The domain name is comprised of several parts. The last part of the domain (e.g., .com) is referred to as the top-level domain (TLD). In theory, the TLD represents a type of entity. For instance, .com stands for "commercial". It was originally meant to be for commercial enterprises (business), but that has become something of a misnomer as even people with personal websites use the .com TLD.
by John Kinney
There are a number of ways and locations to purchase domain
names, research and knowledge are key to making the
right decision. Therefore, it is important to know a number of things when
purchasing a domain name.
1) Accredited Registrars
All domain names must be sold by accredited Registrar
certified to do so by ICANN. Registrar are required to
follow the procedures set forth by ICANN giving consumers a dispute
organization in the event one is needed.
Registars are required to pay a
fee to ICANN for the purchase of each domain name, one of the areas that seperate Registars apart is the
price charged to the consumer. Domain name registration varies from the low end
$4.99 to $65.00 depending on which Registrar you choose. Services offered with
domain name purchases also vary depending on the Registrar you selected, dns, forwarding, email, hosting and parked pages.
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The services offered are just as important to purchasing a
domain names as the name itself, if you own a .com domain name and purchase the
.net then free forwarding would be a great deal, but if you want to point the
domain name with dns then not only free dns pointing is required but if you have no experience with
dns the support to set up dns
records is required. All Registrar are not created equal
and some sell low cost domains but support is limited.
When selecting a Registrar look at your short term and long
term needs whether it is one domain or multiple domains, although low cost
looks good up front do your research and make sure all your needs will be
filled. When looking for a domain contact the Registrar and ask question like,
do you have 24/7 tech support, does your support cover dns
record set up, advance record set up, what will you be expected to do and what
will they do for you.
2) Domain Resellers
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Resellers are partners of accredited Registrars reselling
their products and services, but are not accredited to sell domain names. When
purchasing a domain name from a reseller be prepared to be patient, most offer
very little to no technical support or rely on the accredited Registrar for
support themselves.
There are also times the reseller goes out of business
without notifying the domain owner leaving them with little knowledge of who to
contact if the domain requires dns record changes or
even simple renewals.
Domain resellers are the most unknown group of domain
sellers on the internet. When searching for a Registrar look at the site you
are on, check to see if they list them selves as an ICANN accredited Registrar.
Domain sellers not displaying this are almost guaranteed to be resellers. Check
icann.org and review the list of accredited Registrars to see if the company
you are looking to purchase your domain is accredited or not.
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3) Domain Deals
Searching the internet for a Registrar will lead a surfer to
many results, beware of some of the results and domain
gimmicks. Yahoo offers domains for a low price with there hosting, but Yahoo is
not an accredited Registrar or a reseller. Yahoo uses a third party company
that is an accredited Registrar, most consumers do read the Terms of Service
when making a domain purchase but doing so will allow you to see Yahoo states
they assist you in purchasing your low cost domain.
Unless you read the Terms of Service knowing that your
domain will be registered somewhere else could lead to long term issues. These
issues like domain renewal notification or wanting to transfer the domain to a
new Registrar could lead to confusion.
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Check out all domain offers, read the fine print and make
sure you know who your are really dealing with.
4) Domain Protection?
When you purchase a domain it is yours to use for the period
your selected to register, once purchased many
Registrars automatically put on a service to prevent your domain from being
transferred to someone or somewhere else without your permission. This service
has different names depending on where your domain is registered, examples of
what it might be called are domain lock and domain protect.
Domain protection is a valuable service and should always be
left on unless you intend to transfer your domain to a new Registrar. Never
allow anyone to tell you to turn of your domain protection for any reason but
to transfer. Many times a hosting company or web designer will tell a client to
turn off the lock so they can set up services , this
is not required to set up any service.
5) Additional Domain Services
When going through your purchase flow you will be offered a
number of additional services, none of these services are required. Web hosting
will be needed if you do not have your own server, but if you just plan on
parking the domain or not using it then why get hosting. Email can be used for
your domain with many Internet Service Providers like Verizon,
check with your provider ask them if you can set up your domain and receive
email using your current service and if so then there is no need to buy email.
Domain registration with a particular Registrar does not
mean you must use all their or any of the services they offer, you can purchase
a domain with a Registrar and host with a different company.
Private Registration is the only service that must be
purchased form your Registrar, this product will remove your personal information
from the WHOIS database and make ownership of your domain anonymous.
About the Author
John Kinney writes articles for Website Design News on website design, domain registration and web development as well as designing websites and website maintenance for Website Design Studios.
There are literally hundreds of millions of domains already taken so you may have to be creative in finding the name you want. It can be frustrating at times, so brew yourself a pot of coffee or grab your favorite beverage before you sit down to find that special domain that will become your address on the Web.