When you launch a new website you must register a unique
domain name with an authorized registrar. When the internet
was first starting, all domain names and IP addresses were
registered through one organization, Internic. Eventually
Network Solutions took over the role as “keeper” of the
internet domain names. Today, there are hundreds of websites
where you can register your domain name but Network Solutions
still maintains the main database of domain names. Some
websites charge as little as $2.95 per year for your domain
name while others charge as much as $35 per year for the
exact same service. Some even offer one year free if you
register your domain name with them and host your website on
their servers. Why pay $35 when you can register your domain
name for much less at another website?
So why does Network Solutions charge $35 a year if they are
the keeper of the database and their resellers charge a
fraction or even nothing? Who knows and who cares! Register
your domain with one of the cheaper providers and you'll be
fine. A word caution - be care who you choose to host your
website. Getting a free year of your domain name isn't worth
it if your webhost is unreliable and your website is down
more than it's up.
You pay for your domain name on a yearly basis. It's a
separate charge from your webhosting bill. When you register
your domain name choose the autorenewal option if it's
available. This way your domain name will not expire if you
forget to renew it. If your domain name expires, it's free
for anyone else to register so you need to stay on top of
when it's expiring. Also registering your domain name for a 3
to 5 year term will often save you money. For example,
godaddy.com charges $8.95 a year for your domain name but
only $7.25 a year if you register for a 5 year term.
When you register your domain you can create different
contact names. The three contacts are Administrator,
Technical and Billing. Most of the time the same person is
all 3 contacts. If you web designer registers your domain
name for you, make sure you are designated as the
Administrative contact. This gives you control over the
domain name and you must be notified if someone is trying to
make changes to your record. If you aren't one of the
contacts then someone can transfer ownership of the domain
name without your permission.
To see a record of your domain name, go to
www.networksolutions.com and use their WHOIS utility which is
located in the bottom left corner of their home page. Simply
enter your domain name and click Search. You'll see the
complete record of your domain name, where it's registered
and where your website is hosted. For a complete video of how
to use WHOIS, visit www.valiss.com/video/whois/whois.html.
When you register your domain name you'll have to the option
of making it a private registration. I highly recommend
paying the additional fee to make your information private.
If you leave your registration public anyone can look up your
domain information which includes your home or business
address and your email address. Many spammers scan public
domain registration records to find valid email addresses to
spam.
I always use a yahoo or hotmail email account when
registering my domains. This way if spammers to find my email
address, I can just get a new “throwaway” email address and I
won't receive spam at my primary email address.
Always make sure your domain record remains locked. Locking
your domain name is a feature implemented a few years ago.
When you want to transfer your domain name to a different
registrar you must unlock it. Once it's unlocked the new
registrar can “pull” your domain name from your current
registrar. Once the transfer is complete, the domain name
will be locked to prevent anyone else from “pulling” your
domain away from you.
No comments:
Post a Comment