inetUSA Knowledge Base Answers
Print This Page

How do I Register a new Domain Name for my Website?

Choosing your website domain name is one of the most important decisions you will make regarding your website. Your domain name is your identity on the internet and how your website visitors will find you.

A good domain name should be easy to remember, easy to spell, and preferably short. Try to register the shortest name that your customers and visitors will associate with your website. The name of your company is always a good choice if possible. If your desired domain name is already taken, you can search to see if the .net or .org variation is available. You may also use hyphens to create unique domain names.

When you find the domain name that you want, just follow the simple steps below to register your new domain name and add it to your website.

Registering a New Domain Name

  1. Select "Domain Tools" from the Tools menu to display the Coaching page.
  2. Click on "Add/Register Domain Names (Pointers)" to display the Domain Name Options available.
  3. Click on "Add/Register Domain Names (Pointers)" and enter your desired domain name and click "Check Domain" to check the domain name availability. Do not enter the "http" or "www" here!
  4. If your desired domain name is available, click the "Register Domain Name Now" option to begin the registration process.
  5. Follow the instructions on the domain registration screens to register and setup your domain name.
  6. Domain name changes normally take 24-48 hours to become effective. Your domain name should begin working during that time frame.

Domain Name Requirements
Domain names can only use letters, numbers, and dashes. Spaces and symbols are not allowed. Domain names are not case sensitive (lower case and upper case letters are the same domain name). They cannot exceed 67 characters, including the characters in the suffix (63 characters plus the 4 character .xyz). A domain name may not begin or end with a hyphen.



Tech Tip:
What Is DNS? Why does it take 24-48 hours for my domain name to work?
DNS propagation refers to the process of updating all DNS systems on the Internet. The domain name system (DNS) is a global network of servers that translate host names like www.inetusa.com into numerical IP (Internet Protocol) addresses, like 66.220.163.4, which computers use to communicate with each other. Think of DNS like a big phone book which computers use to look up your website to find the IP address where your website is hosted. Without DNS, we'd all be memorizing long numbers instead of intuitive URLs or email addresses. And that wouldn't be much fun, would it?