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Domain Names Explained |
 A Domain name is extremely important to any Business "It is equally important to their existing and potential customers" Below we have listed some pointers we feel 'All' organisations should carefully consider prior to registering their domain. UK domain names alone are being registered at an astronomical rate of more than 200,000 per month so if your preferred domain name is still available for registration we highly recommend that you register it as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.  What is a Domain name?Every website is stored on a computer commonly known as a server, a computer with an open door to the world wide web, each websites server (Just as your own computer) has a unique address known as an IP address. An IP address is simply a string of numbers, Example; 213.171.218.143 The system of domain names was created to simplify finding a specific website and its server, they are a system by which people like you and I can reach the site we want and get the information without the hassle of remembering a sequence of seemingly unrelated numbers ( IP addresses ) Domain names are further suffixed to provide the user with some means of identification of the nature of the website and a means of classification for the web sites themselves. (explained below)  Dot What?The common examples of these are .com, .org, .net, & some of the newer range of suffixes available .biz, .name, .info etc. These suffixes help to provide further information about where the computer/server is located and what is it prime reason for existence i.e. for commercial purposes, non-profit organization, networking purposes or purely as a B-2-B site (business to business site). On the basis of their primary motive, domain names are registered. Hence, since most businesses exist for commerce, the most common suffix is … yes you guessed it right! .com !! So common is this particular top level domain that it is mostly implied when we visit a website. Hence, for more purposes than purely commercial is this suffix used. A brief overview of the common suffixes is outlined below;
 What name?If it is possible that your business may grow into different areas of interest, or even change tack altogether, it may be an idea not to make your domain name too specific to one area of your expertise. Although it is possible to register a name with up to 63 characters, you should keep it in mind that people need to be able to remember it, and easily type it into their browser, if possible try not to include hyphens as people can and will become confused as to what goes where. Try to register a name that your customers and visitors will associate with you. The ideal would be to keep it around seven to fifteen characters, (Not including the suffix.) When you have settled on several available name choices, see what your friends and customers have to say. A name that may make perfect sense to you may be too hard for other people to remember. Is your domain easy to say? Is it hard to spell? Do you have to explain why you chose the name? We would certainly recommend that your first domain search should be to check your existing/new business name in full should you feel it meets most the criteria stated in this quick guide.  What not to register?You should ensure that your domain name is not a commonly known brand name or trademark. Something like "Microsoftwebdesign.co.uk" would not be a good choice! There are dozens of reasons why you should stay away from such choices, one being that your search engine results (Google, Yahoo etc) would be dramatically reduced as you would be competing against a highly ranked business. Anyone looking for you by search would probably not find you. Another would be that in this case, Microsoft could well decide to sue you for copyright infringement. How & where to register? Ultimus Online will gladly register and manage your domain name for you at your request, however, should you wish to purchase a domain yourself please feel free to use the services provided on our purchasing page, you can find it HERE. Make sure you keep your contact information up-to-date. Although we are bound to contact you when a domain name comes up for renewal, it is your responsibility in the end. If you are planning on registering multiple domain names, please bare in mind that registering them all with a single domain name supplier will help ease the overall management, ensuring that your renewals are always seamless.  |
