Using Your Domain Name

So, you've registered your domain name? Great! Now what?

Although domain names are commonly used for hosting a website, this isn't always the case. This article discusses some of the most common reasons people register domain names.

Here are some of the most common things you can do with your domain name:

• Create a website

  The most common reason for registering a domain name is to create a website. The domain name represents the "web address" of the website.

  The easiest way to create a website is to use an online website builder such as Zappyhost's. This is for non-technical people who want to build a website without learning the technical side. By using this method, your new domain name will automatically be applied to your website when you open your account.

  If you choose to build your own website (i.e. not using an online website builder), you will still need a web hosting account (so that your website can be viewed by the world). After opening your web hosting account, you will need to update your domain name's DNS settings so that it points to your website. This is quite straight forward, and you will receive instructions when you open your hosting account.

  If you choose this option, check out these hosting plans.

• Multiple email accounts

  You can use your domain name to create multiple email accounts. This is ideal for families, groups, and businesses.

  If you have a business, you can create email accounts for each member of your staff. You can also create email accounts such as "support@..." or "sales@..." etc.

  The number of email accounts you can create will depend on the domain/hosting plan you choose.

  For more information, check out these email plans. For a more complete package including web hosting and up to 1,000 email accounts, check out these hosting plans.

• Sell it

  This may seem odd at first. After all, why would you register a domain name only to try and sell it again?

  The answer to this is easy... money.

  Many people register domain names with the sole purpose of selling them for a profit. They only register domain names that they think someone else would want to pay good money for - much more than the cost of registration.

  Such domain names are often desirable to a company because they include the company name, a product name or brand name. Other domain names are desirable due to the fact that they include "valuable" keywords - keywords that would attract search engine traffic.

  Basically, what the buyer is doing is buying the rights to register the domain name. Therefore, they will pay you money, so that they can register it under their own name. Although they've paid you money, they still have to pay the annual registration fee when due.

  So, if you own a "valuable" domain name, you may be approached one day by a company who's prepared to offer you a small (or even large) fortune for it.

• Earn income

  Some people register domain names purely to earn money from them. They can do this by displaying ads to visitors to the domain.

  When a web visitor accesses their domain via a browser, ads are displayed on the domain's homepage. The domain owner can earn money based on ad impressions (how many times an ad is viewed), click throughs (how many times an ad is clicked), or commissions (a percentage of any sales resulting from a click through on an ad).

If you are interested in registering a domain name, go to ZappyHost and check the availability all your potential domain names. You will find some of the best prices on the Internet. You will also special pricing when you purchase a non-domain product (such as hosting) along with your domain name.