Question: I have an idea for a new website, but how do I get the web site name, and how much will it cost?
Question: I have an idea for a new website, but how do I get the web site name, and how much will it cost?
Answer: The website name is called a domain name and it can end with .com, .net, .org, .info, .us, .biz, .tv and a few others.
You’ll first need to check with a web hosting provider to see if the domain name is available.
Once you find one that’s available, then you’ll need to reserve it.
Reserving a domain name gives you the rights to create web pages that people can view on the internet when they enter your domain name, but you’ll also need to purchase web hosting service to actually make those pages visible on the internet.
Checking if your domain name is available is completely free, and doesn’t obligate you to actually buy it. I use HostMonster for this site (which I’ve used for numerous websites over the past 15 years) and you can check if your domain name is available by visiting their site and clicking “Domain Check”:
You can enter any domain name and it will check if it’s not already being used by someone else. If your domain name is available, then you can purchase it from HostMonster, which reserves it for a year or however long you choose.
HostMonster also gives you the domain name for free when you sign up for a year of web hosting, which you’ll want to do anyway because you’ll get the lowest monthly rates that way. Web hosting is very affordable, and you shouldn’t have to pay more than $6 or $7 a month. This will give you plenty of data storage, bandwidth, email addresses, and even databases for installing things like WordPress for your own blog.
You can view a list of web hosting providers and the types of options they give you by viewing this article: Web Hosting Provider Comparison