I booked a domain name a few minutes back but the browser tells me that the site cannot be found

Booking a domain name is like applying for a company name. When you register a company with the government, the concerned department takes a while to verify the documents you have submitted and in due time (which can be a few days to several months in some countries) informs you that the registration process was successfully and you can start your business operations.

Similarly, when you book a domain name the registration company has to inform everyone (that is, everyone in the world) that the domain has been booked by you and is no longer available. This process, as you can imagine, takes a bit of time but not as much as you would think. Domain registrations usually take 24 to 72 hours! During this time, the registration company passes the information about the domain name to several computers called Name Servers scattered around the world.

To appreciate the importance of name servers, you need to realize that each time you load a web site in a browser by typing its domain name, you are first transferred to a name server that resolves that domain name or in other words, makes in into a computer understandable format.

Any way, if you have booked a domain name a few minutes back or even a couple of hours back, you need to be patient. Come back and check it again after about 10 hours or so.

When your domain is finally registered successfully, the company might put a placeholder home page which you would then be able to view in a browser window. This placeholder homepage typically informs the visitor that the web site is under construction. Want to change this homepage? Read step-by-step instructions on how you can quickly put a customized placeholder homepage on your web site. (Important note: This is applicable only if your domain registrar has provided some web space along with your domain name).