Once an individual or a company has decided to have a website, the first step is to engage the services of a reputed web designer and development company to get a website designed. While entrusting the design and development job to a design and development services provider, clear and lucid ideas must be given about the type of website the customer wants.

Once the design and development is ready, the next important step is the registration of the website. Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, ICANN is the authority where the website has to be registered. This has to be done through an approved Domain Registration Services provider or web hosting agency. If registering through a web hosting agency, make sure that the name is registered in customer’s name only to prevent future misuse.

Choose a good name or website address and get it registered without wasting time. There are hundreds of reputed website address registries available and choose a reputed one amongst theme. Once the names are registered, the website has to be pointed to the address through DNS servers.

While choosing a registrar, make sure that the registrar has transparent fees structure, registers and maintains ‘whois’ records which are accessible to the website owner, offers sufficient storage space in server, has minimal downtime of servers and provides quality privacy-assured email services.

Website address registration is full of tricks and pitfalls. Always verify what you get finally and never go only for cheap rates. Sometimes it is worth the effort to pay higher fees for real quality work. The general complications that arise as a consequence of registering with malafide registrars are many and damaging. The unscrupulous registrar could sell the valuable domain name by registering it in their name instead of the website owner. The registrar could disappear overnight leaving you in the lurch.

All registered addresses should be renewed after the agreed license period in order not to lose the same. No business can afford to have their name expire. When a name registration runs out and automatic renewal hasn’t been set up, the domain registrar or web hosting company who sold the domain name will soon offer it for sale again.

However, there is some hope, at least if you act quickly. The rules vary between different domain registrars and web hosting services, but many of these companies will place domain names on hold for a short period after the registration has lapsed. The registrant will then have a little time to reclaim their lost domain names. But do such risks need be taken?

Register, renew and protect your names and website addresses with care and caution.