What is a Domain Name?

The domain name is also referred to as a web address or web site address though this is not
technically correct!

Many people use their ISP's or Broadband Provider's domain name which they signed up with. This can create a very poor impression for a business e-mail addresses and can create the idea amongst potential partners and clients that you are not serious.

It is more so with websites, especially if it is a free web address. There are exceptions. When a firm wants to appear part of an existing site dedicated to a region or organisation. However in these cases independence and continuity are better assured by having your own domain name rather and merely using a page on the third party’s site to point users toward it.

Domains are classified according to their endings or “suffixes”. As a commercial organisation aor company will certainly want a domain ending in .com (dot com) or .co.uk (if a UK presence is desired). Other endings such as .biz and .uk.com are at least to date, are becoming increasingly familiar to users, meaning the name can easily remembered. A .com suffix is desirable for a business with international activities (arguably giving the impression of a large organisation) whilst .co.uk helps reassure users on the largely US dominated web that they are indeed dealing with a UK firm.

The part of the domain name before the suffix will usually by the firms trading name, provided of course that the domain name has not already been registered, (which is increasingly likely these days). If the name is very long an abbreviation may be considered. Domain names are not case sensitive.

Domain name registration is a straightforward process that is offered by domain registrars as an online service with little red tape. Most ISP's offer some kind of Domain Registration Service, but this can be expensive. Quite often it is better to use a specialist registration service such as Weycrest (http://www.weycrest.co.uk). Renewal fees must be paid, typically every two years, although Weycrest offer one year term registrations on .com, .net and .biz domains. All you really need is a debit card or credit card, though Weycrest also offer Paypal as an alternative, which will also handle Solo and Electron cards.

Checking if a domain name available is very straightforward. Most domain registration providers offer a WHOIS service. As the name implies, this checks the ownership details of a domain, though you should note such services can run 48 hours behind actual registrations.

Moving ISP’s can save money, however it may take time and incur extra charges. Pricing in the domain name registration industry have fallen considerably over recent years and a co.uk domain name registration, typically costs around £5 for two years registration.

Once your domain name is registered, you can either leave the domain name “parked” awaiting future use, or forwarded to a website hosted elsewhere (possibly a free one) . Most domains are then formally hosted, either with the registrar or a specialist web hosting provider. This is achieved by changing the Domain Name Server, or DNS settings on the domain to point at hosting company where your website is actually located. Almost all registration services offer a free user control panel to change these settings.

Web hosting is the provision of space on a web server to publish a web site. There are numerous hosting companies in the market, and most domain registration services also offer a hosting solution. Prices vary but £30 per annum should be sufficient for most personal or business needs.