What is a domain name?

What a domain name is

Think of your website as a shop and the domain name as its street address. It is the short name people type into a browser, such as yourbusiness.com. It is also what comes after the @ in your email address.

The organization that oversees the internet's naming system, ICANN, describes it this way: the part before the dot is the name you register, and it is then used for things like your website and your email.

The ending, such as .com, is called the extension. The name and the ending together make the whole domain.

How you get one

You do not buy a domain for life. You register it, usually for one year at a time, and renew it. It is sold by companies called registrars, and each one sets its own price. ICANN says registrars are free to charge whatever they wish.

Because of that, the same name can cost different amounts at different companies, and renewal can cost more than the first year. Read the renewal terms before you pay.

• Pick a name that is short and easy to say over the phone.
• Check that nobody else has it, and that it is not close to a competitor's name.
• Register it with an account that uses your email address and your name.
• Turn on automatic renewal and put the renewal date in your diary.

Who should own it

You should. This is the part owners most often get wrong. Some web designers register the domain in their own account to make setup easier. If you later part ways, you may not be able to get it back, and your website and email can stop working the day it lapses.

Ask one question: whose name and email are on the domain account? If the answer is not yours, ask to have it moved to you. Reputable designers will do this without fuss.

At Oiko, you own your domain, your website and your words. Our website work is built around that.

What it is not

A domain name is not the same as hosting. Hosting is the computer that stores your website's pages and shows them to visitors. The domain is the address that points to it. You need both for a website, and they can be bought from different companies.

A domain name is also not the same as a trademark. Registering a domain is not the same as protecting a name as your brand. The US Patent and Trademark Office explains that a trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design that identifies your goods or services, and that registration gives stronger protection. If your name matters a great deal to you, ask a lawyer.

A short checklist

Before you hand over a card number, check these.

• The domain is registered to you, with your email.
• You know the renewal date and the renewal cost.
• You have the login written down somewhere safe, and one other trusted person knows where.
• Your business email uses the same domain, so customers see one name everywhere.

If you are not sure who owns yours

Many owners have a domain that was set up years ago by a nephew, a former designer or a hosting salesperson. It is worth finding out now, not on the day the site goes down. We can look it up with you as part of a website check-up. If you would like us to, get in touch.