How to Buy a Domain Name
by Scott Clark
First published: July 1998
Buying a domain name should be one of your easiest tasks!
Most large companies have their own; most radio and television stations have one...heck, your grandmother may even have her own these days. Of course we're talking about domain names. internet.com, WebDeveloper.com, ServerWatch.com all give you a good idea of what you'll find if you go to their Web sites.
Good domain names do that--they give the public an idea of what they will find at your site, and if they are the same as your company's name or brand, they make it easier to find your Web site on the Internet.
A lot of people are under the misconception that they must purchase a domain through their ISP or content provider. While the service that these companies provide make it simpler for individuals and companies to purchase domains, you can do it yourself without any help (or fees) for the service. We're going to give you some tips, and show you some interesting facts that you may not be aware of, even if you're a regular domain dominator.
The first thing you'll want to do is to check on the availability of the domain in question. You can do that here and now, directly with the InterNIC [results will open in a new window]:
If the domain is available, you can then proceed to the next step, the InterNIC's accredited registrar directory. You will be asked to fill in some information about the purchasing agent--yourself--and you will need to know in advance the two DNS servers you will be using for your domain. An easy way to find this info out is to look up the domain of the ISP or host you will be using. Their two DNS servers will most likely be the same ones that you will need, and you can copy and paste them from the whois lookup page to your registration form (provided you have opened two browser windows).
Do-it-yourself domain registration!
If you have registered any domains before, even if your ISP did it for you, then you will have a "NIC handle," which is the name that InterNIC gives you when you are a registrant. You can lookup the previously registered domain, find your own NIC handle, and use it in the registration form for your new domain. That will save you from having to fill in repetitious name and address section multiple times.
Once you have filled out and submitted the form, InterNIC will email you the form, and you simply reply to the email. You don't have to place any new info in the form, just reply to the email, sending the info they have sent you back to them. They do this to stop people from registering domains under other people's name without their consent.
Although I said you don't need to go through your ISP to actually register the domain, that doesn't mean that your ISP won't come into play here. You'll need to give them a call or drop them an email explaining what you are doing, and they may charge you a fee to setup the domain on their system and add it to the DNS files. There will of course be a fee for you to actually host the site on their servers, although you are under no obligation to host it with them. Once the domain is bought and paid for, you can move it to any ISP or host you wish.
The InterNIC charges $70 to register a domain (down from $100 last year). This covers the registration process and 2 years of maintenance. After two years you will have to pay a $35/year fee for maintenance (besides what your ISP or host charges).
You can also register a fourth level .US domain such as jimsguns.nyc.ny.fl by filling out the proper forms, in this case the (US) text-based Domain Name Registration form. You'll need to know the same basic information as you would with the InterNIC domain registration form (see above). Some folks are registering their addresses, i.e. 22broadway.nyc.ny.us, and then setting up fifth level domains on their own site, so their full URL would be smithhardware.22broadway.nyc.ny.us. Others are registering more general .US domains which indicate the nature of their business, such as usedcars.nyc.ny.uc.
Do you live in the .US?
Additionally, at this time there is no rule which requires the registrant to be physically located within the city represented by the domain they are requesting. Some domain administrators may charge a suitable fee for registration, however it is usually a small fee such as $5 or $10. That may change in the future, however, as the United States Postal Service, if it has its way, may be in charge of the .US domain, and plan to start charging fees for registration.
Many companies will be happy to absolve you of the tedious task of registering a domain and getting it set up. One such company is Domains.com, which registers the .com, .net, and .org domains for corporations or individuals. They charge a $25 fee for registering the domain, along with the $70 fee that InterNIC charges for the first two years of maitenance.
Another such company is American Convergent Technologies. ACT charges a fee to register a fourth level .US domain, such as:
yourcompany.yourtown.yourstate.us
and a small monthly fee to redirect the domain and email to any URL/ISP that the registrant chooses.
What if you really want a domain, but it's already taken? Not much you can do, other than purchasing it from its owner. But if you check on a domain and it's "on hold," then most of the time, if you keep checking, it will eventually go off hold. If the owner didn't pay their late fee, it will be back on the market, and available for you to purchase for $70. Some great domain names have been bought in this manner, but there is no guarantee that a domain that is on hold will ever come off. Check out the domain "live.com," for instance. That domain has been on hold for over a year...though most usually come off "hold" status within three months.
The bottom line about domains is this: If you want a domain, the time to get it is now, if it is available. Wait and it will be taken. If you've been looking for a domain for your site, there's nothing stopping you!
If you're considering a domain of your own, here's some resources to get you started!
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