Top tips for registering a domain name

The domain name is an essential part of any web site, but 
choosing and registering it can be a tricky process.

Here are some great tips to help you through this process. 

1.	Choose your domain name quickly

.uk domain names are being registered at a rate of one every 20 seconds 
and allocated on a first-registered, first-served basis, so a delay in 
decision making could mean someone else gets there first. 

2.	Choose a name that suits your business

You should choose your domain name so that it best represents your 
company's interests.  Bear in mind the brand, what you offer, your unique 
selling point and the implications of being alphabetically listed.

Think about domain names that solve a problem or names that describe 
the products or services your company provides e.g. 'marketing solutions'.  
Either way, your name will help drive targeted traffic to your web site if 
you take this approach. 

3.	Be flexible and creative in your choice of domain names

There are approximately 120-130 million domain names registered 
worldwide.  It may be useful to think about a few alternatives in case the 
name you ideally want is already registered.  Consider using hyphens and 
acronyms.

4.	Decide which Top Level Domain (TLD) to use

Companies based in the UK usually register a domain name ending in 
.co.uk, and recent independent research suggests that British Internet 
users are six times more likely to choose a .uk rather than a .com address 
when looking for information via an Internet search engine.  72% of 
respondents also said they would visit a British web site above any other.

There are however a number of other alternatives including .com or other 
Second Level Domains such as .org.uk (or non-commercial 
organisations), .me.uk (for individuals), .ltd.uk and .plc.uk (for Ltd and Plc 
companies) and .com, .info and others for generic usage.  

5.	Register your domain name in other suffixes 

It's not a bad idea to register several similar domain names.  If you have 
'yourname.co.uk' you could register 'yourname.org.uk' so no-one else can 
come in at a later stage and capitalise on your brand name using another 
major domain name type.  You could also register your full company 
name and a shorter, easier to remember version. 

6.	Check whether your chosen name has already been 
registered

Use the WHOIS search facility on our web site to check the availability of 
all .uk domain names. 

7.	If it has been registered, you could check if it is for sale

If your first choice domain name is unavailable the cheapest solution is to 
choose something else.  However, if you have your heart set on a 
particular name, you could try buying it from the current registrant.  
There's no guarantee you will be able to acquire the domain, and even if 
the current registrant is willing to sell, it could cost you anywhere from a 
few hundred to many thousands of pounds. 

8.	Create your web site and set up your email address

Once you have registered your domain name you are ready to create your 
web site and set up your email address.  You can do this yourself, or we 
would be happy to do it for you.  We provide a range of web design, 
hosting and email forwarding services that we would be pleased to 
discuss with you.

9.	Make a diary note of the renewal date for your domain name

All .uk domain name registrations are valid for two years from the date of 
registration; others may vary so check your domain name certificate.  
Your registrar will normally contact you before the expiry date to ask if you 
wish to renew it for another two year period.  

For .uk domain names, we will also contact you before cancelling the 
registration.  Be aware that 'Notices of Expiration' demanding payment 
from sources other than your agent or Nominet may be a scam, so check 
correspondence carefully and contact your existing agent or us if you 
have any concerns.

10.	Tell us if your contact details change

Your details must be correct for the domain name registration to remain 
valid and we will not necessarily prompt you.  If you change any of your 
contact details please let is know so that we can ensure that your domain 
name registration is renewed.  If you change address and forget to tell us 
you risk losing the domain name you have spent so much time, energy 
and resources developing.




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