So maybe you are interested in a personalised email, like @mylastname.com. Or maybe you are interested in starting a business with a web presence, or a business that operated entirely online. You might even be registering a domain that you believe will be of significant value down the road. Whatever the case, registering your first domain name can be an exciting experience, akin to getting your first car or buying your first home.

Ok, maybe thats an exaggeration. But for those of us that follow the domain registration industry closely, your first domain name registration is a moment you will never forget. Here are a few tips on the process:

1. First, you will need to determine the availability of the name you wish to register. Most domain registrars have tools right on their homepage to let you know of a domain’s availability. If your domain is already registered, dont fret. You might still be able to acquire it.
2. Picking a domain registrar. The net is chalk full of domain registrars. GoDaddy is the most popular, but by no means the only registrar you will want to consider. Some offer free domain registration, while others offer cheap domain registration. Some registrars make their name in web hosting, and will register your domain for free if you host your site with them.
3. What are your plans? Are you registering a domain name for a website, or just for a personalized email? If your choice is the former, you will need to plan ahead and get a web host ready.
4. How important is your privacy? When registering a domain name, the domain has an associated whois record that is publicly accessible. It tells who registered the domain, and shares your contact info. If you wish to keep this information private, be sure to look into private domain registration. It will keep your information hidden from public view.

If your domain is already registered, a good course of action is to visit that domain on the net. Many sites will have contact info for the owner. You can contact him/her to discuss the potential sale and transfer of that domain. If you have any questions concerning domain registration, be sure to contact us.

This month, in September of 2011, the internet’s largest domain registrar reached a historic milestone for domain registration, surpassing the 50 million mark. That is 50,000,000 domain names registered through GoDaddy.com, the 50 millionth being DBAkit.com. The event represents a significant milestone not only for godaddy, but for the internet as a whole. Despite slow growth in other sectors, the internet remains a fruitful marketplace full of opportunity and growth.

Some industry pundits predict that the golden age of domain ownership has passed, and makes claims that all good domain names have been taken. But this event is a clear indicator that this is not the case. Those that counter this claim see domain name registration akin to the real estate market, where each and every individual is able to purchase their own little slice of the internet. Besides representing the address for websites, both of the commercial and personal nature, domain names allow for personalised email addresses and e-commerce opportunities.

An interesting point to take from this milestone on domain registrations is that despite the monumental number of domain names being registered each year, recent studies have shown that nearly 40% of businesses (small to medium) have yet to setup a website nor register their company’s domain name. If this is not a sign of opportunity, Im not sure what is.

Go-Daddy is the largest ICANN-accredited domain registrar in the world, and is said to be roughly 3.5 – 4 times as large as their nearest competitor. In 2011, Go Daddy was acquired by a group of investment firms and technology players at an unofficial price of $2.25 billion.