Selecting a domain name
Registering a domain name
Understanding how Web hosting works
Choosing a hosting service
A schoolteacher once asked me: "When you talk about 'there' on the Internet, where's 'there?'" I knew immediately what she meant, but I've pondered her question ever since.
If you're still trying to understand "where" your Web site will live when you're ready to share it with the world — and how domain names and Web servers fit into your Web site plans — you've turned to the right chapter. Simply put, a domain name is the address for your Web site, and a Web server (often provided by a hosting service) is a computer with special software that makes it possible for you to publish your site on the Web.
Although many companies offer both domain registration and Web servers, registering a domain name is very different from setting up a server to host your Web site. In this chapter, you find out how these two important aspects of Web development work and how to get the best domain and hosting service for your Web site.
In the first part of this chapter, you discover how domain name registration works, where you can search for domain names to see what's available, and what to do if the name you want is already taken. In the second part of this chapter, you find tips about choosing the best Web server so you can publish your site online.
Whether you're creating a Web site for your business, hobby, or family, you'll want to follow the steps in this chapter to register a domain name and select a Web server. Taking care of the preliminary steps in this chapter before you start creating your pages in Part II will help ensure that everything is set up when you're ready to launch your new Web site.
The address for a Web site is its domain name, also called the URL or Uniform Resource Locator. For example, Wiley Publishing, the company that published this book, has a Web site with the domain name www.wiley.com. The company also has a Web site with the domain name www.dummies.com, for the For Dummies book series.
Even before you start building a Web site, I recommend that you register your own domain name. The process is simple and painless and costs less than $10 per year at most domain registration services. If you don't register a domain name, your Web site's address will probably look something like this:
www.serviceprovider.com/users/yourname
If you register a domain name, your address should look more like this:
www.wiley.com
Note
Your domain name is your calling card, and the best ones are short and sweet and easy to spell. If your Web address is too long or complex, it's hard for anyone to remember or type accurately on a keyboard. The best domain name for your site will be easy to remember and easy to convey: It can be said in one simple sentence.
A shortened version of your business name may seem like a better choice because it requires less typing, but if your customers know you by your full name, they may be confused. For example, I would never recommend a domain such as am-airlines.com for American Airlines. The official site for American Airlines is www.aa.com, which is a great domain because the company's initials are well known, and you couldn't possibly get a much shorter domain name. Because www.aa.com is an abbreviation, American Airlines was smart enough to recognize it might be confusing to visitors and to register more than one name (it's easy to do); if you type www.americanairlines.com, your browser goes to the same site.
When you're tossing around ideas for a domain name, keep these rules in mind:
Domain names aren't case sensitive. For example, you can get to my Web design training site by entering
digitalfamily.comorDigitalFamily.com. (See Figure 3.1.) I prefer to capitalize the D and F in my domain name when I print it on business cards or other collateral because it makes the domain name easier to read.Any characters that appear after a domain name extension are case sensitive (the dot-com or dot-org part of the address, for example). Thus,
www.DigitalFamily.com/booksisn't the same address aswww.DigitalFamily.com/Books.Tip
Use of the leading
wwwdepends on how the domain is configured on a server. You can set up a domain on a Web server to work with or without thewww, or you can set it up to work either way. You can also set up subdomains if you own a domain. For example, you can find my personal profile athttp://JCWarner.com, and you can find the Spanish version athttp://spanish.JCWarner.com.The use of the
http://that appears at the very beginning of a domain name is optional. Most people no longer type these initial characters when entering a Web address because they're unnecessary, but it is helpful to include them when you're writing an address that doesn't include thewww. Throughout this book, when I write a domain that does not include the 3ws, I include thehttp://to avoid confusion.Although you can use a hyphen or an underscore in a domain name, it's generally simpler to use a combination of words run together. For example, you can register
www.digital-family.com, but that's harder to convey verbally because you have to explain the hyphens in the middle. If you simply usewww.digitalfamily.com, you can say, "My address is Digital Family dot com, all one word."Domain names cannot contain special characters. You can't use spaces, periods, apostrophes, or other punctuation or special characters, but you can use numbers and dashes.
Make sure that your domain name doesn't violate a trademark. You can do a simple trademark search at
www.uspto.gov. If you're starting a business or concerned about violating someone's trademark, consult an attorney.
You can register any domain name that hasn't already been taken by someone else. Finding out whether a name is already in use is easy — and free. To see whether a domain name is already registered, do a simple search at any domain registration Web site. All domain registrars check the same master databases that track all domain names on the Web. Hundreds of sites offer the service; the following steps use Domain.com as an example, but most work the same way:
Use a Web browser to visit a domain name registrar.
In this example, I'm using Domain.com (
www.domain.com).In the Search area on the registrar's site, type the name you want to register.
In Figure 3.2, I'm searching for
www.petservice.com.Click to begin your search.
The results of your search are displayed. (If you use
Domain.com, for example, you'll see a list that includes the name you searched for, as well as a list of variations. Most common names and phrases have already been registered, so it's no surprise that the status next to the namepetservice.comshows that it's already taken. If you scroll down the list of alternatives shown in Figure 3.2, you see thatpetservice.usis still available, as isthepetservice.net.If the name you want isn't available and you don't like the alternatives offered, you can enter another name to see whether it's available.
Domain registrars don't limit the number of names you can search for in any given search session.
Figure 3.2. If the name you want isn't available, most registrars, such as Domain.com, offer a list of recommended alternatives.
Tip
Don't get frustrated if you find that the domain name you want is already taken. You can almost always find a name that will serve you well if you get creative and try a few variations. Here are a few tips for finding a suitable variation:
Add a word or phrase that indicates geographic location or makes the name more specific. For example, if
www.news.comis taken, consider usingwww.PointReyesNews.comorwww.WestMarinNews.com.Sometimes a different name that has similar meaning can work. For example, if every variation of news is taken, consider registering a similar name, such as
www.PointReyesReports.com.Try looking for playful names. For example,
www.Accountant.comis taken, but you might still findwww.FunnyAccountants.comorwww.FrugalAccountants.com.
Note
Before you choose a close variation (or any domain name, for that matter), always check for sites whose names are similar to yours. It's generally not a good idea to choose a name that's too close to someone else's if that person is a competitor or runs a site you would be embarrassed to be associated with. Similarly, consider whether others have already set up sites with your domain name but a different domain name ending. It may seem like a good alternative to register FrugalAccountants.net if the .com version is already taken. However, because the .com ending is more common, you're likely to lose customers to FrugalAccounts.com if they offer a competitive service. If you really want a domain name that's been taken, check out the sidebar, "Disputing a domain name," later in this chapter, which explains how you can purchase a domain name that has already been registered from the owner (if he or she is willing to negotiate).
When you search for a domain name, you need to determine not only the first part of the name but also the ending, commonly called the top-level domain, or TLD. Table 3.1 provides a list of the most common domain name endings, their intended purposes, and their restrictions.
The .com domain has emerged as the most valuable because it's the best recognized and the one that people are most likely to remember. However, all these domains work the same way in terms of directing users to a Web site address. For example, www.smith.com, www.smith.net, and www.smith.org work the same way on the Internet and are used by three different Web sites.
Tip
The number of domain endings has been growing, and there are proposals to make the options nearly unlimited. Table 3.1 provides a list of the most common domain unrestricted names as well as the original list of restricted names. (ICANN controls all domain names and; only an entity that's approved to use a restricted ending can set up a domain name with that ending.)
Table 3.1. Domain Name Endings
Used By | Restrictions? | |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial organizations; by far the most popular domain ending | No |
| Internet services; used increasingly by people who don't get the | No |
| Nonprofit organizations | No |
| Businesses; a newer domain, used increasingly by businesses that don't get the | No |
| Individuals | No |
| Informational sites | No |
| Mobile sites | No |
| The air-transport industry | Yes |
| Cooperative associations | Yes |
| Museums | Yes |
| The United States government | Yes |
| Accredited colleges and universities | Yes |
| The United States military | Yes |
Nearly every country in the world now has its own domain, such as .us for the United States, .am for Armenia, .br for Brazil, .uk for the United Kingdom, and .zw for Zimbabwe.
A few foreign country codes have become popular in the United States because they represent common acronyms, such as .tv. Many folks mistakenly assume that .tv stands for television, but it's really the domain name for the country of Tuvalu. Similarly, .ws is often assumed to mean Web site (and is even listed that way on some registrar sites), but it's really the country code for Western Samoa. You can register a name with the .ws or .tv domain even if you don't live in one of those countries, but some countries have restrictions, and country domains are generally more expensive to register than names that use .com, .net, or .org.
The specifics of registering a domain name vary among the services, but the basic domain registration process is similar. Typically, after you perform your search, you're given instructions for registering the name, as well as offers to buy other kinds of services, such as Web hosting. You should never have to purchase additional services to register a domain name, but many companies offer discounts if you order multiple services. Common types of services, in addition to registration, are
E-mail: Typically, you have the option of creating one or more e-mail addresses associated with your domain name, but e-mail set-up is often better handled through your Web hosting service.
Privacy: Most services allow you to choose whether your contact information as the owner of this domain name is readily available to others through a search on the Whois database (
http://www.whois.net). Most services charge a fee for private registration, which is kind of like having an unlisted phone number.
In addition to registering your main domain name — the one you plan to hand out to colleagues and clients or friends and family — my best advice is to register every variation and misspelling of your name that you can think of and direct those domain names to your Web site. Just because some people didn't do well in the third grade spelling bee doesn't mean that they don't have money to buy your products or services online.
Directing more than one domain name to the same Web site is a relatively simple technical detail that you can arrange through your Internet service provider (ISP) or the company where you register the name. And, it's not that expensive. At the time of this writing, GoDaddy (www.godaddy.com) charges $9.99 per year, Network Solutions (www.networksolutions.com) charge, $14.99 per year, and 1&1 (www.1and1.com) charges $5.99 per year.
Also consider registering the same name with different domain endings, such as .org, .net — and, most important, .com. The educational Web site Whyville, for example, registered whyville.org (the domain ending used by most nonprofits), but it also registered whyville.com because many people will assume that's the address. Owning these additional domains can also prevent you or your visitors from potential embarrassment or misrepresentation.
Most people consider the .com version of a name the most valuable, but if the .com version is unavailable, registering the .net, .biz, or .info versions may be a fine alternative. Just make sure that the site that has the .com version isn't a direct competitor or a site that you would be embarrassed by if your visitors found it accidentally.
Note
Technically, when you register a domain name, you are leasing it, not purchasing it, which means that it's possible to lose a domain name. Make sure that your registration remains valid by renewing it when your registration service requires. Many registrars offer auto-renewal options and discounts for registering a name for two or more years in advance.
Choosing a Web host is a little like choosing a cellphone company or a long distance carrier. In theory, all phone companies provide the same ability to make a phone call, but in practice, they offer different rate plans and different levels of service.
For the purposes of this book, I'm going to assume that you don't want to run your own Web server, which would be kind of like starting your own phone company when all you need is long-distance service. Unless you're running an extremely large Web site, you should definitely look for what's called "managed hosting."
Essentially, when you sign up with a Web host, you're renting a small portion of a big computer (a Web server) that's connected to the Internet. The host gives you access to your part of that computer's hard drive, and when you transfer your Web pages to their computer, they are "served" to the Internet.
Although you can use the same service to host your site that you used to register your domain name, I've had better experiences with companies that make Web hosting their top priority. For example, Liquid Web (as shown in Figure 3.3) offers 24/7 phone support, a service you won't find at all Web hosting companies.
If you're looking for one of the cheapest Web hosting services, consider 1&1 or GoDaddy, both offer domain registration and a variety of low-cost Web hosting options, for as little as 4.99 per month. If you want to use one of the best hosting companies I've found to date and you're willing to pay between $25 and $100 per month for an account, consider www.rackspace.com.
So how do you find a Web host with the features you need for your Web site? And, how do you even know what to ask?
Before you select a Web host, consider what you want on your Web site and make sure that you find a service that meets your needs. Your goal is to find the provider with the best collection of services within your budget. The following sections highlight a few questions to ask as you explore your Web hosting options.
My best advice is to get a good start on the development plan for your site before you shop around for a service provider so that you know which kinds of services you need. (You can find more information about planning a Web project in Chapter 2.) You might decide, for example, that you want 24-hour technical support so that you can get help at night after work, but you don't want to pay extra for secure financial transactions because you don't plan to sell products online.
Here are a few of the common features to consider as you select a Web hosting service:
Bandwidth: Bandwidth measures the carrying capacity of a connection on the Internet. Compare bandwidth with a garden hose and its capacity to transport water: the larger the diameter of the hose, the more water it can carry. Bandwidth works the same way: the greater the bandwidth, the faster the transmission of information. Bandwidth gets expensive if lots of people visit your site because more visitors mean more use of the connection. If you want to offer streaming video or audio files, they can also use up a lot of bandwidth — and that means you'll have to pay a premium for hosting.
Disk space: The bigger your site — the more images and especially the more sound files, video, and animation files you include — the more you'll pay for the disk space to host it. Because video files are much larger than images or text files, video takes up much more hard disk space and requires more bandwidth to be viewed. As a result, providing many hours of video on your site can be expensive.
E-commerce: Some Web hosting packages include secure e-commerce capabilities and sophisticated programming options. Unless you're planning to sell products or services on your site or to publish large amounts of video or sound files, you'll probably do fine with the simplest or lowest-level Web hosting package your service provider offers.
Blogs and other third-party services: You can install blogging software, such as WordPress (covered in Chapter 11) on almost any Web server, but many hosts include a feature that makes it easy to install blogging and other software. Some call this one-click services; others use a program called Fantastico, which is included in your Web hosting service. The advantage is that it makes it easy to set up a blog (and many other programs) on your own server, which is something that can get complicated if you have to do it yourself.
Unix, Linux versus Microsoft Web hosting: Some service providers use Linux server software; others use Microsoft. If you use the templates included in this book, either type of server should work fine, but if you create a WordPress blog or other service or system that requires programming language, you'll want to make sure your server supports it. The most common technologies used in the Web these days are PHP, JSP, and Perl, which work well on Linux servers, and ASP or ASP.NET, which work only on Microsoft servers.
Streaming media: If you want to offer audio, video, or Flash animations on your Web site, check whether your hosting service features the ability to stream your multimedia files. It's a nice option: Streaming is what enables site visitors to start playing a video or audio file while it is downloading, instead of having to wait for the entire file to download before it can start. Keep in mind, however, that you can use a third-party service to host your video, avoiding the potential cost and challenges of hosting video on your own server. YouTube offers free hosting for short videos and it's easy to insert videos hosted on YouTube on your own pages. You'll find a slightly higher-level service from Vimeo (
www.vimeo.com). (You find more information about these and other services in Chapter 13.)Warning
If your Web host sets a limit on bandwidth usage, you can end up with a big, unexpected bill if a video or audio file on your site becomes very popular. For example, I have a client on a premium Web host that offers excellent service but sets a limit on the bandwidth included in their monthly fee. If just one of their high-quality videos got popular enough to attract a million visitors in one month (which is not so unusual on the Web), they could get hit with a $12,000 bill, just for that month of video hosting. That's why I recommend a dedicated video host for anyone who does video on their Web site. With
www.vimeo.com, one of the most popular video services, you upload your videos to Vimeo and then simply copy a piece of code to your own site and then it plays within the page on your Web site. (You learn more about video hosting services, such as Vimeo and YouTube, in Chapter 13.)
Many Web hosting services, such as those provided by Yahoo!, as shown in Figure 3.4, provide e-commerce features in addition to hosting and domain registration all in one place. If you're thinking of starting a business or taking your existing retail business online, you want to make sure your service provider can handle e-commerce transactions. If you plan to sell a lot of products, I also recommend using a shopping cart system, which is a program that enables visitors to add products to a checkout page that tracks and tallies selected items as a visitor moves through your site. You can buy shopping cart systems separately, but many service providers (such as Yahoo!) include shopping cart features as part of their online store services. (You can find more information about selling products on the Web in Chapter 14.)
As you compare options, you might notice that some providers charge more for packages that enable you to host multiple domain names. You might choose a package that supports multiple domain names if you want each member of the family to be able to register their own domain name and set up their own site separately or if you run multiple companies or information sites. For example, you can set up www.JeanDoherty.com, www.JoshDoherty.com, and www.TheDohertyFamily.com as separate sites on the same account if it supports multiple domains. Although a Web hosting package that supports multiple domain names is generally more expensive, it might save you money compared with the cost of setting up a different Web hosting account for each Web site you want to create.
Tip
Note the difference between hosting multiple domain names that point to different Web sites, as in the example in the preceding paragraph, and pointing two or more domain names to the same site. If you want two names (such as www.TheDohertyFamily.com and www.TheDohertys.com) to direct visitors to the same site, you can manage that situation with your domain name registrar and save the cost of a premium Web server account that supports multiple domain names. Check with your domain name registrar for more information on how to forward multiple domain names to the same Web server.