Select Page

Domain Name Registration

The basics of a domain name

Domain Name: A domain name is a fixed name that connects users to the server where your website is hosted.

Let’s really break this simple statement down:

  • “Domain name” – google.com, shawndewolfe.com, yahoo.ca — those are all “domain names.”
  • A “server” is a computer that is connected to the Internet. It runs a number of programs that allow it to deliver or serve its data to Internet users. Data can be images, web pages, emails and other digitized information. A server does more than store files. Often a server does a lot of work. The web applications we build carry out some of that work.
  • “Hosting” is the service provided by an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Service providers connect computers to the Internet and maintain those computers. They also take care of computer maintenance and make sure the Internet traffic is running smoothly.

When a user types a domain name into a web browser (eg. Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer), that name converts into an address that routes your visit to the server where the website is hosted.  Over the lifetime of a domain name, a website owner may need to move their web hosting to another ISP. The domain name remains constant and points to the new service provider.

A domain name is something licensed by an individual, business or institution. How they see fit to use it is under their control. That’s an important distinction. We have “shawndewolfe.com” and host it with our web host. We also have a Facebook page, https://facebook.com/mshawndewolfe/ — we can move the “shawndewolfe.com” to a different host and few visitors would know the difference. If we wanted to do the same with our Facebook page, well, we couldn’t do that. Facebook owners Facebook.com. We don’t: our web page on Facebook is not portable, but our domain name is portable.

Domain names used to be expensive and tricky to obtain. A lot has changed in the nearly 25 years we’ve been working on the Web. They are now easy to set-up, inexpensive and easy to use. We have partnered with Namecheap.com to offer a seamless system for getting a domain name, linking it to a web host and launching your website. When asking Shawn DeWolfe Consulting to handle your Domain Name Registration, rest assured it will be properly set-up, managed and renewed to keep it in good standing. We won’t let your domain name unintentionally get loose.

Click here to get started with your Domain Name Registration

What does it take to get a domain name?

  • You must select an available name. We can help you arrive at an available name that will make sense to your audience.
  • We have two approaches for domain name registration: either a do-it-yourself approach; or a done-for-you approach.
  • Be prepared to pay an annual fee. Our partner, Namecheap, does offer deals. As those arise, check out our Twitter feed, twitter.com/sdcwebsites/ and get in on the good deal.
  • When it comes to the technicalities, we’re here to help.