Domain Names

The domain name registration process can be confusing to first time buyers. There are a number of conditions to think about.

What is a Name server?

“Name servers” is a service that runs on servers belonging to a web hosting company that hosts the account that the domain name will point to. Every domain name on the internet must point to an IP address but each IP address can have multiple domain names on it due to shared hosting. Entering the name servers of the hosting company you have for the domain name you are registering enables the big DNS name servers on the internet know where to find the hosting account for the domain name in question. Without this service, it would be impossible for any computer to find any web page.

Another thing that you should be sure you know about are the owners of the domain name. This information is provided by you when you register a domain name. This information in turn is offered to anyone who cares to search for it. For this reason, it is important to think about privacy issues when entering your information for a domain name. It is not advisable to misrepresent your domain name information. At the same time, you may use the most generic information you can when entering your domain. If you have a work address and home address, use the work address. If you have a post office box number and a street address, include the post office box number only.

The next step in the Domain name process would be to decide how long you should consider registering your domain name for. This could depend on what you are going to use the domain for. If it is your business name and you intend to be in business for at least the next five years, you should consider registering it for five years. By doing this, you will not have to worry about it for a long time. In fact, you can register domain names for up to ten years. If you register your domain for that long, you will not have to worry about it for a decade.

You must make sure that you lock your domain. After you have registered your domain name, log into the control panel for your domain name and confirm that it is locked. By doing this it will prevent anyone from transferring your domain name to another registrar without your authorisation. Most registrars require you to approve the transfer by clicking on a link but some registrars may simply allow the transfer if you do not specifically forbid it. Miss an email and you could lose your domain name.

There is still a lot of confusion about what to do when picking a Domain name. You must pick a domain name that relates to your name, your company name, or your product. If you are a sole trader, your name would be a good choice. If this is already taken, you could consider using initials, full stops, info, biz or even net. You could also use your website’s title, topic, product and/or keywords. You must not be too clever though as it could confuse internet browsers.

Once you have picked a name, you need to first make sure it is available, and then register for it. There are a few steps to this process:

Firstly you should go to an accredited registrar. Check out a variety of them because there is a varied amount of different prices. If the name is available, you can follow through by ordering it. If the name is not available, you will be given other available idea names or the name with other endings. You can also check the WHOIS directory to see who a name is registered to and for how long (when we register a name, we are only renting it).

Once the name is paid for and registered, you will have an account that lists your domain name(s). If you want to make changes to the files on the Internet it can take effect sometimes as long as 72 hours later.

You must also be very vigilant as due to the large amount of registrars available, there are some registrars who find your name listed in WHOIS and send you a letter in the post which looks like a renewal to your domain name. The problem is, in the small print it states that you are registering your name with another registrar and quite often will be paying a lot more money that what you have done previously.