Monday, January 24, 2011

Domain Name Registration

Domain name registration is the reservation of an Internet address. In order for a domain to name to be legally purchased, it must be obtained from a company accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN") to manage the registration of domain numbers. The web hosting service will register the purchaser’s domain in accordance with ICANN guidelines. The purchaser has the right to use the domain name for one year with the first right of renewal.

The most common domain registries are .com, .net, and .org. However, there are many others such as .biz, .info, and .tv. The number of registries has increased greatly over the years to accommodate the growing number of websites in the United States and internationally. Countries also have there own domains such as .uk for the United Kingdom or .ca for Canada.

GoDaddy and Network Solutions are two of the largest domain name registration companies. However, many companies offer domain registration and many web hosting service companies also offer domain name registration service.

If you go onto the website of a domain registration company that lawfully registers domains and find an available domain that you wish to purchase, you may do so at their listed fee. Prices do vary from company to company. The fee for domain registration typically ranges from between $1 and $15 for a domain depending on the company, the type of registry of the domain, and the type of service provided. .com, .net., and .org domains typically cost between $6 and $10 per year. Some domain registration companies offer websites with a ".info" registry for as little as $.99.

Some domain registrations may even be "free" for customers as they may be included with cost of other services such as web hosting. Web hosting is typically a fairly affordable service with a contractual agreement for several years similar to a cellular phone. It is needed to keep a website live on the Internet around the clock. However, there are advantages and disadvantages to bundling your domain registration with other services as it may be difficult to separate out the services if a change of provider is desired.

After the one-year domain registration period is up, the domain owner has the first right to renew the lease on the domain for an additional year or they may choose not to renew the domain. The price will be the same as any other available domain with the same registry. If the domain owner chooses not to renew the domain after the one-year period, they lose the right to the domain name/address and it becomes available for sale on the domain retail market. Many domain registrants set domains to automatic renew as a default for the registrant to avoid the loss of an existing domain registration.

Domain owners can sell the domains they own. Some domains are worth millions of dollars based on current or potential value and have been sold for that amount. The original owner of the domain, who may have purchased the domain for only $6, could sell the domain at an agreed upon price with a buyer. The purchase price for the domain could be significantly higher than what was originally paid for the domain. Many domain names sell for thousands of dollars on a daily basis. Some people make very good income off domain sales.

When a domain is transferred to a new owner, the domain name register may require the new owner to renew the domain for an additional year at that time. Domain owners can also transfer registration of a domain to a new domain registration company. Learn about domain registration and business web hosting services.

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