One of the first steps to getting your business setup online is to purchase a domain name.  You do this using a service called a registrar.  There are numerous registrars out there, but my preferred company is GoDaddy.  You may be familiar with GoDaddy from their racy Superbowl commercials or their relentless online advertising campaigns.  Despite the fact that their website is super cluttered with a bunch of extra stuff they’re trying to sell you, they have one of the best domain management tools available.  Let me show you what I mean.

When you first visit GoDaddy’s website, you’re presented with a littany of choices.  In this case, we just want to register a new domain name.  So, type your desired choice in the box indicated below:

Choose your domain name

For this example, let’s assume you’re looking for your name as a domain name.  So, for me, I would type: scottreynolds.com    Let’s see what happens:

In this case, my name is already taken, but they have numerous suggestions below.  For this example, I’m going to take the .info domain name.  If you don’t like any of the suggestions, try to come up with something else that you like.  Eventually you’ll find a good domain name.

The next step is trying to navigate through all the other stuff that GoDaddy will try to sell you before actually allowing you to make a purchase.  Always look for the ‘Next’ or ‘Continue’ or ‘No Thanks’ buttons on the bottom of the screen.  I don’t recommend purchasing any of their extra services unless you REALLY need them.

They’re going to try to get you again and again.  If you don’t already have a GoDaddy account, this is going to be the time to create one.  They need a bunch of information from you so that you can properly register your domain name.  Don’t worry, they keep your information safe and secure.

Once you’re logged in (or have created an account) you’ll eventually get to this screen:

This is FINALLY checkout.  On the bottom half of this screen, you’re going to enter your payment info and complete the checkout process.

Congratulations, you have a new domain name!

Click Here to give GoDaddy a try.