Domain name registration
How do domain names work?Computers connected to the internet have an ip address such as 94.56.102.3. This is the internet equivelant of a phone number.
A domain name server converts easy to remember domain names - such as wwwwonder.com - into an ip address. This is the internet equivelant of telephone Directory Enquiries.
Domain registration creates your entry in the internet 'phone book'. Unlike the phone book, however, each domain name must be unique.
.com, .net, .org, .co.uk, .ie, .eu, etc. are top level domains and are controlled by various registries. For country codes the registry is usually in that country. | Internet | Telephone system equivelant
| Domain name
e.g. www.murphypotatoes.com | Subscriber name
e.g. Murphy Potatoes Ltd.
| IP address
e.g. 94.56.102.3 | Telephone number
e.g. 01 123 4567 | Domain name server (DNS)
| Directory enquiries
| | .com (commercial domain) | Yellow pages
| .ie (Ireland)
| Irish phone book
| .fr (France)
| French phone book
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What advantage is a domain name?Several advantages:
- The name is yours for life if you renew it.
- Having a web address with your company or club name looks professional. Which of these would you trust with your money?
- myshop.yahoo.com
- myshop.com
- If you change webhosts then you can point your domain name to the new server. (You just tell the DNS - domain name server - the IP address of your new host.) Your customers / users won't even know the website is being served by a different computer.
- Your email address uses your domain name. Again, you can keep your email address even if you change service provider or web host.
How do I register domain name? Nowadays, there are several "registrars" where you can register your domain; prices range from less than $10 to more than $30 per year.
You don't have to deal with registrars directly; most web hosts including wwwonder.com will gladly register a domain on your behalf (they usually make a small profit on it). Email us if you need help with this.
SAFETY: Whether you register the domain name yourself or ask the hosting firm to do it for you, always make sure that you are the owner or "registrant". If you allow another party to be the registrant you can have serious difficulty getting ownership of the domain name in the event of the company ceasing trading. World Wide Wonder will always register the domain in your name.
Further readingDomain name on Wikipedia.
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