Buying your domain name

What is a domain name?

A domain name is a human readable name for a website, an email address or a computer. It's the bit that comes after http:// when you're looking at a web address.

You can buy a domain name and use it to direct people to your website or send you email. There are a great many domain name endings available. The ".com" domains are best known internationally and each country has their own range of domain name endings. For the UK those domains all end in ".uk" such as ".co.uk", ".org.uk" or ".net.uk". All the domain names ending in .uk are run by a uk company called "Nominet". There are many companys that sell these domain names but they all register them using nominet. There are a number of companies that are able to sell .com, .org or .net domains.

Why do I need domain name hosting?

When you buy a domain name you need a company not only to register the domain with Nominet or the relevant other naming authority. They will also need to host the domain for you on their DNS server. This is a machine that tells the internet which computers your domain name points at. Your domain can have web server, email server and a number of other machines all associated with it. If you owned domain "fredco.co.uk" then you could put anything you like on the front of that such as "www.fredco.co.uk" or "extranet.fredco.co.uk". Each different address can point at the same or different computers. The DNS server takes care of all of this. You should talk to your domain hosting company to find out how to maintain this DNS information.

Do I want a ".com" or a ".co.uk"?

There is no disuputing the fact that a ".com" domain has far more international recognition than any other form of domain name. However, if you're trading primarily in the UK then your customers will be very familiar with the ".co.uk" domains. If you want to trade internationally then you should seriously consider the .com. Otherwise it's simply a nice thing to have.

Where should I buy a domain name?

There are many hundreds of domain name companies out there on the market. For UK domain names you should only purchase from Nominet members. You can find a list of members here. Personally I like to use simply.com.

How do I make my domain name point at my website?

Every domain hosting company has a different way of telling them where to point your domain name. There are a couple of different technical ways that it can be done. The best way is for a proper DNS entry with an "A record" pointing at the IP address of your web server. An alternative is to use what's called "forwarding" or "cloaking". Forwarding and cloaking both point your domain at a holding page which invisibly forwards the browser on to the correct website. This method is inferior but effective and in neither case should your site visitors be aware that it took place.

In some cases the use of forwarding or cloaking can harm the search engines ability to find and index your website.

How do I use my domain name for email?

Just like for a website you'll need to contact your domain hosting company and ask them to set your domain up to forward your email to your proper email address. Unlike for a website I recommend that you use your ISP's email address and simply forward your domain name's email to your ISP email. This is useful because it allows you to change ISP without having to give your customers a new email address. Simply redirect your email domain at your new email address.

What if my domain has already been purchased?

You've probably seen many times companies trying to scare you into buying domain names by claiming that "if you don't act soon then someone could buy YOUR domain name". Well here's bad news - those claims have a grain of truth. The good news is that in many cases it's possible to acquire your domain name even if it's already been purchased.

First of all there's the ltd.uk domains. No-one can buy "fredco.ltd.uk" unless they can prove that they have a limited company with the name "fredco". So if yours is a limited company there is always going to be a suitable domain name available for you. However, ltd.uk is not a very well known domain ending so it's worth considering getting a .co.uk or even a .com domain name.

If the ".co.uk" version of your company name has already been purchased then you have some options. There are cases in UK law where companies have been able to forcibly wrest control of the domain name away from a cyber squatter (someone who purchased the domain name with the intention of either preventing the proper company from using it or charging them over the odds for obtaining it). To do the same you would need to show that your company trades using the appropriate name and that the current holder of the domain does not. A better plan is usually to contact the current domain holder and make them an appropriate offer. In special circumstances Nominet will act as arbiter between companies contesting the proper owner of a domain.

In the case of ".com" domains your life will be much more difficult. If someone else owns the .com domain you want then your best bet is simply to contact the owner and make them an offer.

Copyright © 2004 John Arnold (john@otn.co.uk)