Once you’ve decided on a domain name, you’ll need to go through the proper steps to ensure that domain is registered for your exclusive use. If you haven’t read our previous post on how to choose a domain name, we suggest doing so first as a pre-cursor.

There are thousands of companies on the internet who are more than willing to take your money in exchange of registering the domain name of your choice. However, you should do your research on the company you are planning to use to register your domain name before you go through with the transaction. Some things to consider before giving your business to a domain registrar:

1. Typical domain registration costs from $10-$20 per year.
2. Your Web Host is not necessarily the best option as far as domain registration goes.
3. Look for a domain registrar that offers free 24/7 support…you never know when you may need it.
4. Ask the registrar if the domain will be registered to you personally or if the domain will be registered to the registrar with you as an administrative contact. To avoid any problems, try to ensure the domain is registered to you personally.
5. Look at the pricing options. Often, you can purchase your domain for 3 years for a much better annual price than you can for the standard 1-year registration.
6. Ensure the registrar sends out reminders well ahead of time prompting you when your domain will expire and that you will need to renew.

One other thing – you’ll notice you can register your domain with country-specific extensions (.ca, .co.uk, .com.au, etc.). To register a country-specific domain, added paperwork may be required often needing you to prove your business is native to the country in question. Additional information can be found at the registration websites listed below, for some of the most popular international domains:

Canada –                        http://www.cira.ca/
United Kingdom –      http://www.nominet.org.uk/
Australia –                     http://www.auda.org.au/

Let me know if you know of any other countries and their national registration organizations and I’ll update them here accordingly.