Register a domain name to boost your website's traffic.

Whether it's sheer vanity or for solid commercial reasons, if you're genuinely interested in having your own site, you need to get your own domain name. They aren't free, but if you're serious about your business, a domain name is the best investment you can make.

The Domain Name System or DNS translates the numerical addresses of computers on a network into more user-friendly names. The names are easy to recall and help people to find your website on the Internet. Domain names form part of website addresses (technically known as URLs--Uniform Resource Locators), and also part of email addresses.

There are restrictions on the way domain names are made. The name can't exceed 63 characters, and can only contain the letters A-Z, the digits 0-9' and a dash (-). Other characters are not allowed.

It's not uncommon to register multiple names and variations of names. One reason for registering .com, .net and .org variations is to prevent someone else from purchasing these extensions and confusing visitors as to the real owner. It's important to get your domain name right, so spend some time considering alternatives.

The recent introduction of new top level domains, such as .info, .biz and .name, has helped manage the demand for popular domain names. If you're a 'Jones' and jones.com has gone, you might be able to get jones.name if you're an individual, or jones.biz if you run a company.

There are some cheaper or simpler alternatives to domain registration. You'll find, for example, that most 'surname domains' were registered long ago, and are unavailable. You can, however, 'rent' sub-domains from companies, like NetIdentity (www.netidentity.com), which own the actual domain. This means that while 'www.smith.com' might not be available, www.horatio.smith.com might be. As well as Web hosting, these 'renting' companies typically offer email forwarding as well, which can be a real boon if you have to switch email accounts from ISP to ISP. Prices are reasonable, and cost from about £17 per year.

A) CHOOSE A DOMAIN NAME There are two parts to a domain name--the name itself and the 'top level domain' suffix. If you have global aspirations, go for a '.com' TLD. If you're British through and through, choose 'co.uk'. There are plenty of other TLDs to choose from. Check that the domain name you want hasn't already been taken by visiting sites like www.discountdomainsuk.com

B) REGISTER While you can register your domain name directly via a registrar such as Nominet, it's probably easier to do it via your existing ISP or hosting company--most UK ISPs are members of Nominet UK. Registration can normally be completed online. Be careful--cheap registration deals can often prove expensive if you later want to host your domain elsewhere.

C) MAINTAIN Once the registration is complete, your new domain name will be activated within 24 to 48 hours--it's not immediate because it takes that long to 'propagate' your DNS details to all the DNS servers in the world. A domain name registration is valid for two years, after which you'll need to pay another fee to renew it for a further two years.