Why do I need a domain name?

A website can be navigated by typing an IP address (216.239.57.99) or a domain name (www.google.com) into the address bar of a browser. A domain name or domain address is a human-friendly form of an IP Address. Domain Name System (DNS) does the conversion between the IP address and the domain name to display the contents of the page requested.

Example: When a user types a url into a browser, for example http://www.teeknet.com, the users computer must convert the domain name into an IP address before it can request a webpage. The users computer contacts a DNS for this information. The DNS will return the IP address of the requested url to the user's computer. The user's computer can then fetch a web page from the IP address.

Choose a domain name

Domain Names have been around since the 1980's. The probability that the domain name you want is not taken is slim, most likely you will have to go with a slight variation of the domain name or use a different top-level domain. Domain names should be descriptive, easy to remember, and unique. Most commercial websites are of the .com top-level domain. Other choices are .net, .org, .uk, etc. . .

If "real-estate.com" isn't available you could always try "real-estate.net", of course there would be a certain percentage of users that will accidentally navigate to the .com site. Perhaps a more unique variation like DCrealestate.com would have a better chance of being available and still easy to remember.

Where can I purchase a domain name?

Right here!