Ever wondered how websites are named? What if you wanted to name a website after your name but discovered that there is already an existing website of the same address? This is where the concept of domain name registration comes in.

Every computer in the World Wide Web is uniquely identified by an IP (Internet Protocol) address. For example, the Yahoo homepage has the IP address of 209.191.93.53, Google's is 74.125.67.100, and MySpace's is 63.135.80.49. For human internet users, memorizing these addresses just to be able to go to the particular website seems inappropriate and unappealing. Just imagine the millions of websites in the internet. Within that huge number, you must know the particular IP address of the website you intend to visit. To make navigation and website browsing a whole lot easier, the concept of domain names came into existence.

Domain names are the string of letters that you type in the address bar of your internet browser. Examples are Google.com, and MySpace. They navigate you to the website homepage, same as when the IP address is typed into the address bar. But compared to the former method, this one is a lot easier to do, right? That is exactly the purpose of domain names - to provide an easy-to-remember name that will uniquely identify a particular website among the millions already existing today.

The owner of the website has the freedom to choose the name, provided that it is unique. A domain name server (DNS) holds a list of existing names in the internet with its corresponding IP addresses. This serves as a reference table for translating the website name to its corresponding IP address during navigation. Owning a name is on a first-come-first-served basis and the inclusion of your domain name in the DNS has a fee. Websites, especially business-related ones, aim to acquire a name that will be easily remembered and will effectively summarize the content of their websites. For example you are making a site tribute to King of Pop Michael Jackson. A good name for the site is http://www.michaeljackson.com. Issues arise if another person has already owned that name and you want to have that name for your website. What you can do is buy that name from the owner. Certain arrangements are made including bidding (if more than one person wants the name).

Several websites in the internet have popped out offering easy ways to acquire a name and to undergo the process of domain name registration. You have the choice of getting a '.com', '.org', and many others for your website. Your choice just affects which DNS the website's domain will be registered and also the fee to be charged. Commonly, the fee is charged annually. If you were not able to pay for your name and your subscription has expired, the website will not be displayed when the domain name is typed in the address bar and it will be available for claiming by other website makers.

Domain name registration is a must for those who are planning to build a website. Choose a good name for the website, one which contains keywords related to the content of the site. This will make visiting and remembering your website easier.