Question about domain names

[shariok]

I am clueless about how this works... I get emails saying I can buy my own domain name for like "$1.95 / year". So I want to buy a domain name, and I'm still thinking of what I want it to be... my name .com, my slogan .com, city real estate .com, etc...
I am new, and do not have tons of money to have someone design a website for me. So... I have done a free point2NLS website - just to get started with and see how it all works. I want the domain I buy to link to my little website on point2nls.
How do I go about doing this? Any help will be greatly appreciated!
I hope this posts makes some sense. Sorry, I'm so lost about all of this!

Thanks in advance!
Shari

[ericbadgley]

My advise is think branding not seo. I mad the mistake of buying a bunch of city real estates.

[jessiesc]

While the domain can be very important, IMO it is not the most important issue.

You start out by getting a domain name, use your name or nick name if you can't find anything else that suits you (example: sharisellsok dot com). You can always buy more domain names later and bring up more websites.

Once you have your domain name, your webhosting company will give you a (2) dns number (some hosting companies will do this for you) that you apply to your domain name with the company you registered with (go dad as an example). Also, some hosts can do everything for you, including getting the domain name - I believe REW offers full service in this area (not sure, so let I'll someone from REW comment), not sure about point2.

Good luck.

[shariok]

Thanks for the advice so far!

What is SEO?
Do you mean branding as in a slogan?

[jessiesc]

You're going to see a lot of acronyms thrown at you now...

SEO = Search Engine Optimization
SEM = Search Engine Marketing

[Lydia]

Don't buy a domain from anyone sending you spam. Use a reputable registrar like go-daddy, dnsexit, etc. They will register the name for you with ICANN and then you can redirect the domain to the DNS servers of the hosting company of your choice.

Oh, and buy the domain for 5-10 years, not 1 or 2. You can re-register it again at that time.

[Rene Galvan]

You mention that you are using Point2 for your website. The easiest (not most economical) would be to use their domain store. The have a section in the control panel that lets you buy one. Just make sure you can take it with you if you decide to design your own site later.

I am currently using Point2 for hosting websites for my submarkets to keep my costs down. As to which domain name to use, I would recommend having the city name in the domain if possible. It is easier to remember for direct traffic, plus it helps rank in Google.

[ChiliPepperWeb]

Before you buy a domain name from anybody, I recommend doing a little reading to make sure you understand what a domain name is, how it works, and how to protect it and keep from getting ripped off. I harp on this because what you don't know can hurt you later on. If you decide to build a site and host it using your domain somewhere else later, you will need to know this stuff, guaranteed.

Understanding Your Domain Name

[shariok]

Thanks for everyone's help! I called a domain company and talked to them and they really helped me too.
I guess I was just thinking it was going to be harder to do than it really is! It's a pretty simple process to get your domain set up!
Thanks!
Shari

[Rene Galvan]

Hi, so what is your new domain name???