How to register a domain name – step by step

Got a name ready? Check if the domain is available and register it in just a couple of minutes. The guide below explains what to think about first.

A domain name is your company's address on the internet – the first thing people see, and what they type in to find you. Without your own domain, it's hard to come across as professional, and you lose control over your digital identity. Fortunately, registering a domain name is easier than most people think.

What is a domain name – and why does your business need one?

A domain name is the readable address that points to your website, for example yourcompany.no. Under the hood, it's really an IP address (like 185.12.34.56), but the domain name lets people remember and use your website without dealing with numbers.

Your own domain gives you:

• Professional credibility – the email address hello@yourcompany.no carries far more weight than yourcompany123@gmail.com
• Control – you own the address and don't depend on a platform that can change its terms or disappear
• An SEO foundation – search engines rank websites on their own domain higher than subdomains or free services

Step by step: How to register your domain

1. Check availability

Start by searching for the name you want in our domain search – you'll see instantly whether it's available, and under which top-level domains (.no, .com, .net, etc.). If you haven't settled on a name yet, you can describe your business and get AI suggestions for available domain names.

2. Choose the right top-level domain (TLD)

For Norwegian businesses, .no is the natural first choice. It signals that you're a Norwegian business, and it earns high trust among Norwegian users and in Norwegian search results. .com is a good supplement for businesses with international ambitions.

You'll find more about choosing a TLD in our article on the difference between .no, .com and .org.

3. Register the domain

To register a .no domain, you need:

• A Norwegian organization number – individuals can register .no as a personal domain, but businesses must have an organization number.
• An accredited Norid registrar – all .no domains are administered by Norid, and you must use a registrar they have approved. This ensures there's a responsible party for the domain.

The registration process itself usually takes less than five minutes. You enter the domain name you want, submit a self-declaration to Norid, accept the terms and pay.

4. Set up DNS

After registration, you need to point the domain where you want it to go – to your website, your email system or both. This is done in the DNS settings. The most common records you'll need:

• A record – points the domain to the server's IP address
• MX record – tells the internet where to deliver email
• CNAME/TXT – used for things like verification and subdomains

What happens after registration?

Once the domain is registered and DNS is set up, what's known as DNS propagation begins – the process where the new settings spread to DNS servers around the world. This usually takes anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours, depending on the TTL values that are set.

In the meantime, you should:

• Order an SSL certificate – most web hosting plans include this automatically, but check that HTTPS works
• Test email – send a test message to confirm the MX records are set correctly
• Verify in Google Search Console – connect the domain to Google to start getting indexed

Dynamic DNS – reach your office wherever you are

Do you have broadband with a dynamic IP address that changes at regular intervals? With dynamic DNS (DDNS) on your own domain, you can still reach your home office, security cameras or NAS server through a fixed, memorable domain name – for example office.yourcompany.no. Digiserv supports the DynDNS protocol, which means most routers and NAS devices can update the DNS record automatically, with no manual configuration of any kind.

Domain Connect makes Microsoft 365 setup easy

If you use Microsoft 365, DNS setup has traditionally been a cumbersome process with many records you have to enter manually. With Domain Connect – an integration that very few registrars support – Microsoft 365 is connected to your domain automatically in seconds, with no manual DNS configuration.

Ready to secure your domain?

Digiserv is an accredited Norid registrar and guides you through the entire process – from domain search to a complete setup with email and SSL. See what we offer on our domain page →