FAQ
Some frequently asked questions about registering a domain name
Question: What is a top level domain?
Answer: A top-level domain (TLD) is one of the domains at the highest level in the hierarchical Domain Name System of the Internet. The top-level domain names are installed in the root zone of the name space. For all domains in lower levels, it is the last part of the domain name, that is, the last label of a fully qualified domain name. For example, in the domain name www.example.com, the top-level domain is com, or COM, as domain names are not case-sensitive.
Question: What if the business domain name I want is already taken?
Answer: If you find that the business domain name you want is not available it’s because another individual or company has already registered the domain name. Unfortunately, there is very little you can do to secure the domain name for your own business, other than approaching the registered owner and offering to buy it from them. Occasionaly however, domain names sometimes become available to register again if the owner fails to renew them. After a period of time they may ‘expire’ and if you’re aware of this and readily prepared to grab the name before anyone else, you can snap up the domain name for yourself.
Question: How long will I have to wait before I can register a domain name that has already been taken but doesn’t have a website?
Answer: That depends on when it was first registered or last renewed. Even if a domain name owner does not currently use the domain name with a website, they may still want to keep the domain name for the future, or some other reason. Generally .co.uk names get registered for a period of two years or more. .Com names can be registered for up to ten years. That’s a long time to have to wait. You can check when a .co.uk name is due for renewal via Nominet. For .com domain names you can use the ‘whois’ look-up at whois.domaintools.com
Question: What alternative options do I have if I can’t register the domain name I want?
Answer: If you can’t secure the domain name you want you might like to consider one of the alternative top level domains if available. For example, have you considered a .info domain? or a .biz domain? There are other options too. If a .co.uk or .com domain name is not available, and you want to use your business name in the domain name you register, it’s certainly worth considering one of these alternatives. (.info / .biz / .net / .uk.com / .tv / .ws / .eu etc)
Alternatively, you may prefer to register a domain name that includes ‘keywords’ related to your business, as these type of domains have certain benefits when it comes to getting a good website position in the major search engines.
( see the article: Choosing the right business domain name for your website )
