Is the domain name you want available?

By now, you've probably realised that selecting a domain name isn't simply a matter of picking the first name that comes to mind. Neither is it simply a matter of choosing a name and telling your customers that your website is henceforth to be known as www.mybusiness.com.

To begin to use your chosen domain name as the address for your website you will have to register it, and this involves a fee. Before you do this, however, you should check whether somebody else has already obtained the domain name you want.

If you choose a highly competitive name like www.double-glazing .com, will probably find that somebody else is already using that domain name. So how do you find out whether your proposed domain name is already taken?

  • Type your proposed name (e.g. www.mybusiness.com; www.double-glazing.co.uk, etc.) into the navigation bar of your Internet Browser (the bit after the http://) and press return. If, instead of an error message, a website appears in your browser window, then the domain name you wanted is already registered to someone else.
  • Alternatively, for addresses ending in .com, .net, etc (generic top-level domains), carry out a 'Whois' search for your proposed name on the Internic website.
  • If your proposed name ends in co.uk, check its availabilty on the <a href=" http://www.nominet.org.uk/">Nominet</a> website.
  • Visit the website of a company that registers domain names for you. These companies can be found by carrying out a search for 'domain names' in popular search engines like Google, Yahoo, or MSN. Often, these websites will check whether your desired name is taken for you and even offer alternative generic and country-code top level domains that are still available for the desired name.

Once you have discovered whether your proposed name is available - or found an appropriate alternative - you will, of course, have to go through the process of registering your domain name (which we will cover in a separate article). Nevertheless, you will be one step closer to starting your online business and making a meaningful connection with a larger pool of potential customers.

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