DOMAIN NAMES
In order to place an independent website on the internet you will need to register a domain name. This is a unique name by which visitors can find your site and is usually in the form of "www.inportsmouth.co.uk". For any business that wishes to present a professional image, having their own domain name is essential.
Important points to remember- Domain names can only be registered through accredited agents, usually Internet Service Providers or their partners, such as CIS
- Domain name registration fees are usually paid for one or two years in advance
- There is fierce competition to register domain names so always read the small print in any adverts. Many companies add an administration charge to the registration fee itself and some sites charge an additional sum if you wish to transfer the name to another hosting company. And don't forget the VAT.
- .com, .net and .org names are registered in the USA and usually cost more, but they are not restricted to people living there.
- All countries have a national suffix, ie .uk (United Kingdom), .fr (France) etc. Some countries insist that you have an office in that country before you are allowed to register names with that nations suffix.
- Some names are not specific to any region, such as .biz or .info, but these usually cost more than national addresses
- Anybody can register a .com address, but .net is normally for Internet Service Providers and .org is for charities (but no one seems to check on this).
- The main address for British sites is .co.uk which is available to anyone. Others are .ltd.uk (which is for limited companies who must use their full name as registered at Companies House), .org.uk, (charities) and .net.uk (ISPs)
- People often confuse .co.uk with .com so it may be a good idea to register both. Some companies even register common misspellings of their name.
- A domain name can only be made up of the letters A - Z, the numbers 0 - 9, or hyphens. Names must have at least three letters, but you may have a letter and a number.
- Most 3 and 4 letter names have already been registered.
To check if the name you require is still available go to the following sites:-
Internic for (.biz, .com, .coop, .info, .int, .museum, .net, and .org)
Nominet for all UK domains.
If you would like CIS to register a domain name for you, please phone us on
023 9279 9341 or e-mail us at the address below.
