Okay, so you have a business plan and you're ready to move forward with your endeavour. This business of yours includes a website, but you don't know the first thing about web domains, or web hosting, or even how to register your idea. Well, before you go out and spend a lot of money on the Interweb, you should take some time to research what your website is going to cost you.

Before you can have a website on the Internet, you need to register a domain. The domain name is the name of your website represented by www.domain.com. There are numerous domain hosting providers and domain host solutions, but you should shop around before you go with one registrar over another. Many webmasters or web hosting services may provide an all-in-one solution for your website, but if you do your own research, you can probably find a good deal on domain registration services, such as Godaddy.

Web domains are like rented properties, and you can lease out the domain name for a single year or ten years, depending on your short or long-term goals for your website. Many of the domain registrars will offer discounts for longer terms, however, it's not required.

Depending on whether you go with dot-com, dot-org, dot-biz, or other top level domains, you might expect to pay different amounts. While there is no real logic or consistency with how much is charged, your usual rule of thumb is to look for the dot-com name first, then if that is not available, then look towards other relevant TLDs, such as dot-net, dot-biz, dot-ca, dot-us, etc.

When you register your domain, you're not required to have a completed website. If you are still planning out your site, you can still register the domain, and hold on to it until you are ready to publish. Getting the name ahead of time can ensure that no one else will take your web property, such as a competitor.

There are many available resources online where you can find more help on registering domains, but take a look at services like Godaddy, which are usually much cheaper than others such as Network Solutions.