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What characters can be used for a domain name?
Alphanumeric characters (letters and numbers) and hyphens are acceptable when you register a domain name. However, you cannot start or end a domain name with a hyphen or use spaces and punctuation.
Are domain names that consist only of numbers acceptable?
Yes, they are acceptable.
What is the shortest domain name I can register?
Shortest domain names consist of two characters plus the extension (the .com, .net or .org part). However, some countries require longer names when you register a domain name using that country’s extension.
What information do I get when registering a domain name?
The information you receive when registering a domain name varies with the different registrars. Some only display an onscreen confirmation that a domain name has been registered, while others will notify you via e-mail and some may even send you a hard copy of your registration documents.
It is a good rule of thumb, to print out any information that you receive during the registration process and keep it for later reference.
How much will it cost me to register a domain name?
Prices vary, but registrars usually charge between $9 and $25 to register a .com, .net, or .org name for one year. Some registrars charge higher prices, but bundle domain name registration with additional services like e-mail forwarding, URL redirection, web site pointing or Under Construction pages. Larger and better-known registrars usually have higher prices than their smaller and less famous competitors do.
What additional services can I get when registering a domain name?
Many registrars only register your domain name and offer no extra services. Others provide many additional services, but have higher prices or add additional charges. Here is a list of some services you can get with domain name registration.
E-mail forwarding: the e-mail that is sent to you@yourdomainname.com is forwarded to the e-mail address that you provide in the registration process. This is a convenient way to get a unique e-mail address.
Web site forwarding: this service can point your web site to a specific IP address or to a directory. If you host your web site on the site of an ISP, the latter can be very useful because you will not have to move your site. The domain name will automatically be resolved to point to the correct directory.
Under construction page: you may decide that it is better to point if www.yourdomainname.com to a page that is “under construction”, than to nowhere.
Sample page: some registrars will offer you a free sample page that will allow people who visit www.yourdomainname.com to see the name and the address of your company or a phone number, or a brief description of your company, products or services.
Which registrars would you recommend?
Domainname.com is an independent information web site. There you can find information for generic domains (like .com, .net, .org, etc.), country-level domains (like .ca, .au, .de, etc.) and the new top-level domains that were introduced recently like (.biz, .info, .name, etc.).
The domain name that I want is already registered by someone. What can I do?
You can try to buy the domain from its owner, or think of a different domain. If you own a trademark that coincides with the terms in the domain name, you can try to get the rights to that domain name in court.
How much it costs to register a country specific domain name and what is the procedure?
It is impossible to provide a full answer to this question in brief. Registration rules and restrictions, as well as domain name prices can vary greatly in different countries. Search for a web site that offers registration details about the specific country that you have chosen.
What if I had made a mistake while registering a domain name and realized that after the registration procedure was over? Can I alter or void the registration?
The Domain Name Service Agreement that all accredited registrars work under states that all sales are final. If you had registered a wrong domain name and found about this later, you will have to pay again to register the correct name.
Is it reasonable to register an .org variant of a famous .com domain name?
This is probably a good way to get some traffic together with some legal problems. If the .com name that you aim at is a trademark, this could definitely get you in trouble. If the .com name is a word or a combination of word from a dictionary, you are less likely to have problems. Mind that some dictionary words like apple and windows can be trademarks, as well. Furthermore, many companies buy the corresponding .net and .org domains when registering a .com domain. Anyway, the choice is up to you.
Is it reasonable to register a misspelled variant of a popular name like hormail.com or gooogle.com?
It is called typo squatting, when you buy a domain name with the intention to steel traffic from an established business site by misleading people who misspell the name of a popular site. This could cause you legal trouble, as well, but as we said, the choice is up to you.
What if I want to buy a new domain name for my site, but do not want to move the site from its present location?
Check if the registrar that you buy the new name from provides web site forwarding, a service that will automatically redirect your visitors from your new domain name to your old one.
Can I register several domains that lead to the same web site to increase traffic?
You can do that, but you may need to pay some extra money. Web hosting companies usually ask for one time fee between $5 and $10 dollars to set up DNS services for an additional domain name. Some web-hosts, however, provide this service free as a part of a hosting package.
What happens with domain names that are placed “on hold”, when the owner has not paid the renewal fee for the name?
The registrar can offer a grace period to the owner of an expired domain name by putting it on hold. When the grace period ends, the name is dropped from the domain name database and is returned to the pool of available domain names. There are some domain name brokers, who search for expired domain names and buy them as soon as they are dropped. Since the process can be automated, you can expect to compete with software programs if you take this approach.
Are there any “hidden costs” in owning a domain name?
You own the rights to a domain name as long as you pay its renewal fee regularly. If you register a domain name for a year, but wish to keep it ten years, you should pay an annual renewal fee for the nine consecutive years. However, many registrars offer you registration that is valid for longer than a year, usually at a discount against the annual fee.
What should I do, if I cannot make up any suitable domain name or all the relevant names have been taken?
Consider domain names that are describe your industry, products, services or future growth intentions of your company. Clear your mind and brainstorm ideas on a piece of paper and you may come up with the name that is just right for you.
What if someone is trying to register the same domain name at the same time I do?
The Whois search database is updated only once or twice daily, but domain names that are being bought are immediately locked to prevent a simultaneous sale to two different people. If some one completes the registration process just a couple of seconds earlier than you, that person gets the domain name. In the very rare occasion that this happens, you can learn who was ahead of you by checking the Whois database on the next day.
Should I fill the “Company Name” field of the domain name registration form if I am registering it for personal purposes?
Some people make up an imaginary company name for that field, but it is better to repeat your name there to prevent any billing misunderstandings that may occur.
1. How should you select a domain name?
Your domain name represents your address on the Internet. Your customers use your domain name to locate your business on the Web. When you select your domain name, you should consider the following:
Domain names contain only alphanumeric characters (letters and numbers) and hyphens. The use of spaces and other symbols is prohibited and no hyphens are allowed on the beginning or the end of domain names. Domain names are not case sensitive. Domains can be between 3 and 67 characters in length not counting the extension.
Prospective customers who do not know your domain name may try to deduce it from your company name, for instance www.MyCompanyName.com. Thus, it is reasonable to select a domain name that matches your company name or is a logical abbreviation from it. If you want to build a web site for a specific brand or product, it would be appropriate to select a name that corresponds to this brand or product. You can also register more than one domain name to help your prospective customers find you easier.
The .com extension is the most popular domain name extension on the Internet and you should always try to register your domain name with this extension if it is available. However, since the .com domain is the most common one, it is the most overcrowded one, as well. If a .com extension is unavailable for the name that you want to register, use some of the other domain name extensions like .net, .org, .biz, .info or .us.
Select a short, but meaningful domain name. People tend to remember short names better, but only when the names mean something. Do not shorten your domain name beyond recognition. If you need to shorten your name, choose the most important words in your company name and abbreviate the rest.
Select a domain name that is simple to comprehend, pronounce, spell and remember. For instance, you should not choose a domain like www.scents.com, because it could be heard as www.cents.com or www.sense.com when it is pronounced. In this case, select a domain like www.perfumes.com or www.fragnances.com. Use numbers and hyphens sparingly in domain names, because domains containing numbers and hyphens are harder to write and remember. It is foolish to lose prospective customers, because they failed to remember or spell out your domain name correctly. Ask your friends, whether the domain name that you have chosen is easy to spell and remember before you register it.
After you have chosen the domain name that suits you best, register the name with different extensions to protect your brand from infringements. For instance, if you have registered the domain www.MyCompanyName.com, register the same name with the .net, .biz and .info extensions to prevent other people from obtaining those names. You can use web address forwarding to point all these names to a single web site. Back to top.
2. What do domain name extensions mean?
The part of a domain name after the last dot is called an extension. Domain name extensions signify the type of organization to which the site belongs or its geographical location. The number of domain names available varies with the different extensions. The older extensions, such as .com, .net and .org, generally have fewer domain names available than the newer extensions, such as .biz or .info.
The following paragraphs explain the meaning of different domain name extensions:
.com stands for “commercial” and it is an unrestricted international domain name extension. Most companies chose a .com domain, because this domain represents e-business and is the most popular domain on the Internet. Due to its popularity, however, the number of available .com domains is decreasing drastically.
.net stands for “network” and it is an unrestricted international domain name extension. The .net domain is preferred by companies whose business is directly connected to the Internet, such as Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and web hosting and development companies. Some companies use the .net extensions for their intranet sites.
.org stands for “organization” and is an unrestricted international domain name extension. The .org domain is intended for use by non-profit organizations, but often companies register the .org variant of their .com domains to defend their brands or trademarks.
.biz stands for “Business Internet Zone” and is a restricted international domain name extension reserved for business entities. The .biz domain was introduced recently and as a new domain name extension it gives companies much wider choice of suitable domain names than the overcrowded .com domain.
.info is an unrestricted domain name extension available commercial and non-profit organizations and individuals. The .info extension gives you the chance to inform the world about your business. The .info is a newer domain name extension like .biz and provides a wide choice of suitable domain names for your web site.
.us is a restricted domain name extension, preserved for US residents and organizations that are registered or do business there.
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3. What can you do with a domain name?
Registering a domain name is the first step for establishing your online presence. The domain name provides you with an address, which you can use to create a web site, receive and send e-mail or build an online store. FateBack.com provides different services that give you the opportunity to make use of your domain name:
FateBack.com Mail offers you personalized e-mail accounts at your domain name. FateBack.com Mail provides access to your e-mail account through a web browser or a POP e-mail program like Microsoft Outlook. The service comes with built-in filters to protect your e-mail accounts from spam.
FateBack.com Web Hosting gives you the opportunity build a web site at your domain name. FateBack.com Web Hosting offers three reasonably priced hosting packages that provide all necessary features for starting a web site, such as sufficient hard disk space, user friendly web design tools, e-mail accounts, etc.
FateBack.com E-commerce Solution offers a comprehensive and affordable solution for selling your products on the Internet. FateBack.com E-commerce Solution is available in three variants to match your business requirements better. It includes the following features: web design tools, payment processing and order tracking systems, product catalog management, marketing tools, etc.
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4. Why should you register multiple domain names?
After you select the suitable domain name for your business, it is a good idea to register it with the more than one of the available domain name extensions. This would prevent your competitors or malevolent individuals from registering your domain name with a different extension and will help your prospective customers locate your web site. If you fail to do this, it could cost you a lot of money to buy these domains later from their owners. FateBack.com Domain service allows you to use web forwarding to direct the traffic from the domains with alternative extensions to your primary domain name. Back to top.
5. What is included in the FateBack.com’s domain name registration service?
FateBack.com’s domain name registration service has the following features:
Domain name registration – you can register one or more domain names for a minimum period of one or two years, depending on the domain name extension you choose.
One page web site – a simple web page that gives you the opportunity do display your name, contact information and a short description of your business or products. The page can contain a couple of photos or graphics and a company logo.
Web address forwarding – when web surfers type your domain in their browsers they will be redirected to another web site (for example your web site at a different domain name).
One POP e-mail account – you can access this account via e-mail clients like Microsoft Outlook or Eudora. E-mails sent to this account could be automatically forwarded to a different e-mail address that you specify.
FateBack.com’s user-friendly domain control interface for administering your domain name, web site, e-mail, upgrades and billing. Back to top.
6. How can you move your domain name to FateBack.com?
If you already have a domain name and decide to use our services, you can move your domain name to FateBack.com. To move your domain name you have to get in touch with the company, which has registered your domain and let the company know that you want FateBack.com to host your domain name.
To simplify the transfer process, we offer you thorough instruction and sample form that you could fill in and e-mail to your registrar. You are the only person that can permit changes to your domain name. That is why you have to administer this process personally. These are the steps you need to follow:
1. Check the name of your domain registrar. If you know the name of your registrar, go to step 2. If you do not know the name of your registrar, go to the Whois directory database and enter your domain name there. The database will show you the name of your registrar.
2. Notify your registrar that you want a domain name transfer. Some registrars provide electronic transfer forms that you can fill in from their web site. Other registrars accept e-mails requesting domain name transfers through their customer care departments. Still others may give you the opportunity to start the transfer process by phone. Check your registrar’s web site for its specific requirements for Domain Name Server (DNS) modification requests.
3. Give your registrar the Domain Transfer Information provided bellow. If you intend to contact your registrar via e-mail, copy this information and include it in your e-mail to your registrar’s technical support team. If you intend to contact your registrar by phone, print this information to have it available when you call your registrar.
Domain Transfer Information
I would like to transfer my domain name {domain} to FateBack.com Web Hosting. Please make the following changes for {domain}:
Primary Name Server dns1.FateBack.com
Primary IP Address XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX
Secondary Name Server dns2.FateBack.com
Secondary IP Address XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX
Check your e-mail. We will notify you by e-mail, as soon as, our system detects that your registrar has modified your DNS information to allow FateBack.com to host your domain.
Have in mind that the DNS modification process can take up to several weeks, depending on your registrar. FateBack.com does not control the transfer process, so that you have to get in touch with your registrar to monitor the progress of this process.
If you have an existing web site at the domain name that you want to transfer to FateBack.com, save all files from your existing web site to your own hard disk, before starting the DNS modification procedure. This will give you the opportunity to upload your whole web site to the web servers of FateBack.com after the DNS modification procedure is finished.
If you have an e-mail account at your domain name, save all e-mail that you might need later. After the DNS setting for your domain name are modified, your e-mail messages will be delivered to a FateBack.com e-mail account. Your current provider might not permit you to access your old e-mail account after the DNS changes are completed. Back to top.
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