You can think of this step as buying the land and establishing the address for your new web site... except that we do it in reverse order. You need to decide on and register a name for your site -- the 'address' used by potential visitors to go to your site, so it's important to select a name carefully.

The name should tie into the content of your site in order to get attention from "search engines" like Google, Yahoo, AOL and the others. For example, the internet address of Mimi's Art (on our Home page) is www.childrens-art-prints.com

Also in this step, you'll make the  small financial investment in registering the name and contracting with an internet service provider to maintain your site.

Signing up a Service Provider...

Your web site will be maintained by a professional service provider who keeps the gears moving smoothly. You can do comparison shopping on the web, but typically you'll pay $6.96 to $20.00 a month for the service. One 'SP' we like is Buzix: www.buzix.com. They'll maintain a basic site for as little as $6.95/month, and they have very good, responsive service. They can also register your domain name, which make the blending of the two a much easier step.

If you anticipate a larger site (which typically requires more storage), a good choice is Buzix's Designer Plan: www.buzix.com.  You get more than double the disk storage for $11.95/month.

When you sign up, be sure to send them an email and ask them to give you TWO addresses for their NAMESERVERS. The names will look something like this:

          NS1.NAMESERVERABC.COM
          NS2.NAMESERVERABC.COM

Write down the two names, and you'll use them when you register your site name in the next step.

Your name is actually something called a 'URL', which stands for 'Universal Resource Locator."  There are millions of URLs since every website has its own unique address.  Your challenge is to come up with one that uniquely defines your site... and hasn't been registered by someone else.

Every service that registers names maintains a directory that lets you automatically check name availability -- several such service are:; www.domains875.com and www.buzix.com. When you sign on, you'll see a 'Check Availability' box where you can type in the name that appeals to you and see if it's available.

When you find an available name (URL) that you like, you can register it on the spot.  Prices range all over the map, but one of the most cost-effective we found (above) will cost $17.50 for a two-year registration.

When you decide to register, just follow the screen prompts that include your credit card information with the order. There should be a place in the process to enter the two NAMESERVERS you received from your Service Provider in the step above. This step should be straightforward and familiar if you've ever ordered something over the web.

As a last step in this section, it's a good idea to email your Service Provider to:

•  Let them know the name is registered.
•  Give them a "user name" to be used with the site. This can be something simple like your first name with the year you were born -- for example: John52
•  Request them to send you the Password that will be assigned to your user name.

We'll be available by email at each step, and we'll show you how to test your empty site to be sure it's working.