What's In A (Domain) Name?
A domain is a little section of the Internet created specifically for you. Each domain is unique and ripe with the potential for success. They’re perfect for selling your business to your customers or creating a website just for you, about you. Each domain is accessed through the domain name that you register.
When you register a domain name you get full control over that domain’s name and website. Choosing the correct domain name is vital to the success of both your website and your business. Choose something short and snappy that is easy to remember but which also clearly represents your company or website.
Most people will initially register a .com or .ie domain to get started, but you should also consider registering other forms of your name (such as .me, .eu or .co) to protect it for the future. You can either just register the domain name and park (keep the domain reserved), register and setup free redirection of an address of another domain or you can register the domain name and setup a full hosting account with a web site and email accounts (this is the usual option that people go for) under the selected domain name. If you'd like more information on the different domain types that are available please see our Domain Name Guide.
Here are some terms you might hear mentioned when discussing domain name registration:
- .tld or TLD
- The .tld is the Top Level Domain which is the part of the domain name after the last dot. For example the domain name mysite.com has a TLD of .com
- .cctld or ccTLD
- These are Country Code Top Level Domains. For example .ie is a country code whereas .com or .net is not
- Domain Registrar
- Domains are registered with a domain registrar. Ultimately all domains are controlled by ICANN who licence registrars to handle the management of the registration process.
- Domain Expiry
- When you register a domain it's typically for a year or a multiple of thereof. On the anniversary of the date you register the domain the registration is said to expire. If you don't renew the subscription before the expiry date it's likely the domain will be suspended and ultimately will become available for someone else to purchase
- Domain Transfer
- You can transfer a domain from one registrar to another. Each registrar has their own transfer process to ensure that the person requesting the transfer is the legitimate owner of the domain. There's usually a time limit before expiry in which the domain cannot be transferred. This is to prevent someone transferring a domain to avoid payment
- Domain Parking
- If you register a domain name; but don't have a web site for it then you can park that domain. If you have an existing web site then you can park domains on that site and anyone visiting the parked domain will see the same web site.
Try our free domain search tool above to check for the best domain names for your website. If you find one you like, our quick and easy registration process will get you up and running in no time.