Part 1 of ‘Choosing your Domain Name’ was published on 3rd November. Here, in Part 2, we complete our advice.
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6) Choosing an extension is a difficult part of the process too. Gone are the days of simply choosing between .co.uk and .com domains. Now there are a whole raft of extensions to choose from. There are few rules on the general domain names such as .co.uk, .com, .org etc. A good rule of thumb to consider though is that if your website is a general UK based information or company website then opt for the .co.uk extension. If it’s an e-commerce or internationally-targetted website then .com is the one to go for. If your company considers itself to be an organisation then why not go for .org.
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7) If price is an issue for your company remember to get quotes before registering your domain names as domain prices can vary considerably depending on the extension you have chosen.
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8) Be aware that if you wish to target other countries via your domain and website it won’t always be a simple process to get a domain with an international extension. For example, the Irish domain registry are very strict on who can register .ie domain names. The registry will always ask that the domain is registered to an address in the Irish Republic and may even ask you to confirm this by sending them your details on a company letterhead featuring that address.
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9) Domain registrations are generally renewed every two years. You may often see that certain companies will claim that they can register a domain for a greater length of time but, although you may pay them for up to ten years of registration fees, most domain extensions can only be registered for two years. What your agent will then do is to renew the domain on your behalf every two years without consulting you until your ten years are complete, so they’re not strictly registering your domain for ten years from the outset at all. The biggest problem with this is that if your domain agent goes out of business a year after you have registered your domain with them you will then lose the equivalent of 8 years of domain registration fees as they won’t be able to renew the domain beyond its original expiry date.
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10) Choose the company you register your domains with carefully. The cheapest isn’t necessarily the best. There are companies here in the UK that can register domains for less than £1. However, beware of hidden extras involved because whatever you then need to do with your domain such as hosting, forwarding or even moving it elsewhere this is where these companies really make their money from you so you’re rarely better off when it comes to choosing a ‘cheaper’ domain agent.
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If you’d like to register a domain for your company or require further advice call us on 01942 225900 to check availability and obtain a price or email.