MerchantKit.com > Setup Web Site > Domain Names Setting Up Your Web Site: Registering a Domain Name A domain name is the name that identifies your site, for example, the domain name of this web site is merchantkit.com. Only one person or company can own a particular domain name. Domain names are registered on a periodic (usually annual) basis. You can register as many domain names as you want. They do not all have to be associated with web sites - you could, for example, keep some for future use. Once you register a domain, except in cases of trademark type disputes* ("cybersquatting"), provided you keep renew your domain name before it expires, you can keep it forever. It is not a good idea to register domain names that infringe other's trademarks*: Your domain name may be taken away from you (the domain registrars have dispute procedures that deal with this). Domain name/trademark disputes may also be litigated in the courts. Domain names are available with a variety of suffices. .com, .net, .org (as well as the newer .biz, .info, .name) are generally used for international and US domain names, whereas other suffices are used for country-specific domains (.de for Germany, .jp for Japan, .uk for UK, etc.) Register Your Domain There are two main ways to register a domain: A number of companies ("domain registrars") specialize in providing domain registration services, including GoDaddy. You can find more registrars listed at DomainCavern.com. You can probably register domain names through your web hosting company, however most hosting companies are probably simply reselling (often at a substantial mark-up) a registrar's services and are not registrar's themselves. Searching For Domain Names Registrars generally provide a tool to check for availability of domain names. However, as it can sometimes be hard to find a good available domain, you may find the search tools at DomainCavern.com helpful. In particular, DomainCavern.com offers a Site Type Search where you can find suitable domain names based on subject, for example shopping, and a Keyword Search where you can find domain names based on combinations of your keywords. Pointing Your Domain To Your Web Host Note: To do this, you will need to have chosen a hosting company. This procedure is described for .com domains, as managed by most registrars, but the procedures may differ slightly for other suffices and registrars. Here is what you do From your web host obtain the identities of their "Name Servers". There should be at least two. Log into your account at your domain registrar. Look for an option to edit the Name Servers for your domain. Enter the values provided by your hosting company. *This is not intended as legal advice. We are not attorneys. please consult an attorney if you need legal advice. Related Pages Web Hosting Domain Registration Links DomainCavern.com Free information about domain names, and powerful search tools to find the best domain for you. GoDaddy Domain Registrar.   MENU Home What To Sell Setup Web Site   Domain Names     Books   Web Hosting   Web Site Templates   HTML Design   Register Copyright Accept Payments Shopping Carts Start Affiliate Program Marketing Copywriting Customer Service Books     Privacy    Terms and Conditions Copyright © 2001-2008, Answers 2000 Limited With any business, it is up to the individual owner of said business to ensure the success of the business. You may make more or less than any sample figures or results that might be quoted on our web sites or other publications. All business involves risk, and many businesses do not succeed. Further, Answers 2000 Limited does NOT represent that any particular individual or business is typical, or that any results or experiences achieved by any particular individual/business is necessarily typical. In Association With Amazon.com All trademarks are property of their respective owners. All third party content and adverts are copyright of their respective owners. Some graphics on our web sites are Copyright (C) 1997-2000 Hemera Technologies Inc., and used under license. All such pictures are provided for viewing purposes only and are not to be saved or downloaded. All such pictures of recognizable individuals are models and used for illustrative purposes only, and not meant to imply any association or endorsement of said individual with any product or service.