Q. What is a Domain Name?
A.Your domain name is your website address.
Q. How can I see if the Domain Name I want is available?
A. Use the handy form on our site to see instantly whether the domain name you want is available.
Q. Is my Domain Name permanent?
A. Yes. You can keep your domain name as long as you pay the renewal fees before your registration expires.
Q. Expires? What do you mean?
A. You pay a fee to "register" the name for a fixed period of time, typically two years. This means that the domain is yours to use until the period of time is up. At the end of that time, you’ll have to pay a "registration renewal" fee to continue to use the domain name.
We recommend you renew your registration well before — 30 to 60 days — the domain is due to expire. This will ensure you have plenty of time in case something goes awry with your renewal.
Q. There are so many. How do I choose a domain registrar?
A. The only caveat is to make sure your use an ICANN Accredited Registrar.
We strongly recommend you choose a registrar in the country in which your site is hosted. This should be the country where you reside or where your client base is located.
The reason is that some customers have reported problems with domain transfers or renewals when dealing with registrars located in foreign countries particularly in the Caribbean.
Q. What is the meaning and application of the different domain extensions?
A. The .COM, .ORG, or .NET extension part of your domain name is called the Top Level Domain or TLD.
3 of the original 7 generic TLDs can be used by anyone, anywhere, without restriction. However, there are conventional uses.
- .com: “commercial” – choose this one for US based business
- .net: “network” – often used by network operators or ISPs
- .org: “organization” – choose this one for a non-profit site
These generic TLDs can also be used by anyone
- .biz ( must be a business)
- .info (informational site)
- .name (individuals real or fictitious)
These TLDs have restricted uses, and — are reserved for specific industries or institutions.
- .aero aviation-related businesses
- .coop (cooperative)
- .edu ( U.S. educational)
- .gov (U.S. government )
- .int (international)
- .mil (U.S. Dept. of Defense)
- .museum (museum associations or professionals)
- .pro (professionals. Professional credentials must be verified. Also law.pro, .med.pro, and .cpa.pro)
- .travel (travel industry – agents, airlines, hoteliers, tourism bureaus, etc.)
Country-Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs)
use a 2-letter county code in place of the the .com, .net or .org extension. Each of 244 countries has its own code, e.g. .us (United States), .mx (Mexico) .uk (United Kingdom).
Usage restrictions are controlled by the country. Some ccTLDs are restricted to entities located in that country, e.g. .ca (Canada) while others have no restrictions whatsoever, e.g. .tv. (Tuvalu) and .fm (Micronesia).
Some companies are choosing to use these last ccTLDS because of the connotation (.tv, .fm) even though their business is not located in those countries.
Q. Can A Street Web Design register my Domain Name for me?
A. You bet. Not only will we register your Domain Name for you, we’ll keep track of when the renewal is due so you won’t have to worry about losing your name because you forgot.
See related article: How to Choose, Register, and Use Your Own Domain Name »
Want to know more about domain names?
call: 541-582-0597
Or
A Street Web Design – We take care of the details.
About A Street Web Design
Web design is our full time job. Since 2002, we’ve been designing websites that work for business. That means getting found. Persuading people to call you. Making sales. If you are looking for someone who can help you get a website that works for your business within your budget, call A Street Web Design – 541-582-0597.