MirageLab

How does a web browser use your domain name to find your website?

A web browser sends a URL (your domain name) to the DNS (domain name server), which is usually set up by the DHCP server that the web browser's computer gets it's own IP address from.

The DNS looks up the domain name and determines which IP address it points to.

It's like a forwarding address to a PO box.

Your domain registrar keeps the record of your DNS server.

The first step in acquiring a domain name is to find one that is available. Most of the time, you will probably find that the name you have decided on is already taken. To help mitigate this issue, there are services like NameBoy that let you search on available domain names based on a keyword or two. This helps you avoid wasting time looking up domain names that are already taken.

While services like NameBoy allow you to register the domain name that you have chosen, you might rather purchase it through your existing domain name registrar (if you have any already), such as GoDaddy.