Domain name registration is the process by which a company or individual can register a website name or URL, such as www.yourwebsite.com. Domain registration is done for a specified period like 1 to 10 years and once you have completed domain registration the domain becomes yours for the period of the contract. Now once this time period is going to be over, Before registration expires it must be renewed, If any company or individual does not renew its, it will be put on hold for some time by the domain registrar. Even if the domain is not renewed during this period, your registered domain will be available to the general public.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) manages the international Domain Name Server (DNS) database. ICANN insures that all registered names are unique and map properly to a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address. The IP address is the numerical address of the website that tells other computers on the Internet where to find the server host and domain.

Domain registration is available to the public via a registrar. Before a domain registration can be registered, the new name must be checked against existing names in the DNS database. The online registrar provides a field into which you can enter your desired name and hierarchy —- that is, the letters that come after the "dot." Familiar hierarchies are .com, .net, .org, .name, .info and .biz. If the name is not already taken, it is available for domain registration.

During the domain registration process, you will be required to give contact information that will be publicly available through the WHOIS database. If any user does not want to show his/her information in who.is then he can go for Private registration by paying extra to the registrar. Anyone can go to a WHOIS search engine and enter a domain name to see who has registered it but in case of private registration contact will not be made public.

Also important, be sure you will own the domain name, make sure you retain the option to transfer the domain to another registrar, if you wish. This could become important down the road if you wish to take advantage of another registrar's products or services.

A domain name is your "virtual address" on the Internet. Some people refer to them as 'web addresses' or 'URL's". It will help people find your business, services and products. You cannot establish a credible and effective presence on the web without one.

Just like your business name, you do not own a domain name. In Australia, you can obtain a licence to use a .com.au domain name for a period of two years although, like the registration of your business name, the licence is renewable. To apply for a domain name you need to register your application with an accredited Australian domain name registrar or a reseller. You can also register names with extensions like .com, .net etc.

You are required to choose a domain name that is compatible or aligned with your business name. You may use your complete commercial name or an abbreviation of it. The domain name can consist of letters, numbers and hyphens (eg. "A1_plumbers.com.au").