All About e-Commerce and Domain Names

e-Commerce

Domain Name Registrations

The purpose of this page is to guide you through the process of Internet Domain Name Registration together with a little insight as to what it is all about!. Whether you are new to the Internet or "Web Savvy" we hope you will find the following information of interest.

We consider in turn some of the Frequently Asked Questions about Internet domain names and attempt to illustrate how important it is to act now in order to protect your business interests in the short and long term.

Topics discussed:

What is a domain name?
What are the benefits of having my own domain name?
What rules exist for choosing my Domain Name?
Is my domain name still available?
Is your domain name available?

It is important to stress that even if you have no plans to utilise the Internet in the short term, it is essential that you protect your company's interests now for use at a later date. Registering a domain name on the Internet is the equivalent of registering a company name at Companies House. Thousands of domain names are being registered every day by companies and individuals around the world. Once the name you want is registered by someone else, it is too late to do anything about it. The opportunity to use it has been lost.

What is a domain name?

A domain name represents your address on the Internet. Each domain name has two parts - a top-level domain which specifies the country designation and broad category (or status) of an organisation; and a second-level domain, representing your specific name. So for instance, you may have the domain name of yourcompany.co.uk, combining the top-level domain ".co.uk" with your business name "yourcompany".

The top-level domains are relatively fixed. In the UK these are-

.co.uk assigned to commercial, for-profit organisations.
.org.uk assigned to miscellaneous, usually non-profit organisations such as charities, trades unions, political parties, community groups, or professional institutions.
.ltd.uk for UK companies who wish to register an exact match to the name they have registered at Companies House.
.plc.uk for public limited companies.
.gov.uk limited to UK government departments, local government bodies, and associated government funded organisations.
.net.uk for UK Internet networks.
Worldwide top-level domains, such as .com, .net, and .org, can also be registered (subject to availability). Unlike domains with the suffix ".uk", these are globally recognised domains and are therefore popular with businesses and organisations with a worldwide presence, export potential, or businesses looking to open worldwide markets. The same principles apply in that .com names are appropriate for commercial, for-profit organisations, and so on.

What are the benefits of having my own domain name?

Like any trade name, logo, or brand name, your domain name represents a part of your business identity - something customers and business associates can recognise, remember, and positively associate with your services or products. Remember that without your own domain name, your Internet address is tied to that of your ISP - Internet Service Provider (such as Demon, AOL, MSN, TescoNet, ..etc). But ask yourself, why would you want to associate your business with someone else?
Registering a good, easily remembered domain name will reinforce your company, its own corporate image and identity on the Internet, invaluable for both marketing and trade. With your own domain name, your web address may simply be www.yourcompany.co.uk. No-one has to write it down to remember it. Similarly, every e-mail message affirms that name, since your address becomes you@yourcompany.co.uk. It is simple, elegant, and much more effective than you@someunrelatedprovider.co.uk. Also by doing business under your own domain name, a good service provider can offer you multiple e-mail aliases (for example - anyname@yourcompany.co.uk,or sales@yourcompany.co.uk or info@yourcompany.co.uk).

Another major advantage is that many web search engines give priority to subjects with an associated domain name; so your company, its products and services will appear more often near the top of search result lists. In simple terms, when searching for a particular product or service on the Internet, a well-chosen name, properly registered, will be more easily found by prospective customers.
Lastly, your own domain name, once registered, is permanent. Thus, even if you want to change service providers your web address and e-mail addresses remain the same. There is no requirement to print new letterheads, business cards, brochures, ..etc, or contact all your clients, suppliers, and business associates with your new address. You can change your service provider every month if you want, taking advantage of any deals on offer, and your Internet address will always remain - www.yourcompany.co.uk.

What rules exist for choosing my Domain Name?

The only characters allowed in a domain name are letters, digits (numerals) and the hyphen symbol (-). A domain name cannot begin or end with a hyphen, and no spaces are allowed. The total length of the two-part domain name may be up to 26 characters (including the .com). There is a minimum 3 characters for .uk names; 2 if there is a mixture of letters and numerals (e.g. a1.co.uk); and 2 characters for .com,.net, and .org names.

Correct examples-
your-company.com
yourcompany2000.co.uk

Incorrect examples-
our Company.co.uk
yourcompanynameistoolongandnotmemorable.com

Note that domain names are case insensitive (i.e. capitalisation is ignored).

Is my domain name still available?

Domain names are issued on a first come first served basis and as there are many businesses with similar names, it is important to register a suitable domain name for your company as soon as possible. Once you have registered your name it is protected from duplication. As already mentioned, we need to protect our trade names for Internet use now and for the future. Many thousands of names a day are being registered so be quick, once your name has gone - it's gone for good!! Bearing in mind the above guidelines, you can choose any name. Obviously we recommend that you choose a meaningful name, as close to your trading name as possible.

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