Leva
Duell
To
get your web site on the Internet, you need a domain name and
a hosting company. The following information answers frequently-asked
questions about domain name registration and hosting.
Choosing
an effective domain name is important to attract potential buyers,
increase visibility, convey a professional image, and inspire
trust.
What
is a domain name?
Having
your own domain name is a must for a business web site. Your domain
name or web address is a unique name, identifying a specific web
site, for example, http://www.yourdomain.com.
You
can register your domain name with .com or other extensions, including
.net,.org,.info, and .us. Always register the .com name since
most people are familiar with it. In addition, consider registering
your domain name with.net to prevent competitors or speculators
from registering a similar name.
Follow
these tips when selecting a domain name
•
Choose a descriptive domain name that conveys professionalism
and is easy to remember and type.
• Consider a domain name that represents your business name,
product name, or indicates your type of business.
• Consider variations of your domain name like making it
plural, adding dashes, or underscores.
• Include relevant keywords in your domain name to boost
your search-engine ranking.
More
tips about domain names
•
A domain name can include up to 67 characters, including the .com,
.net, .org, .edu, or other extensions.
• Domains cannot contain spaces.
• Domain names are NOT case sensitive, so you can spell
your domain in uppercase, lower case, or a combination of both,
e.g. http://www.YourDomain.com or http://www.yourdomain.com.
• You can use numbers, letters, and hyphens (dashes) in
your domain name, but the web address cannot start or end with
a hyphen.
• Special characters such as ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) and
? are not permitted in web addresses.
• Avoid confusing characters like 0 (zero), l (one), 2,
s, and z to minimize the risk of typos. The number zero (0) can
be confused with the letter O, and the number "1" with
the letter "l."
• If you register a domain containing hyphens, also register
the same name without the hyphens, for example, www.your-domain-name.com
and www.yourdomainname.com.
You
can check the availability of a domain name at http://www.networksolutions.com
or any of the registrars listed by http://www.internic.com.
Registering
a domain name
It’s
best to choose a hosting company first before registering your
domain name. Have the hosting company register or transfer your
domain name for you.
You
can register your domain name yourself through domain name registration
services, known as registrars. Internic provides a list of ICANN-accredited
registrars (the organization governing domain names) at http://www.internic.com/regist.html.
When submitting a registration or transfer, the registrar will
ask for the name of two domain name servers that contain your
IP address. Your host will give you that information. Once your
domain name has been registered or transferred, it takes approximately
72 hours before it becomes active.
Fees
for domain name registration
Each
registrar sets its own price for registering domain names. The
fees to register a domain name for one year range from $3 to $35
a year. It's a small price to pay to gain your prospects' trust.
You can register a domain name for one or several years. At the
end of the registration term, you must pay a renewal fee to keep
your domain name. If you don't renew, someone else can take your
domain name. Some registrars offer free or discounted registration
services in connection with other offers, such as web hosting.
Make sure they are reliable. Receiving a $10 discount is not worth
the delays and hassles you may encounter. Ask your professional
web designer for a referral.
Parking
a domain name
If
you want to reserve a domain name but don't have a hosting company
yet, you may have to pay a fee to a hosting company or registration
service to hold or "park" the name. Some registrars
charge $40 and others offer parking for free. Make sure they are
reliable.
Protect
your business and product names by registering them as a domain
name before someone else does, and renew the registration before
it expires.
IMPORTANT
TIP: When registering your domain name, make sure you are both
the billing contact and administrative contact. If your hosting
company lists itself as the billing contact, you won’t have
much leverage to keep your domain name if you decide to switch
hosts.
Keep
the Same Email When Changing Hosting
When
changing hosting companies, you can keep the same domain name
and email address connected to that domain name, e.g. www.webmaster@yourdomain.com.
You simply transfer your domain name to a different hosting company.
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