Domain names

A domain name is not a website! - But to attract potential customers, you need an easy-to-remember address like “Riverside Cottage”, instead of “147 West Terrace”. It may indeed be used for a website, email, or both, or in case you only wish to protect your brand name, neither - in which case you may wish to contact us and negotiate a reduced fee depending on the number of names you’re registering.

So how do I go about finding this memorable address?

Please check if your domain name is available from our search below and then contact us if you wish to register the domain name. If you would rather we searched for suitable domain for you, please contact us. If you are interested in website hosting as an additional service please click here.


Domain name prices (all prices are for 2 years and inc VAT)
.co.uk - from only £15
.com / .net / .info / .org / .biz / .org.uk / .ltd.uk - from only £25

Found a name you like, ORDER NOW to secure the domain name.

Domain names FAQs

What is a domain name?
It is the part of an internet address following the '@' sign or the 'www.'.
It can be part of your email or web address, or both. A domain name corresponds to a series of numbers (called Internet Protocol numbers) that serve as routing addresses on the Internet

What makes a good domain name?

Ensure it is:
Easy to say - A good name is one you can say without having to repeat yourself.

Easy to remember - Try to keep the name short and relevant to your site, hyphens are a way of getting close to a name that is otherwise unavailable, but can make the name more difficult to remember.

Should I register a name now for use at a later date?
Yes. Names are a limited resource, if there is a domain name that suits you or your business there is no guarantee that someone else won't register it before you do. You can decide to move the name to another ISP later - no charge for this.

What are the different suffixes?
.com - The one everyone knows (and wants). Originally intended for US commercial organisations, but now the de-facto domain name for international use.
.net - Originally intended for network related companies, but now available for general use, a good alternative to .com
.org - Originally intended for non-commercial organisations, but again now available for general use, a useful alternative to .com/.net
.co.uk - The de-facto UK domain. Again, originally intended for companies, but now open to all. Domain of choice for UK websites.
.org.uk - Originally intended for non-commercial organisations, but now open to all. A good choice if the .co.uk has gone.
.me.uk - The new UK domain intended for personal use.
.biz - Intended for business or commercial purposes only. These names must not be purchased on a purely speculative basis.
.info - This domain type is intended for sites that provide information.

When do I know a domain has been registered to me?
You know for certain that you have got a domain when the WHOIS database tells you so. It is up to you to check that you have got the domain before spending money on advertising etc. We will of course let you know if there has been a problem registering your domain name, but we often don't find out for 12 hours or so if a registration fails.

What information about me is displayed in WHOIS?
Most registries display full name and contact information for the domain owner.

For .uk names, if you are a private individual, you can opt out of the WHOIS database.

For COM/NET/ORG and most other domain types, there is no opt-out option and little that can be done about this unfortunately, as it is an ICANN condition of registration that full and accurate name and address information be publicly available, and failure to provide this could result in suspension or deletion of the domain name.

Why is my address displayed?
This is for the protection of other Internet users. It ensures there is some mechanism for contacting a domain owner if a website contains libelous or illegal material. If it really is a concern, then other options include using a PO Box or business address - we can change the address on request, but it is up to you to ensure the address is a valid means of contacting you otherwise your domain is at risk.

What does DETAGGED mean?
A .uk domain name is marked as DETAGGED usually when the renewal fee hasn't been paid. Nominet then take it upon themselves to find out if the domain is still required by the current owner, and if not, will delete the name from the registry.

It isn't possible to 'reserve' detagged names, and the only way to register such a name is to wait until it is deleted. Unfortunately, Nominet take a variable amount of time to do this, and it isn't possible to predict when the name will become available again.

I've seen a name that has expired, when can I register it ?
Domain names can only be re-registered once they have been deleted from the registry. The amount of time this takes varies depending on which top level registry the name is with.

COM/NET/ORG names with networksolutions.com usually take 3-4 months to be deleted after expiry.
09COM/NET/ORG names with other registries may be deleted within four weeks of expiry
.UK names seem to take an indeterminate period of time, but Nominet claim that they are normally deleted within about 8 weeks of being DETAGGED.

Can the process be speeded up ?
No, and the registry will not tell you when a name is to be deleted. The only other option apart from waiting is to approach the current owner and offer to buy the name.

I've been called by a company claiming that someone is trying to register my name, what should I do?
We recommend you do not register the name with that company. This is an increasingly common ploy in order to scare people into registering domain names.

What is Web Forwarding?
You may already have a website if so Web forwarding allows us to 'forward' your domain name to a particular site hosted elsewhere on the Internet - e.g. on freespace allocated by your Internet Service Provider (ISP).