Getting Domain Name
The selection of a domain name is one of the most critical steps in starting online business. So take care and ponder your options critically, but do not waste too much time, as someone else might register the domain instead of you.
Domain Name Basics
Domain name system is based on hierarchy. The first level contains the top level domains, such as .com or .de. There are both generic (.com and .net) and country-specific (.de and .fi) domains. The second level is the name of the domain under the top level domain. Thus domains example.com, example.net and example.de are all different domain names, even if they resemble each other. This second level name is owned by the organisation or the individual who has registered the domain. In a sense, it is like a trademark or a name of a company.
You can have subdomains inside your domain, like testing.example.com. Note that www.example.com is usually not a subdomain, but name of a host. The www server in the subdomain above would be named as www.testing.example.com. A subdomain can contain subdomains, thus the following domain is legal but absurd for normal use: www.a.b.c.d.example.com.
In some countries you are not allowed to register domains under the top level domain for that country, but instead you have to have a classifier between your domain name and the top level domain. For example, this is the case in the United Kingdom, where you can register example.co.uk, but not example.uk.
Some countries require that you are a legal entity, i.e. a company, located on that country. Other countries have sold their top level domain to a company that provides registration for anybody interested. There are restrictions in some generic top level domains, such as .coop for co-operatives and .museum for museums.
You can use letters (a-z), numbers and dash in any domain name. Upper and lower case letters are considered to be the same. Some top level domains allow other characters, too. If you are planning to have an internal site, stick with the basic set, as all keyboards do not required characters available.
Selecting a Good Domain Name
A good domain name is essential for any website to prosper. In general, the following three rules form the base of a good domain name:
- It is short.
- It is memorizable.
- It is relevant to the contents of the site.
The memorizability of the name is the most essential quality. If you want to have any virus marketing effect, i.e. word of mouth, the domain name has to be easy to remember and even to guess. Shortness and relevance eases memorizing, but too short domain names, less than five letters, can be hard to memorize as they are usually some sorts of abbreviations. A good domain name can be read aloud without spelling it out or adding some explanations.
Use of numbers is a double-edged sword as numbers can shorten the name substantially, but there are several caveats:
- Numbers should not be used to replace English words as understanding the meaning requires comprehensive language skills. For example, 2fast4u (too fast for you) could be gibberish to somebody.
- Some users may try to spell out numbers, like fourx.com instead of 4x.com. Note that this applies both ways.
- Long number sequences are harder to memorise than words.
- In some fonts, number one can be confused with capital I or small L, and number zero with capital O. Number five in middle of word can be easily read as capital S.
Dash is also problematic, as when people say the domain name aloud, they might not mention the dash.
Registering the Domain
The domain can be registered either by as a part of a web hosting package or alone. The web hosting registration is the easiest one, and the hosting company takes care of setting all details for you. But if you think that you would get the domain cheaper or you want just to reserve it without having any website, the direct registration has to be used. It is not very difficult, either.
When you leave the domain registration details to your hosting company, make sure that you end up to be the administrative contact person of the domain. Otherwise the hosting company could claim ownership of the domain and you would be locked into the company. You can see the details of any domain from www.whois.net.
In most cases, anybody can register a domain and you can have as many domains as you like. Some top level domains are protected so that you have to have a legal business entity in the country owning the top level domain. During registration you are asked all relevant questions and if you cannot answer to some of those, you are not probably entitled to register the particular domain.
ICANN maintains a list of accredited registrars for generic top level domains. Most of these accredited registrars provide registration for country specific domain names, too.
When registering a domain with an overseas registrant, the basic requirement is an international credit card, such as Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club or American Express. Visa and Mastercard are the best choices as they are accepted everywhere.
Renewing and Transferring Your Domain
Domains are registered on yearly basis. When the domain name is about to expire, the registrar will send you a notification to renew your domain. You can save by registering the domain for several years at once.
The domain can be later transferred from your current registrar to some other registrar. You do not need to do this unless you are not satisfied with the quality of service of the current registrar or you suspect or witness some financial troubles of your current registrar. The transfer may cost something; usually you get one year renewal when transferring. A domain cannot be transferred in 60 days after the registering or previous transfer.