What is a domain name?

The domain name is the name for your site and it is the internet equivalent of a mail address. The domain name for this site is firstWeb sitedesign.com   You should try to establish your Web site domain name as soon as you have decided to embark on your Web site. Take great care with choosing the Domain Name. If you change it later, all the work with Search Engine Optimization will have to start afresh.

The extension of a domain name indicates the country of origin of the site or the nature of the site. Although .com suggests a commercial site it has become the most popular and generally first choice for many sites even if they are not commercial.

.com Commercial

.org  Nonprofit

.edu Educational

.co.uk United Kingdom

.fr France

.de Germany

.jp Japan

Two Web sites cannot have identical domain names. They can have similar names but with different suffixes such as myWeb site.com and myWeb site.org

 

The URL of a page is the combination of the domain name and the page.

Your index page is the top page of your site. It will have your domain name followed by ‘index’ – www.yourdomainname.com/index.htm  - this is the URL of the index page. When creating your home page it should be named “index”.  The next page of the Web site could have a URL such as

www.yourdomainname.com/page1.htm

The combination of ‘http://www.’ and your domain name form your Web address, which may also be called your URL - Uniform Resource Locator. Your Web address will uniquely identify your Web site from every other site in the world. A Web address that is memorable will be a distinct advantage. You should choose your Domain name very carefully.

Although your Internet Service Provider may offer you a free domain name, it is likely to be long and easily forgotten.  A true domain name is preferable. Compare

www.2womenshealth.com

 and

 http://ourworld.myinterentserviceprovider.com/homepages/2womenshealth

In the early days of the Internet domain names were created to serve as useful mnemonic means of locating specific computers on the Internet.  With the spread of the Internet, domain names have taken on a new significance as business identifiers.  Domain names are now highly visible up on television, advertising boards, newspaper and magazines, and even on buses.  Sometimes domain namesconflict with trademarks and other traditional business identifiers.  Domain names are global and must be unique - a particular string of letters can link to only one site - while trademarks may overlap in different industries or different countries.  Furthermore it is common practice for many Internet users to guess at domain names.  Thus domain names based on intuition become valuable corporate assets.

The rapid growth of the Internet and the use of Web sites have resulted in disputes between companies asserting traditional trademark entitlements and the registrants of identical or confusingly similar domain names.  Disputes of this sort have been progressing through the litigation system since 1994.

How should I choose my domain name?

You will want people to remember your domain name easily and so it should be descriptive and short. My first Web site is about women’s health. I spent a little time with search engines looking at the domain names of other sites with a similar theme and chose www.2womenshealth.com. You will then need to obtain your chosen Domain name assuming that it is available.

An advantage of starting the domain name with a number is that numbered sites may appear higher in an alpha-numeric listing of other Web sites. On the negative side, some search engines do not list sites with a domain name starting with a number. Some search engines may include the domain name of a site in their scoring system that determines your ranking. A Web site relating to health may have a higher ranking if ‘health’ is included in the domain name.  Some domain name register Web sites, such as Register.com allow you to test teh availability of domain names.sssss

There are domain name tools programs that will help you to find a suitable domain name. Some provide free downloads that are adequate although the purchased version provide greater facilities. http://mozzle.com/ is one good example. If you want to look for the latest programs on a search engine try domain name tools or domain name analyzers as the key search phrase.

Choose the domain name of your site with care.  It is tempting to use your name or company name but only your immediate associates such as your family, friends, colleagues and clients will remember this. Your location and profession would be a possibility:

Example: londonplumbers.com

A second popular choice is to utilise the function of your site:

Example: webpagedesign.com; 

My third recommendation is that you explore the web with search engines for ideas from your ‘competitors’.

You will also need to decide on your domain name extension. These extensions may indicate the nature of your site or your country. In general .com is probably best as it is easier to remember.

When do I need to obtain my Domain Name and Web server?

You should give early priority to deciding on your domain name and web server.  These are required to put your Web pages onto the internet. You should explore all the possible domain name options over the course of the first two or three weeks in your adventure in Web site design.

What does it mean to "register" a domain name?

When you register a domain name, you are inserting an entry into a directory of all the domain names and their corresponding computers on the Internet. Just like a house address, every domain name can be used only once.

What is the domain name system?

The Domain Name System (DNS) helps users to find their way around the Internet. Every computer on the Internet has a unique address - just like a telephone number - which is a rather complicated string of numbers. It is called its "IP address" (Internet Protocol). IP Addresses are hard to remember. The DNS makes using the Internet easier by allowing a familiar string of letters (the "domain name") to be used instead of the IP address. So instead of typing 207.151.159.3, you can type www.internic.net.

Who controls the Domain Name System?

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN -  http://www.icann.org) is responsible for managing and coordinating the Domain Name System (DNS) to ensure that every address is unique and that all users of the Internet can find all valid addresses. It does this by overseeing the distribution of unique IP addresses and domain names. It also ensures that each domain name maps to the correct IP address. ICANN is also responsible for accrediting the domain name registrars to ensure that they adhere to an approved minimum standard. It is not responsible for issues associated with the Internet, such as financial transactions, Internet content control, spam (unsolicited commercial email), Internet gambling, or data protection and privacy.

 How do I register a domain name?

Domain names can be registered through many different companies (known as "registrars") that compete with one another. A listing of these companies appears on http://www.internic.net/regist.html. There are many Domain Name resellers who may purchase your chosen Domain Name from one of the registrars.

The registrar you choose will ask you to provide various contact and technical information that makes up the registration. The registrar will then keep records of the contact information and submit the technical information to a central directory known as the "registry." This registry provides other computers on the Internet the information necessary to send you e-mail or to find your Web site. You will also be required to enter a registration contract with the registrar, which sets forth the terms under which your registration is accepted and will be maintained.

Although it may seem simple, the way in which you manage your domain name could mean the difference between your site being online or offline. As a result, it is important to pay close attention to detail when performing administrative tasks that pertain to your domain names, as one slight mistake can lead to a great deal of anguish.

The most common mistake domain owners make is entering incorrect contact information in their domain's WHOIS record, which essentially serves as a domain's record of ownership. There are several components to a WHOIS record, all or most of which you will be asked to complete when registering a domain name. Failing to complete any component of a WHOIS record fully and truthfully, or not keeping it completely updated, can lead to serious problems. An out of date email address, for example, may prevent you from receiving the information required to renew your domain when its expiry date approaches. Therefore, always make sure your information is up to date – otherwise, you could eventually lose control of your domain.

Are there any restrictions to the format of a domain name?

The allowable character set includes the letters 'a' to 'z', the numbers '0' to '9' and hyphen ('-').

No domain name may start with a hyphen ('-').

The minimum number of characters in a domain name is 2.

The maximum number of characters in a domain name is 63.

The entire .com, .net and .org name space is entirely public. This means that if the name space is available, you have the right to go ahead and register it. However .com is known for being the commercial name space, .net is known for the network name space and .org is known for the non-profit organisation name space.

 How much does Domain Name registration cost?

It was originally free, but once they started charging in 1995, The cost of registering domains with InterNIC was originally $100 for the first two years and $50 a year afterward. When an "infrastructure fee" imposed by the U.S. government expired, it went down to $70 for the first two years and $35 a year afterward. Now, with competing registrars, it can be even cheaper, depending on which registrar you use and what special deals are in effect.

Each registrar sets the price it charges for registering domain names, and prices vary among different registrars. In addition, some registrars offer discounted or free registration services in connection with other offerings, such as web hosting. To see what offering best meets your needs explore several domain name registrars.

You may be able to have your chosen domain name registered by the company who will host your site  or Web site designer if you chose that route. However, you can check on domain name availability on one of the suggested domain name companies as listed below. If your preference is not available several of the domain name companies will indicate if the domain name is available with a different extension or suggest a variation of your preferred domain name.

How Quickly can a Domain Name be registered?

Will my name and contact information be publicly available?

Information about who is responsible for domain names is publicly available to allow rapid resolution of technical problems and to permit enforcement of consumer protection, trademark, and other laws. Access information regarding registered domains may be obtainable on http://www.internic.net/whois.html. For some top-level domains, the results of a successful search will contain only technical information about the registered domain name and referral information for the registrar of the domain name. In the Shared Registration System model, registrars are responsible for maintaining Whois domain name contact information.

Another source for information on a domain name is Allwhois™, a free service provided by Alldomains.com, who claim to be  the most complete whois service on the internet. It automatically locates the appropriate "whois" database server for a particular domain name, queries that database for information about that domain name, and returns all available data.

How long does a domain name registration last?

Each registrar has the flexibility to offer initial and renewal of domain name registrations in one or two -year increments.

 The following are a few Domain Name Companies selected for the facilities they offer:

http://www.networksolutions.com/

Provides your chosen domain name with available extensions and variations of your preferred domain names

http://www.register.com

Provides your chosen domain name with available extensions and variations of your preferred domain names. It will also advise you if your chosen domain name is available with a country’s extension such as co.uk, ca (Canada), de (Germany) or jp (Japan).

Namedroppers.com offers the capability to perform searches for domain names using multiple keywords.  It enables you to find every registered domain name in the .com, .net, .org, and .du zones, that contains all of the search terms you enter, anywhere within the domain name itself.  Their database contains over 32 Million Domain Names

Individual countries may have their own organisation that provides a registry for their country’s domain name extensions. For example, Nominet UK is the registry for .uk internet names. They are a not-for-profit company and have members instead of shareholders. Nominet is officially recognised as the .uk domain name registry by the internet industry, users and the UK Government. While most countries have specific rules surrounding exactly who can register domains using their suffix and for what purpose, regulations in some countries are more stringent than others. While it is true that in certain cases, the registrant must be an individual/company located within the country of the country suffix they wish to register, there are no restrictions whatsoever in others.

http://www.domainsearch.com/

Domain search allows you to search com/net/org and country domains all at once in real time!

The following table shows the more common two character international domain name code extensions: