The best way to do it is through an authorized registrar, such as us. Yes, we need to address this. A necessary requirement of being entitled to get a domain name is that it be linked to special servers called DNS servers. These companies provide that service so you don't need your own server. We find that our clients like our services, and recommend it to others.
Word of mouth helps a lot.
Also, we offer hosting services and a certain percentage of our clients sign up for that too. They aren't required to, but they do. That is where we derive the bulk of our revenue. If you type it in your browser, nothing happens. Remember - it is just a name that CAN point to an address on the Internet.