Domain name registration information, tips on creating domain names and how to check if you required name is available.

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Choosing Domain Names and Hosting Packages

A domain name is basically the name of your website but in Internet terms it is actually your name and address, e.g. www.bbc.co.uk and www.google.com are domain names.

You must give some thought to the actual domain name and it can be important that you register a good one. Make this relevant to your business name if possible. A domain name is basically the unique address that identifies your web site's location on the Internet (also known as the URL).

Forming a Domain Name

WWW domain names are formed using a series of alphanumeric characters followed by your unique name and an extension, e.g. www.bbc.co.uk.

The ".co.uk" extension signifies a UK site. All countries have a unique identifier such as ".de" for Germany and ".au" for Australia. Other general extensions are also available such as .com for commercial sites, .biz for business sites, .info for information based sites, etc.

How do I get a Domain Name? (The Domain Name Registration Process)

Domain names must be registered through a domain name registrar. These are companies that have been authorised to deal in domain names. You must use a registrar for this. There is no other way to obtain a domain name. Registration in each country is controlled by a recognised authority. In the UK this authority is called Nominet.)

You must first select your registrar then check to see if your chosen name is still available since someone may have registered this before you. For example if your business is called Big Bob's Café don't even think about applying for bbc.co.uk. In practice you will be very lucky to find a domain name with any single common word from the English Language. Most of these have already been registered.

When you successfully register your domain name you pay an annual fee for the right to use it. Your chosen registrar holds the registration, you don't own it but effectively it is yours for as long as you want to pay the fee, which is normally about £2.00 to £10.00 per annum.

Checking Domain Name Availability

There are many resources on the Internet that allow you to check domain names. Most domain name registrars and hosting companies have a means of doing this on their websites.

A good all round resource for this is http://whois.domaintools.com/

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