Domain Name Registration

What is a domain name?
What's the difference between your Web site and a great big site run by, say, McDonald's? Assuming your site has animation that features happy children waving from the window of a fast-food restaurant, there's no difference--except that the golden arches are at http://www.mcdonalds.com/, while you may be at a Web address that looks something like http://www.isp.net/users/~yourname/index.html. How did Mickey D's acquire such an easy-to-remember address? Simple: the company paid for it.

Over the past couple of years people and corporations have registered a flurry of domain names to carry over their name recognition to the Internet. Want to find a big corporation's Web site? Chances are it's at www.bigcorporation.com. But if you set up a site through your local Internet service provider, you get a big, unwieldy address. Still, that doesn't mean you're stuck with it. It's just a matter of choosing a unique name--and paying for it. So sit back and ponder what domain name you want to claim as we step you through the process of making your URL your own.

Search for a domain name
The first step to getting your own domain name is using InterNIC's free online search to see if the name is already taken. In the form below, enter the name you want. You don't need the http://www part of the name, just the subdomain(s) and the top-level domain.

So, for example, type yourname.com in the form and hit Return; you'll get a response telling you whether the name is already taken or is up for grabs. If the result screen says "No match for YOURNAME.COM," you're free to pursue that domain name. If, instead, the screen displays information about a company or an individual, it means the domain name is taken; you'll have to try another name. Once you've read the InterNIC response, use your browser's Back button to return to this screen.

Registering your domain name
There are two ways to register a domain name. The easier method is to ask your Internet service provider (ISP) to do it for you. But if you're an ardent do-it-yourselfer, you can fill in the online InterNIC forms yourself. (Of course, you still have to mail a check.) Why choose one over the other? AVS Network :
     - It's easy--all the work is done for you.
     - You're all set to link the domain name to your Web page.
     - We can also set up your email address.

The costs
It used to be free to register a domain name. But when the number of name registrations exploded--from 18,000 com addresses in mid-1994 to more than 82,000 a year later--InterNIC imposed a registration fee. These days, we can register the domain name for you from $33 per year.

Register your domain name today
If you would like to do it yourself, go to the following sites :
     - For .COM, .BIZ, .NET, .CA, .CC, .UK, .ORG domain names -  http://registry.avs.net.au
     - For .COM.AU domain names - http://www.ina.com.au.

Now get your web site designed.

Confused? Email us your Questions.

Call us - 1800 248 000

All prices quoted in Australian Dollars and include GST unless otherwise stated.
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