Welcome to the world of web hosting. The basic steps you need to build your web site include: choose a domain name for your site, find a reliable web host that fits your need, design your site to attract your visitors, and promote your site to the proper audiences.

The internet is a virtual world with vast amount of information stored in various physical locations inside some man made electronic devices we called computers that linked together by metal wires or by wireless communication electro-magnetic signals. The virtual world is indexed by domains. A domain name is a unique identifier of your web site. The domain name, typically typed in a form of URL in a browser, is mapped by the DNS (Domain Name System) to the IP address of the computer where your web site is located. So, to be part of the WWW, you need a unique domain name. As an example, the domain name of the site hostwhere.com. The .com is an extension,  most domains fall into .com, .org, .net, etc. categories. ".com" extension ( top-level domains) is most common for commercial web sites.  Non-profit organizations might prefer using .org, net related may use .net, universities would use .edu, etc..

A domain name can be any thing as long as no conflict with existing domain names. But a best domain name should serve your purpose: (1) it should reflects your site's content; (2) it should be easy to remember and to promote your site. 

When you come up with a name, check if it already exists. Simply type your domain name in a browser to check if it exists. You may also use the box below to check the availability. Note, that even it says a domain name is available at sites like nameboy.com, that does not always mean that the domain is available, sometimes it's not up to date, so check it in a browser.

Many web hosts do domain registration for you. But you may want to do it separately, then do a domain transfer (most web hosting offers free transfer). This way, you have full control of your domain, and you may also find cheaper rate than doing it with a hosting provider. Places to register a domain include:Network Solutions, Alldomains,  Domain-Maniac, and  Dotster, check the Domain page, we highly recommend Network Solutions, and Alldomains.

		Search for a domain name:
		www. .com   .net   .org

Select a Web Host

Browse the pages on this site,  compare several of your candidates. Go the web sites of those hosts, and check out the details of the features. Besides the hosting cost, pay more attention to the features and the services a plan provides. Chose a more popular and large host, you want to make sure you can contact them if something goes wrong, and the host will be around for longer time. Read the terms and conditions of the host, and any relevant information on their web site. Check out the Guide page for more advices.

Check out the Promotion page for more information.