Every website has a "doubya, doubya, doubya" thing, which is typically known as your "website address" and is technically known as your "domain name". To get started, you need to do three things:
- Select your website's domain name, if you don't already have one. If you're new at this, let me help you pick a name and help guide you through the process of getting your name "registered". Some names are terrible, some are easy to remember.
- Next, you will need to pay to "register" the name you have selected. You do this by going to a website that is a "registrar" of website addresses.
- Finally, when you register a name, they will want to know the address of the computer server where your website is accessed. This is known as the Nameserver. Your website will be accessed on a nameserver that has three addresses: ns1.dreamhost.com, ns2.dreamhost.com, ns3.dreamhost.com. If, at some time in the future, you want for someone else to take over hosting your website, all you need to do is go back to the registrar, login and point your domain name to another nameserver.
You can do all three steps at Godaddy.com, which is the cheapest place I know. Go there and click on the "Domain Name Search" area under the "Start Domain Search" button. Hunt for the name you want. They typically cost about $10/year and you can get it for one year, five years or ten years. Godaddy is cluttered and full of advertising; but it works that's why they're so cheap.
Again, I'm happy to guide you through this process.
