Alakazam
08-06-2007, 09:31 PM
A domain name is basically the address to your web site. The domain site for PokeZam.com is http://www.pokezam.com. For a sub domain like http://site.pokezam.com, pokezam.com would still be the domain name. If you are looking for a way to increase visitors to your site, a domain name is a great way since your URL will be easier to remember.
When you choosing a domain name, there are a few things to take into account. First of all, make sure that your domain name isn't too long. Don't make it like http://www.my-site-is-the-coolest-site-in-the-world.com because no one will bother typing in your URL since it's too hard to remember. You should also make sure that your URL has something to do with your site. If you have a site on Pokemon, try to include "poke" in it somewhere. Try to register the .com address that you want because it's the most popular extension. You don't want people typing in http://www.yoursite.com and going to someone else's site. If you have to choose another extension try .net, since .org isn't really good for a personal site. It's just human nature to want to type in .com, I guess.
You can also try to register a domain name that is similar to a popular site. For example, if you always miss a letter on a popular site, try registering the mistake URL and you might get a lot of traffic. Just remember that this isn't always a good idea if the site with the original URL isn't about Pokemon because then you'll get visitors who won't care and will leave right away.
Remember that before you get a domain name, you should make sure you that have a host. You will probably end up paying money for hosting since there aren't a lot of free hosts that let you host domain names. Some hosts offer free domain names with the purchase of a hosting plan, but beware because if you cancel they might keep the URL and claim it as your own and you'll have to get a new one and you'll lose all your visitors.
So you're ready to buy your domain name and you have a host, what next? First of all, you have to choose who you're going to buy the domain name from. There are millions of site that sell domain names, but just to be safe, I would go with Go Daddy (http://www.godaddy.com/), since they are reliable and have one of the best prices available. If you are unsure of how long you want to have your site open, I would just register your domain name for a year, but remember to renew it before it expires because if you don't, there are sites that will register it the day it expires and they'll put advertisements on it and you'll have to find a new one or wait until it expires, which could be a year or longer.
When you are filling out your contact information, be sure to not put your real address because anybody can do a WHOIS and look up all the information you entered for your site and easily find out where you live. I found that out the hard way, so only put your real name and email to be on the same side.
Now that you've paid for your domain name, you should now pay for your host. Once that's done, it's now time to update your Name Servers. Your host should have told you what you are suposed to update your Name Servers to, but they didn't try putting in ns1.yourhost.com and ns2.yourhost.com, of course replacing "yourhost.com" with the domain name of your host. For example, if you were hosted by me, it would be ns1.pokezam.com and ns2.pokezam.com. If that doesn't work, try looking in emails your host sent you and on their FAQ page. If you are sure unsure, just email them and ask them what to change the Name Servers to.
Now that your Name Servers have been updated, try typing in the URL to your site and see if it works. Sometimes it might go to a page setup by your Domain Name register like Go Daddy. Updating the Name Servers doesn't make your site work right away though. Sometimes it can take a couple days or longer to work. If you want to upload your site early, try looking for the ISP address to your site. You can usually find that in your control panel. If it has been a few days and your site is still doesn't work or it works in one browser like Internet Explorer, but it won't work in Netscape Navigator, then there are some steps you can take to see what the problem is.
After a site move its possible that your local ISP's DNS server will continue to send you to the 'old' address. Sometimes, it is possible to do a "flush dns" to re-retrieve the updated DNS record and thus see the site at its new location. Although it does not work 100% of the time, you can try these steps to flush the DNS cache. If they don't work for you, unfortunately you'll just wait till the DNS cache expires and refreshes on its own, varies from minutes to days depending on the ISP.
1. Go to: Start Menu > Run...
2. Type: command
3. Type: ping yourdomain.com and note the IP #'s it gets a reply from.
4. Type: ipconfig /flushdns
5. Type: ping yourdomain.com and note the new IP #'s.
(If they did not update, you may have to repeat step 3-5 again)
6. After the IP numbers update, you should be able to visit your site on the new server in your browser.
If that doesn't work, have someone else test your site remotely or wait for the DNS propagation.
You can buy your URL before you have a host if you want to make sure nobody takes it, but remember that the time starts the second you buy your domain name. You can set your domain name to forward to your site automatically while you are getting ready to change hosts.
If you have anymore questions about domain names, you can email me (webmaster@pokezam.com) and I'll be glad to answer them for you. Just remember that the better URL you have, the most traffic you'll get.
When you choosing a domain name, there are a few things to take into account. First of all, make sure that your domain name isn't too long. Don't make it like http://www.my-site-is-the-coolest-site-in-the-world.com because no one will bother typing in your URL since it's too hard to remember. You should also make sure that your URL has something to do with your site. If you have a site on Pokemon, try to include "poke" in it somewhere. Try to register the .com address that you want because it's the most popular extension. You don't want people typing in http://www.yoursite.com and going to someone else's site. If you have to choose another extension try .net, since .org isn't really good for a personal site. It's just human nature to want to type in .com, I guess.
You can also try to register a domain name that is similar to a popular site. For example, if you always miss a letter on a popular site, try registering the mistake URL and you might get a lot of traffic. Just remember that this isn't always a good idea if the site with the original URL isn't about Pokemon because then you'll get visitors who won't care and will leave right away.
Remember that before you get a domain name, you should make sure you that have a host. You will probably end up paying money for hosting since there aren't a lot of free hosts that let you host domain names. Some hosts offer free domain names with the purchase of a hosting plan, but beware because if you cancel they might keep the URL and claim it as your own and you'll have to get a new one and you'll lose all your visitors.
So you're ready to buy your domain name and you have a host, what next? First of all, you have to choose who you're going to buy the domain name from. There are millions of site that sell domain names, but just to be safe, I would go with Go Daddy (http://www.godaddy.com/), since they are reliable and have one of the best prices available. If you are unsure of how long you want to have your site open, I would just register your domain name for a year, but remember to renew it before it expires because if you don't, there are sites that will register it the day it expires and they'll put advertisements on it and you'll have to find a new one or wait until it expires, which could be a year or longer.
When you are filling out your contact information, be sure to not put your real address because anybody can do a WHOIS and look up all the information you entered for your site and easily find out where you live. I found that out the hard way, so only put your real name and email to be on the same side.
Now that you've paid for your domain name, you should now pay for your host. Once that's done, it's now time to update your Name Servers. Your host should have told you what you are suposed to update your Name Servers to, but they didn't try putting in ns1.yourhost.com and ns2.yourhost.com, of course replacing "yourhost.com" with the domain name of your host. For example, if you were hosted by me, it would be ns1.pokezam.com and ns2.pokezam.com. If that doesn't work, try looking in emails your host sent you and on their FAQ page. If you are sure unsure, just email them and ask them what to change the Name Servers to.
Now that your Name Servers have been updated, try typing in the URL to your site and see if it works. Sometimes it might go to a page setup by your Domain Name register like Go Daddy. Updating the Name Servers doesn't make your site work right away though. Sometimes it can take a couple days or longer to work. If you want to upload your site early, try looking for the ISP address to your site. You can usually find that in your control panel. If it has been a few days and your site is still doesn't work or it works in one browser like Internet Explorer, but it won't work in Netscape Navigator, then there are some steps you can take to see what the problem is.
After a site move its possible that your local ISP's DNS server will continue to send you to the 'old' address. Sometimes, it is possible to do a "flush dns" to re-retrieve the updated DNS record and thus see the site at its new location. Although it does not work 100% of the time, you can try these steps to flush the DNS cache. If they don't work for you, unfortunately you'll just wait till the DNS cache expires and refreshes on its own, varies from minutes to days depending on the ISP.
1. Go to: Start Menu > Run...
2. Type: command
3. Type: ping yourdomain.com and note the IP #'s it gets a reply from.
4. Type: ipconfig /flushdns
5. Type: ping yourdomain.com and note the new IP #'s.
(If they did not update, you may have to repeat step 3-5 again)
6. After the IP numbers update, you should be able to visit your site on the new server in your browser.
If that doesn't work, have someone else test your site remotely or wait for the DNS propagation.
You can buy your URL before you have a host if you want to make sure nobody takes it, but remember that the time starts the second you buy your domain name. You can set your domain name to forward to your site automatically while you are getting ready to change hosts.
If you have anymore questions about domain names, you can email me (webmaster@pokezam.com) and I'll be glad to answer them for you. Just remember that the better URL you have, the most traffic you'll get.