1.
What is a Domain Name?
A Domain name is a unique
identifier for your Business. It provides an address on the Web so that
potential customers and clients can find you easily. By registering your
domain name, you are staking your claim on the internet because now no
one will be able to do business on the internet using your domain name.
This will prevent customer confusion and loss of potential business.
You will have exclusive use to continue using your domain name as long
as you keep your domain name registration current.
Domain Names are
also frequently referred to as: url,
www, domain name, internet domain name, web address
top
2.
How can I use my Domain Name?
Use your domain name for website
hosting. When people type
in your domain name, they will be brought directly to your website.
Virtual Mail
- Don't have a website and don't
plan on putting a website up? Use your domain name for emailing purposes
only... for example yourname@yourdomain.com - you will always
have the same email address...
Domain Name Aliasing - If
you own several domain names, you can have all of your domain names
point to one main website
Example:
yourdomainname.com is your main website
you can have:
your-domain-name.com and/or otherurls.com all point to your main
website, yourdomainname.com
Real Life Example: www.djcapecod.com is the main website, and they
also have www.capecoddjs.com/
aliased to www.djcapecod.com
Benefits of Domain Name Aliasing:
- You can have many different versions of domain names for the same
website and only have to pay full hosting for the main website - this is
ALOT cheaper than having to host each domain name separately...
- Even though your website is known by several different domain names,
you only have to update your main website
- Submit each separate domain name to the search engines and get greater
exposure
- Use hyphenated domain names to refer to
your main website and the search engines will be able to better parse
your domain name - which may increase your web site visibility
- Use domain names comprised of
descriptive keywords to refer to your main website and the search
engines will be better able to index your domain name - which may
increase your web site visibility
Domain Name Redirection - If
you already have an existing personal or commercial web space
hosted elsewhere and want to use your domain name to direct people to
that web site.
Example:
myspace.com/~yourname is your existing personal/commercial web space
hosted elsewhere
you can have
yourowndomain.com point to your pre-existing website, myspace.com/~yourname
top
3.
Who can register domain name?
Anyone can register a domain
name - you don't have to be a business or nonprofit organization.
Many people are registering domain names for general, business, and
leisure use.
top
4. Can I
register the domain name through 1-2-3-domain-names.com and have you
host my website?
Of course! InterCape
Online provides a full featured robust virtual domain hosting package.
ICO web site hosting package includes: 100 Megs of Space, 2 Gigs of
Bandwidth, Free listing in ICO Galleria, Online Account Management,
Current & Historical Graphic Web Site Reports!
top
5. Can I register the
domain name through 1-2-3-domain-names.com and have someone else host my
website?
Yes, you can register your domain name
through 1-2-3-domain-names.com and have your website hosted with a web
hosting provider of your choice. All you would need to do is
change your Name Server information via our Online Update Domain
Interface. Click
here for more detailed instructions.
top
6. Do I
need a website to have a domain name?
No you do not necessarily
need a web site to have a domain name. Some people purchase domain
names in the intent to auction or resell them. Some people
purchase domain names for sentimental or personal reasons. Some
people purchase domain names to use for Virtual Mail. Some people
purchase domain names to prevent others from registering a specific
domain name. All of these reasons show that you can have a domain
name without having website hosting.
top
7. How
much does it cost?
1-2-3-domain-names.com provides
everyday low prices... we have the cheapest domain names around!
1 year registration: $30 (only $30/year)
2 year registration: $45 (only $22.50/year)
3 year registration: $60 (only $20/year)
Additional Years: $15 (as low as $16.50/year!)
top
8. What's
the difference between Registering a Domain vs. Transferring a Domain?
If
you are registering a new domain name, then you can register the
domain name with us at the following rates:
1 year registration: $30 (only $30/year)
2 year registration: $45 (only $22.50/year)
3 year registration: $60 (only $20/year)
Additional Years: $15 (as low as $16.50/year!)
If you already
own a domain name and are currently with a different registrar (like
Network Solutions or Register.com, etc) and would like to take advantage
of our low prices and great services, then you will first need to
transfer your domain to us, then you will be able renew your domain name
at our regular everyday low rates.
top
9. I see
lots of registrars registering domain names for $35/year... How
can you offer such low domain name prices?
We are able to provide such
deep discounts on domain name registrations because of the deregulation
of NSI which had stimulated competition in the domain name registration
industry. 1-2-3-domain-names.com is able to offer these low domain
renewal rates because we are a fully authorized Registration Service
Provider (RSP) with OpenSRS, who is an ICANN-Accredited Registrar.
All domain name
registrations through 1-2-3-domain-names.com are registered at the
InterNIC. So, Registering through us, your domain name
registration is just as valid and protected as if you registered
directly through other ICANN-Accredited registrars like Network
Solutions.
top
10. How
can I check to see if my domain name is available?
Go to our home page and look up
as many domain names as you like. There is no charge or obligation
for searching for domain names.
top
11.
Domain Name Guidelines
-
Register
.COM, .NET, .ORG tld
-
Letters,
Numbers, and Dashes ("-") are permitted
-
Name
cannot begin or end with a dash
-
Name may
have up to a total of 63 characters
-
Name is
NOT case sensitive.
-
Cannot
have Dash (-) in beginning or ending of domain names
-
Cannot
contain any spaces
-
Cannot
contain any special characters like _, &, !, etc...
top
12. What
if my domain name is chosen, what are my options?
Try using our Domain Name
Wizard! It will check for domain name availability on several
keywords that you choose.
top
13.
Should I choose a longer or shorter domain name?
As a general rule, you should
keep your domain name SHORT, easy to SPELL, easy to RECALL, and be
pronouncable. And keep in mind that you can also register
alternate longer domain names that can refer to the same website (domain
names can contain up to 63 characters long).
top
14. Do I
need more than 1 domain name?
Not necessarily... Some
people only have one domain name and others have several domain names.
Read this article on reasons why it can be helpful to have more than one
domain name.
top
15. I've
chosen a domain name that I like, how do I go about registering it?
Go to our homepage and sign up
for the domain name through our online interface. We accept VISA,
MasterCard, and American Express. After you register your domain
name, you will receive a confirmation email from us saying that you are
the proud owner of your own domain name. It is good to keep that
letter handy because it will contain your chosen Profile Username /
Password and instructions about how to Update your domain name
registration through our online Update Domain Interface.
top
16. Can
I call in a domain name registration or do I have to use the online
interface?
Typically, it is best to use the
online signup interface that we have provided on our homepage for you.
This way, you can be assured that all of the information in your domain
name registration is correct and entered correctly.
If you are having difficulty using the Online Signup Interface, please
feel free to contact us.
top
17.
Oops, I made a mistake and ordered the wrong domain name or mis-spelled
it or I changed my mind and don't like the domain name I just registered
Unfortunately, once we approve
the domain name and there is no retrieving it. You will have
ownership of that domain name for the amount of years that you have
chosen to register it for. Once a domain name is registered it is
unrefundable and unchangeable.
TIP: So be very very careful and check over your domain name
registration before you submit it to us.
top
18. I
thought that you could only register domain names through Network
Solutions?
No, before the Summer of 1999, Network Solutions used to be the only
registrar authorized to register domain names. After Summer, 1999,
the domain name industry was deregulated and opened the industry up for
new competition.
From 1997 to Summer 1999,
all domain names were reserved/registered through one organization
called InterNic and a company called Network Solutions (NSI) -NSI was
the government-appointed company who facilitated the actual domain name
registrations/reservations. After May, 1999, the domain name
industry was deregulated and opened the industry up for new competition.
top
19. Is
there any difference between registering my domain name through you than
Network Solutions?
1-2-3-domain-names.com is a fully
authorized Registration Service Provider (RSP) with OpenSRS, who is an
ICANN-Accredited Registrar.
All domain name
registrations through 1-2-3-domain-names.com are registered at the
InterNIC. So, Registering through us, your domain name
registration is just as valid and protected as if you registered
directly through other ICANN-Accredited registrars like Network
Solutions.
The biggest difference you
will between us and other registrars is that you will:
SAVE MONEY
ENJOY BETTER SERVICE & FEATURES
CONTROL YOUR DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATION ONLINE
top
20. Will
you contact me when my domain name is about to expire?
Yes, we will be contacting
the Billing Contact to renew your domain name when your expiration date
nears and you will be able to renew your domain name at our low renewal
rates.
We will be contacting you with the information that is supplied in your
current domain name registration. Therefore, in order to keep your
domain name current, it is very important to keep this information up to
date.
top
21. I
registered a domain name, why does it seem like it's still available
when I go to our Registrar's websites?
When you query for domain name
availability from any registrar's website, you are querying their WhoIs
database which is updated every 24-72 hours. Therefore, depending
upon their WhoIs schedule, it may appear as if the domain name that you
just registered is still available, but it really is registered by you.
Before all domain name registrations are finalized, all registrars query
the Shared Registration System (SRS) to ensure that the domain name has
not been previously registered.
top
22.
When I registered my domain name, I wasn't given the opportunity to
choose my own name servers, can I change this information?
By default, when you first
register your domain name, our name servers will be listed in your
domain name registration. If you have name servers to use, you can
go to our Update Domain Interface and change your name servers whenever
you need to.
top
|
