A domain name is what people type into a browser to find a website – similar to how you use a street address to find a building. Every website, server, or digital device that is connected to the Internet has an assigned IP address that you can use to see or visit it. This IP address is a long string of numbers and letters that would be very difficult for people to memorize, so a domain name is simply a human-friendly version of that IP address.

When you type a domain name – like www.godaddy.com or www.google.com – into your browser, the domain name system, or DNS, takes this domain and translates it into its IP address, allowing the associated website to be found.

Having your own domain name can help you appear more legitimate to people who search for you or your business online.

Simply enter the web address you want into the domain name search box. If the name you entered has already been registered, we’ll provide suggestions of alternative names. If the domain is available, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the registration process.

Domain name registration is the process of finding a web address (like guitar,store or thedomain.store), and then signing up to use it. You technically don’t own the domain, but once you’ve registered it, it’s yours to use for as long as you continue paying the annual registration fee. If you let your domain registration lapse, the domain will become available for someone else to register.

When searching for a good domain name, keep these 4 things in mind:

Reflect your brand. Ideally, your domain name should be your business name, since that’s how customers will think of you.

Keep it short. Shorter domain names are easier for customers to remember.

Avoid numbers or hyphens. Customers might not remember to include hyphens, and if they hear your web address with a number, they won’t know if you’re using the numeral 5 or “five” spelled out. If your business name has a number in it, register both versions of the domain – one with the number and one with the number spelled out.

Register more than one domain. You can help keep your name safe by registering common misspellings of your brand name.