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Domain Names and Registrars

Published: Dec 5, 2008

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When starting up a website there are some basics that one cannot avoid, such as choosing domain name and getting in contact with a domain name registrar. We know that there is a lot to think about and it is only natural to feel a bit confused at times. Not only will you have to find a top domain name - you will also have to consider things such as regulations, rights and strange abbreviations. To help you we thought that it might be a good idea to explain it all to you and make sure that you are not wasting any time on figuring it all out.

Domain Names

One of the most important things you will have to do when starting a website is to pick a domain name. It for sure is not the easiest thing to do, as most good ones already are taken, and it is at the same time something that can make or break your business. A domain name is a unique name that usually offers a public service as the World Wide Web or e-mail. Originally it is a numeric IP Address, but the DNS (Domain Name System) translated into IP addresses into alphabetical letters. Having an alphabetical address instead of a numerical makes the site easier to find for visitors.

So, how does one know what domain names are up for grabs? You can use a domain searcher such as our [[LinkInternal:domain-search]]very own domain search[[/Link]] - simply type in the name that you want. You will immediately find out if the domain name is taken or not. If the domain you want is already taken, you will get a list of names that could be of interest to you. GoDaddy and similar domain registrars work in a similar way. One difference is that if you go directly to a registrar and the domain name already is taken you could possibly obtain it anyway with the help of a "Domain Buy Agent." These agents will look up and contact the owner of the domain and make them an offer to sell it.

More about DNS

The [[LinkExternal:www.webhostingsearch.com/articles/what-is-dns.php]]Domain Name System[[/Link]] was created in 1983 and it translates numbers into letters and meaningful domain names for us humans. One can say that the DNS is the phonebook of the Internet. Ít also makes sure that the readable names are translated into the abstruse IP addresses, which the computers need to communicate with each other.

Apart from allowing you to easily surf the Internet will the Domain Name System also make sure that all of your e-mails find its way to the inbox. In other words, a stabile DNS is necessary for companies wanting to work effectively and that wants everything to run smoothly.

Generic Top Level Domain

All domain names end with a [[LinkExternal:www.webhostingsearch.com/articles/different-types-of-tlds.php]]top level domain name[[/Link]], which consists of a short set of letters (usually 2 or 3). The generic TLDs are the most common and they were set in 1984.

gTLDs in 1984

.com
.org
.edu
.mil
.gov

Since then many more have been added, for example .net and .info. The most common TLD, .com, is unrestricted but it was originally meant for commercial organizations. For the time being, new registrations are limited to a set of generic TLDs but ICANN recently approved of a new generic top level domain program which could allow a company to register under any gTLD. For example, this would allow Google to apply for .google or Yahoo for .yahoo.

Country Code Top Level Domain

Every country has a top level domain name that is reserved for them. A country code top level domain is often abbreviated ccTLD. All ccTLD's consists of two letters and they are created and delegated by the IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority).

Some examples of ccTLDs

.us - United States
.de - Germany
.fi - Finland
.se - Sweden
.fr - France
.in - India

ccTLD's are however not always used in a conventional manner. Take a look at the ccTLD's for countries such as Armenia, Italy and Tonga. Armenia's .am is often used for AM radio stations, Italy's .it in domain hacks (for phrases ending with "it") and Tonga's .to for phrases ending with "to" - as well as being promoted as the TLD for Toronto. Together with a second level domain these can form unconventional uses of words or phrases.

Why Should You Own a Domain Name?

Well, if we are to be perfectly honest with you buying your own domain name is not necessary, but first have a look at the classical way of setting up web sites. Some years ago it was common to put up the sites via your ISP (e.g. Comcast or Time Warner). This is still possible but it comes with some risks. If you choose to set up your site the old fashioned way you will be locked to your provider - this goes for the domain name as well as the e-mail. If, or when, you choose to break free from your provider, 301 redirects are a must. This means that the search engines will lose track of you, as will probably your visitors, dropping the coveted ranks you have earned.

So, owning your own domain name is not necessary but since it comes at a low cost we think that it might be a good investment. It is still possible to buy your hosting, internet connection, wherever you like. You can register several domain names on one single set of web hosting account; for example same domain name with different TLDs, .com, .info, and .biz. This is done with branding in mind. Remember to choose one, preferably the .com, which is the most important and link the others to this site. Owning your own domain name increases the chances of getting a high rank on search engines, but what you do with the site will obviously be the deciding factor.

What Domain Name to Choose?

Picking a Domain Name can be quite the task but there are a few things that you should ask yourself when finding yourself at this moment. First of all, think about what the purpose is of your business and the web site. Your budget will also set the limit of what domain name you can choose. If you live in the US and do not specify the top level domain, you want to get the .com by default.

However, if you live and run your business outside of the US you might still want to consider getting your domain name in .com as well as in your local top level domain. For two reasons: 1) a .com is the most powerfully branded TLD; 2) a local TLD would lead to a higher search engine ranking in the local Google/Yahoo index.

SEO and Domain Names

Some people think that SEO only is about stuffing keywords in the content and getting links to their site. Sure, that is important, but there are a couple major concepts you should know about when it comes to SEO and domain names. The older the domain name is, the better it will rank on the search engines. Search engines value older sites than newer one, almost like legacy holding. If you are looking to buy a domain at say SnapNames.com it might be worth looking up how old the name is.

Second, domain names should be easy to understand and related to the content of the webpage. Some companies have been successful with creating company names that completely unrelated to the theme of the site. Doing this, means you will have to work very hard with associating your domain name to the content. The better way is to tie the two together. Want a quilting and hobby site? Choose a name like patchwork.com or quiltingtips.com. A site called catsandneedleeyes.com will take a longer time to be understood by a search engine as a quilting site.

What more is there to think about?

A domain name can consist of 127 characters at maximum. Allowed characters are A-Z, the numbers 0-9 and hyphens. This is as long as the domain name does not start or end with the hyphen - it doesn't concern the letters or numbers.

Sometimes you will get the opportunity of having a domain name evaluated for a small fee. We would highly recommend you to avoid this evaluation since it does not show you anything of value. A domain name will be worth what you do with it - an outsider can never tell you this since they do not know your plans with the domain.

It is extremely important to think about is that the "www" isn't part of the domain name so make sure that you do not include it when searching domain names. Otherwise you might get disappointed.

Domain Name Registrars

A Domain Name Registrar is and does exactly what it sounds like - it registers domain names. Companies working with this are accredited by ICANN, when it is a matter of generic TLD's, or by a national ccTLD authority. Domain name registrars have not been around for long and it took until 1999 (prior to this everything was handled by NSI) for them to get established. Since then they grew in force and there are now over 500 registrars to turn to when picking a domain name.

It is not possible for an end-user to register a domain name directly to ICANN - a designated registrar must be chosen. Each accredited registrar must pay a fixed fee of $4000 to ICANN as well as dividing a fee of $3.8 million among all registrars.

The rule says that only one designated registrar is allowed to modify or remove information about a domain name. The business is very competitive and as an end-user you are able to obtain services at many various price ranges. When a .com domain name is registered for an end-user the registrar has to pay $0.20 administration fee to ICANN and a maximum annual fee of $6.86. The cost of the registration will often be somewhere between $7.5 and $35 per year for the end-user.

Transferring Domain Names

When you are giving a new registrar the authority to modify, delete or add information about a domain name, this concerns "Domain Name Transfers." When this happens, there will be a transfer process between the end-user and the new registrar. When the process is over, the new registrar will take over all the accounting and DNS issues from the old registrar.

The reason people transfer their domain is most often, they are not satisfied with the services of the old registrar. Perhaps you can save money with a new registrar or get more value for the dollar.

General Rules

All the major registrars can handle and register domain names ending with for example .com and .info but when it comes to ccTLD's it is a bit different. Say that you want to register a .de address - then you have to go through Germany's registrars and this goes for any given country.

Handling the domain name this way is cheap but there are also some disadvantages. As a foreigner there could be some trouble with language, filling out formulas, laws and understanding routines. Do not forget that some countries require that you live in the country where you register a domain name.

There is however also another way of handling country specific top level domains. Four web sites are offering you the opportunity of turning to them if you wish to get rid of the hassle of turning to a local registrar.

Registrars that can handle most ccTLDs

www.eurodns.com
www.web-solutions.com
www.europeregistry.com
www.marcaria.com

With the help of these sites you will be able to buy a domain name wherever you wish. This also goes for countries requiring you to live in their country in order to usually be able to obtain their ccTLD. These four websites have companies in countries worldwide and what they simply do is act as your representative. Of course, you must set up a contract between the two of you but they will stand as owners of the domain in Whois database. The advantage with this approach is obviously that you will get rid of much extra work but their service will cost you a tad more, or in some countries such as Mexico quite much more.

What is there to look at in a Registrar?

There are lots of things to think about when looking at registrars, here are the points we consider to be the most important. They are as follows:

Price
Services & Spin-Off Services
Private Registration
Where the Registrar is located geographically and juristically
Reputation
Possibility of getting actual invoices
Support
Experience
Technical Platform

If you make sure that the registrar will be able to satisfy you when it comes to the bulleted points, chances are high that you will be pleased with the over all experience.

Other Ways of Obtaining Domain Names

There are other ways of obtaining domain names than going straight to a registrar, and one that we would like to recommend is auctions. There are two sites that we think stand out: SnapNames.com and NameJet.com - both have teamed up with a ton of Registrars to offer their services. At these sites you can see domain names that are soon to be expired because of previous owners letting them go or not paying the annual fee. It will not cost you anything to sign up at these sites and if you keep your eyes open you might be able to snap a top domain at a low cost. The minimum cost for an auctioned domain name is around $50 and $60.

Written by David Walsh

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David Walsh is currently working in the online industry and will continue to write articles for us on all sorts of hosting related topics. On his spare time you can find him thumbing through old records or preparing a good meal in the kitchen. Make sure to also [[LinkExternal:www.webhostingsearch.com/blog/]]visit his blog[[/Link]] here at WebHostingSearch.com!

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