The domain name registration process can be confusing to first time buyers. There are a number of terms to worry about. Hopefully, with the information below, you’ll be able to successfully register domain names while avoiding the pain that can sometimes come from the domain registration process.
What the heck is a nameserver anyway? Nameservers refer to 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 thanks to shared hosting. Entering the nameservers of the hosting company you have for the domain name you are registering lets the big DNS nameservers 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. This is all usually done very quickly – in a fraction of a second.
Whois information is another thing to get knowledgeable about. Whois refers to the owner 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 consider privacy issues when entering your information for a domain name. It is not advisable to falsify 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.
How many years should you consider registering your domain name? I would argue that it depends 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, I would register it for five years. That way, you don’t 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 won’t have to worry about it for a decade. Maintenance and stress free.
Make sure you lock your domain. After you’ve registered your domain name, log into the control panel for your domain name and confirm that it is locked. What does locking do for you? It prevents anyone from transferring your domain name to another registrar without your authorization. Most registrars require you to approve the transfer by clicking on a link but some registrars may simply allow the transfer if you don’t expressly forbid it. Miss an email and you could lose your domain name. Don’t take a chance. Lock your domain name right away.
How would you define the ideal domain name? Consider some
characteristics that you might find in the dream domain
name.
1. Not Registered Yet
Many domain names are not available. Someone else may have
registered it for use with their own website. Perhaps a
domain name speculator bought it hoping to sell it for a
quick or high profit.
The ideal domain name would not have been registered yet
and would be available for the less than ten dollars
annual registration fee.
Realistically, you might have to settle for another name.
Alternatively, you might offer to buy the desired domain
name from whoever beat you to it.
2. A Dot Com
If you are operating a business, your ideal domain name
would be one with the dot com (.com) Top Level Domain
(TLD) name extension.
First of all, it is easier for people to remember dot
com names. There is almost an assumption that your
website is dot com.
To ask people to remember your website’s name is bad
enough. If you expect them to also remember that you are
dot something else, expect to lose some traffic to your
dot com competitor.
As well, dot coms generally seem to resell for more
money than other TLDs because they are perceived to be
superior. (If you don’t have a dot com name, was it
because you couldn’t afford to buy it? Perhaps your
competitor had the foresight to register it first.)
Realistically, however, your dot com name may not be
available. You must either pick another name or pick
another TLD extension.
Additionally, there may be reasons why you prefer or
must have a different TLD.
Perhaps you are a university needing a dot edu (.edu)
name. An Internet Service Provider (ISP) might prefer
a dot net (.net) name over dot com. Similarly, a
non-profit organization might desire a dot org (.org)
domain name.
As well, there are country specific domain names
that you might prefer.
As an example, if your business was limited to serving
customers located in Canada, you might want a dot ca
(.ca) domain name.
In most cases, however, it would be preferable to
obtain a dot com name.
3. Short and Memorable
The dream domain name would contain letters of the
alphabet only. It would not have hyphens, underscores,
numbers, or special characters.
The ideal name would be short and memorable. It would
not have spelling errors or anything else that would
make it difficult to remember.
Realistically, sometimes only the hyphenated version
of a domain name is available.
4. A Proper Name
For branding purposes, you should probably use your
business or company name as your domain name. After all,
doesn’t your company name differentiate you from your
competitors?
As well, if you have trade names, product names, slogans,
and so on, you might want to protect them from unauthorized
use by registering them as well. You can simply have your
domain registrar point (or re-direct) these names to
your main site.
You might be tempted to register generic names like
computers.com, flowers.com, or accountingfirm.com.
However, proper names (such as your company’s name)
seem to outperform generic names (such as widgets.com).
For example, when you think about computers, who comes
to mind? Apple? IBM? Dell? You likely don’t think of
computers.com.
So, your dream domain name has not been registered by
anyone else, is dot com, is short and memorable, and
brands your business by its proper name.
Domain names are a symbol of you owning the name of that particular domain. Therefore, when you register you domain name, you will be having your information publicly listed. With full control over your domain name, the web hosting company sometimes still hide you information like your telephone numbers, address and email addresses. Web hosting companies of registrar do this if they provide you with the privacy service. Although they provide some sort of protection, this protection is powerful enough to protect you from spam but can do nothing about law enforcement agencies.
Well, mishaps could happen and you never know when something bad might happen. For instance, what happen if your hosting provider goes bankrupt? With you domain name registered with them, how can you prove that? Some companies will register their clients’ private details with another third party as a precaution if they really go bankrupt. This is somehow disturbing because you own the domain but don’t have any power in the control of the username, password and other information.
So, how can someone who owns a domain name lose that right? It is actually very simple, every person who owns a domain name has to renew their registration. If they fail to do so, they will get a period of extend where they can buy back their own domain name. If he fails to do so, that domain name will be held for auction. On the other and, if the owner of that domain manages to buy back his domain, he or she will have to face a certain penalty. The penalty will stand until that domain name is released by the ICANN/ Verisign database. All this can be avoided if the domain owner renews his registration.
There is another situation where one can loose their domain ownership if they hit into trademark issues. For this kind of problem, the solution is usually obtained after a court trial. After the outcome of the trial, the registrars will the required action. Here is no refund for any domain registration. What they will do is deduct the cost of registration. So, that is what you need to know about a domain ownership.