Domain Name General Questions

1. Why should I register a domain name?
2. The domain name I want has expired or is about to expire. What can I do to help make sure I get it?
3. Should I register my domain name for several years all at once?
4. I just decided I don't want my domain name anymore. Can I "return" it?
5. I spelled my domain name wrong! What can I do?
6. I'm not ready to put up a web site. Should I still register my domain name?
7. Why is an "Under Construction" page a bad idea?
8. What information can you give me on buying/selling/trading domains?

Why should I register a domain name?

A domain name helps improve your presence on the Internet. A short web address that is relevant to your company, business and/or site is easier for people to remember, enabling them to come to your web site again and again. It also demonstrates that you are serious about your web presence. An excellent article has also been written on the topic by workz.com guest expert Lee Hodgson. You may read it here.

The domain name I want has expired or is about to expire. What can I do to help make sure I get it?

The domain name may be held by the registry at which it was registered for any length of time. Perhaps the registry is allowing the current registrant of the domain some extra time to renew it. Often, even after it is clear that the registrant will not renew the domain name, the registry will continue to hold it for some time. The amount of time that a registrar will hang on to an expired domain name before making it available again varies. It can take several weeks to months before the domain has been made available again.

Some services on the Internet claim to put "dibs" on a domain name that is about to expire. Although whether or not you will actually get the domain name that you are paying them for (the current registrant may wake up and renew at the last minute), MyDomain, NameProtect and MyDomainFinder.com all offer domain monitoring services.

Should I register my domain name for several years all at once?

The price of registration is going down. Only a year ago, it cost about $100 to secure your domain name for two years. Now, it is $35 for one year - and in some cases much less. If you commit to a long-term contract with your registrar, you may not be able to reap the benefits of greatly reduced domain name registration and renewal fees in the future.

I just decided I don't want my domain name anymore. Can I "return" it?

Once a domain name is registered, it's registered. Although some registrars will allow you to delete the domain name record from the public and throw it back into the available pool, you most certainly will not get your money back. It's usually best to just opt not to renew when the domain name is up for renewal.

I spelled my domain name wrong! What can I do?

Fear not! You won't be able to get your money back (see above) but chances are that if you typed your domain name in wrong, someone else might do the same thing. You may simply register the domain name, correctly spelled, and have the incorrect domain name "point" to your web site at the correctly spelled domain name.

I'm not ready to put up a web site. Should I still register my domain name?

Yes! If your domain name hasn't been registered by someone else, get it now while it's still available. Many registration service providers allow you to "park" your domain name with them until you are ready to put up a site. Check with the company who will be registering your domain name for you to determine whether they will charge you extra for this service.

Why is an "Under Construction" page a bad idea?

All web sites are, by nature, "under construction." Maintaining a web site is a continuous process, and a good webmaster keeps will keep its sites up to date at all times, constantly making little changes here and there.

We have always maintained that declaring your web site is "Under Construction" or leaving a "Please come again soon!" message on your home page for more than a couple of weeks can be detrimental to your site later on, especially if you are running a business site. It can hamper your later efforts to get listed in search engines (worst case scenario, you could get listed as a construction site for a construction company, and believe me once a search engine has listed you as one thing it's extremely difficult to change that later on) as well as actually discourage people from visiting your site again. Imagine going to someone's web site and seeing that they are "coming soon" or "under construction." So, in about a week or so, you return, and they're still "coming soon." Imagine this going on for several weeks, or even a couple of months. Eventually, the average Internet user just gives up on going to that site, because nothing ever changes.

What information can you give me on buying/selling/trading domains?

Please check out our NEW section on buying, selling and trading domain names.