How to Register a Domain Name

The process to register a domain name ranges from simple to complex depending on the amount of direct control you want to have over the operation of the domain once the registration process is completed.
 

The Simple Way

The easiest way to register a domain name is to engage your internet service provider to do it for you. Typically, this will mean that they will charge you something to do the registration and there may be an on-going charge for maintaining the name servers for you. If you choose to change your ISP, transferring the domain will be an additional issue you will need to work through as you migrate from one ISP to another.
 

The Complex Way

The more difficult approach is to do all the work yourself.  There are a number of decisions you must make to do this.

First, you need to deterrmine what domain you want to register. There are to basic types: Geographical or Generic. The Geographical domain has a suffix that ends with the ISO 3166 2-Letter (A 2) Country Code. A Generic domain does not. Determining if the name is in use is easy. Just try to look up the name in the Domain Name System. You can also look at these sites.

Second, you need to locate or create two name servers that are always on the Internet to provide service for your domain. If you are already attached to the Internet, a server you operate can be configured to do this. This requires that server to run the name server software. For more information about name server software, please refer to the reference information available from the DNS Service Providers available. Some of these providers offer their service at no cost.

Next, configure your name servers to service the zone you want to register. This will not only make the domain available for use as soon as the registration process is completed, but will also make the registration process go more smoothly for those registrars that require the name servers to be configured prior to starting the registration process. Check your server software documentation for the details of how to configure you server software.

Finally, you need to engage the appropriate registrar for the domain you want to register. For geographic domains, check this list. For generic names, there are a number of registrars. Different ones offer different products. Pick the one you want to use based on the products that make sense for you. You will need to follow the process supported by your registrar. Once this process is completed, your domain name should be operational.