How to register a domain: detailed instructions

What is a domain name

Domain (domain name) is the address with which you can open the corresponding site in the browser. Let's take the domain lifehacker.ru as an example. When you enter this combination of characters into the browser string, a special server (DNS) finds and opens the Lifehacker's site.

What is included in the domain

A domain name consists of several levels. They are separated by dots and counted from the end. The number of such levels can be up to three.

The first level is called the domain zone. There is a fixed list of zones that you can choose from. Some of them indicate that the site belongs to a specific region: RU - Russian Federation, UA - Ukraine, EU - European Union.

Others inform about the focus of the site: COM - commerce, INFO - information activities, and so on. There are also domain zones that have two levels. For example, COM. RU, SITE. RU, ORG. UA and NET. UA.

The level that follows the domain zone is the site name. You can compose it at your discretion from the letters of the Latin alphabet, numbers and a hyphen. For example, for a Lifehacker website, this level corresponds to the name lifehacker, following the RU zone.

There is also a special zone of the Russian Federation, intended for the registration of Cyrillic domains such as site name. RF.

Domain registration process

Most domains take a few minutes to register. The service is paid: the cost of using popular domain zones is about 1,000 rubles per year, excluding promotions. But usually they give a substantial discount for the first year.

The procedure can be completed on the website of any domain name registrar. All such services work in about the same way, let's look at the process using the example of REG. RU, one of the largest registrars in Russia.

1. Open the site, enter the desired site name, below we mark all suitable domain zones and click "Select".

How to register a domain: Open the REG. RU website, enter the desired name of the site, below we mark all suitable domain zones and click "Select"

2. Look in which zones the entered name is free. Remove the selection from unnecessary zones and click "Register". If the name is occupied in all the necessary zones, you will have to change it and start the search again.

How to register a domain: Let's see in which zones the entered name is free. Unselect unnecessary zones and click "Register"

3. Follow the prompts of the service: create an account and pay for all selected domains.

Other popular registrars that you can use:,,.

You don't actually buy a domain, you just rent it. During the registration process, you may be offered additional features such as auto-renewal of domain rights when the paid period expires, or hosting for hosting a website with a purchased domain. If you do not need such services, refuse them.

As a rule, on the website of any registrar, you can read about each domain zone: for which sites it is intended, what users associate with, and what are the registration restrictions. On REG. RU, this information is located in.

How to register a domain: information about domain zones

Regarding restrictions, some zones require special permissions to use. For example, you can register a website in the UA zone only if you have a trademark with the appropriate name. In this case, the registrar will ask for special documents. But the vast majority of domains, including RU and COM, are available to everyone.

How to choose a domain name

Here are some tips to help you decide on a domain.

Try to keep your domain as short as possible. This will make it easier to remember and enter into the address bar.
Choose a site name that reflects its theme.
If you cannot choose a short, meaningful and at the same time unique name, use dictionaries and reference books. You can borrow vocabulary from the Latin language.
If you have found a great name, but it is already registered in the required domain zone, try alternative options. For example, recently instead of COM, the consonant CO zone is often used. The latter is assigned to Colombia, but is open to everyone and recognized internationally.
If you are registering a company website, discuss it with a lawyer before purchasing a domain. If another company has already received a trademark in the selected name, your domain may be taken away from you.