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). |