken, you may have to consider an abbreviation, nickname, or slogan. You'll want to take care of using something that can be broken up the wrong way and misinterpreted, much in the way that the Pen Island shop can turn into Penis Land when written as a web address.

Once you have chosen a domain name you must register it. There are many companies online whose sole purpose is to register new websites. The desirability of your domain name and the company you choose to host it with will determine whether you pay $5 to register your American living in Canada taxes information site or hundreds of dollars. Domains must be renewed each year and paid for, so if you fail to keep it up to date you could lose your address to someone else who may be able to take advantage of the traffic your site had generated to that address in the past.

If you need some help choosing a domain name, registering it, choosing a registry company, deciphering the meaning of a domain name, you don't need to hire a web developer in Oakville to take you through the whole process - that would be an expense that the average person or small business couldn't afford. We have many articles on domains, registration, and other aspects of writing, coding, registering, and hosting your own website, so browse through our stockpile first. Choose something to read by hovering over the topics in the navigation bar at the top of this page.