Basic Concepts: Part 2
Getting your web site ‘live’ on the Web
With the nerd background details under our belts, we can now learn about the two steps to going live on the Web:
- Register your domain.
- Rent some server space.
1. Registering your domain
There are many companies out there that allow you to register the domain name for your web site. Prices vary, as does the quality of service, but at the end of the day, they all handle the details of getting your domain name listed in the giant address book I spoke about earlier.
These days, you will find that many of the names you may be interested in registering are already taken. As I mentioned above, domain names have to be unique and many have been slurped up.
What is the difference between .com, .net, .org, etc.?
Practically speaking, there is really no difference these days. Search engines don’t discriminate between a .COM address and a .NET address. The only thing you might consider is that people tend to type in .COM automatically since it was the first publicly known domain extension. So when registering a domain name, I would go for the .COM first and if it was taken, I would then try for any of the others. (.net, .org, .tv, etc. …)
You probably guessed; a .COM address is not the same domain name of the same name with a different extension. So for example:
www.killersites.com is not the same place as www.killersites.net
As such, each of the addresses can be registered separately.
2. Renting server space to ‘host’ your web site
You need to rent space on a server so that it can serve your web site to the World Wide Web; this is often called ‘hosting’. Companies that provide this service are often called ‘host’ or hosting companies.
After you’ve registered your domain, all you need to do is contact a hosting company and tell them your domain name. They will be able to guide you through the process and you should be live on the web in no time – typically within a week or less.
