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Questions About Website Domain Names

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Answering common questions about Domains, DNS, Top Level Domains (TLDs), and Registration.

Domain Name Questions and Answers

Common Domain Terminology

Choosing A Domain Name

Domain Registration Process

Domain Ownership

Domain Privacy

Common Domain Registration Terminology

What is a Domain Name?

A Domain Name is the website address by which your product or service can be found on the Internet. (www.YourDomainName.com)

Similar to your home address, a Domain Name is the address that is assigned to you that allows someone to locate you on the World Wide Web. It is your permanent address that can follow you no matter where in the world you might move. This is a very powerful tool for individuals as well as businesses. It allows for email addresses such as (you@your-name.com), website addresses (such as this site) personal and business.

What is a URL?

A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is a line of text that uniquely specifies a resource such as a complete file. Each computer (called a server) that hosts a Web site is assigned it’s own unique Internet Protocol (IP) address — a string of numbers and dots. You could type in the string of numbers and dots, but entering and remembering the name is a lot easier. Let the DNS which has special software do the work.

What is a TLD?

A Top-Level Domain (TLD) name is the rightmost set of characters following the rightmost “dot” in the unique name by which a computer is known on the Internet.

View a complete list of TLD’s

For information on emerging top-level Domain Names and registrars, see The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.

What is a Domain Name extension?

It is the (.com, .net, .org, .biz, .info, etc.) that follows the Domain Name that you’ve selected. It can indicate the kind of organization that is hosting the site .com/commercial, .net/network, .org/nonprofit, .biz/business, .info/informational.

These are the most common top level extensions used by individuals and businesses today. More and more people are buying all five to protect their name from others taking advantage of their hard work. Anyone can register a Domain Name in any of the five extensions if they are available.

What is DNS?

(DNS stands for “Domain Name Server”.

In reality, your domain name is a long set of numbers that would be very hard to remember — so instead, we use descriptive words (URL) and let the DNS software translate your domain name into sets of numbers (IP address) so a Web browser can locate your site.

DNS generally requires two servers to be specified, a primary DNS and a secondary DNS. Your Domain Name is considered “Parked” at the servers you specify. When you register domain names with Domain-Blaster.com it is parked free for you until you’re ready to use it.

What is ICANN?

ICANN stands for “Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers”. It’s a non-profit organization responsible for overseeing the management of Internet Domain Names.

Choosing a Domain Name

How long can a domain name be?

The new long format allows for a minimum of 2 characters up to 63 characters plus the extension. Valid characters are (a-z) and (0-9) and the dash (-) as long as it is contained with in the other characters. It can not be a leading or trailing character. If you use capital letters they will be translated into lower case which is what the DNS recognizes.

What if the name I want is taken?

Considering that over 4.6 million domain names are registered every day, you may just find that the name you want is already taken. That is why it is so important to register a domain today — even if you may not actually be ready to use it today. The best solution is to just retry another name until you find a name that is available. With Domain-Blaster.com the search is FREE and you can search as often as you like.

What are some tips for choosing a Domain Name?

Please refer to our page on “Tips to choosing a domain name”

Why should I register more than one domain name?

Please see, “Purchasing Multiple Domain Names”

Domain Name Registration Process

Who should register a Domain Name?

All businesses especially small businesses need to have a presence right now, not necessarily to gain market share but simply to survive and to be compatible in an environment that eventually will be the primary way buyers and sellers communicate. This is also the way individuals will communicate.

You should register domain names for both yourself and for your business. More and more people are registering Domain Names for their family while there are still choices.

If you are creative and look hard enough you will find a good name. Although domains are being registered at an incredible rate of over 4.6 million a day, the real rush is yet to come. Some projections are a 93% increase over the next three years.

Registering all the names within your budget you think you might want in the future is the best advice. Not only is it an incredibly small investment to secure potential future business opportunities, but it can actually save you thousands of dollars if someone else purchase your name and then later have to buy it back from them. Besides, if you later decide you don’t want or need them, you can let the registration lapse and the domains will go back in the pool of available names. Some names can fetch high returns — e.g. Cowboys.com ($250,000), Business.com (7.5 million), and AsSeenOnTV.com ($835,000).

What does it mean to register a Domain Name?

When you register a domain name it’s assigned/licensed to you and associated with a (DNS) computer on the Internet that you designate during the effective period of registration.

Should I register multiple extensions?

If you’re a business, it just makes good financial sense to protect your assets. Today’s low prices are a minor cost compared to marketing expenses over the long term. If someone else registers the names you could be in a legal fight with no guarantee of success. In comparison, registration fees are a lot lower than attorney fees — so consider it cheap insurance. We have businesses registering many variations of their name. Some businesses have registered as many as 250 Domain Names.

How long does a registration last? Can it be renewed?

Domain Names can be registered for up to ten (10) years — and in some cases, even longer. The registration will expire at the end of the time period you have selected.

You should renew your registration about 30 days before the end of the current term. You will have up to the end of the current term to do so but early is better. You can renew at anytime prior to the end of the registration current term.

Where do I get information about the DNS?

There are two DNS fields in the registration form which are optional. You may register a Domain Name without DNS information and Domain-Blaster.com will park your domain for FREE on the servers that we use until you’re ready to use it. This will typically occur when you find your web hosting company. Your new web host will supply you with the information needed for your new DNS location.

What payment methods do you accept?

Domain-Blaster.com accepts payment via credit card(VISA, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover), Check, and through PayPal.

I just registered a Domain Name but when I type it in my browser nothing came up?

Your domain name is just that, a domain name. It is not a web site, rather it is a name for your web site. When your web hosting company has your web site ready they will supply you with and address and we can point the domain name to the site. It may take a few days for the routing to point to your new host.

After I register my domain, then what?

There are many things that you can do with your Domain Name.

  • Build a personal web site
  • Use it for email (you@yourname.com)
  • Build a corporate presence on the world wide web
  • Re-direct it to another web site (URL forwarding)
  • Have your domain names appraised and resale them for a profit
  • Start your own online business
  • Share photos with family and friends
  • Post a daily diary or “blogcast”
  • Copyright creative ideas
  • The list goes on and on!

Are the names registered through Domain-Blaster.com the same quality as interNIC?

All registrars write names to the same registry. Their is only one registry for each of the .com .net .org .biz .info domains, etc. — this includes interNIC.

Since all registrars use the same protocol and software their is nothing a registrar can do in regards to the performance of a domain once it has been submitted. Registrars just hold the WHOIS information. If a registrar server should go down for some reason the only thing that could happen is that the Whois information would not be available for a while. With the automated system that Domain-Blaster.com uses the submission is captured exactly as you entered it.

Domain Name Ownership

Can anyone register a top-level domain (.com .net .org .biz .info) worldwide?

Yes. The top-level Domain Names .com .net .org .biz .info domain names are available to anyone worldwide.

Can I sell my Domain Name?

Yes. You have complete control of your names and if you find a buyer you can sell it.

Domain Privacy

Will my name and contact information be publicly available?

Unless you select to purchase Private Registration services, the information you provide on the registration form (except for your secure payment information) is publicly available on the Whois site. This information has been deemed necessary to facilitate the enforcement of consumer protection, trademark issues and other laws and technical problems and allows for rapid resolution of these problems.

If privacy is a concern, for a small fee, you can keep your domain name private.

Why doesn’t my Domain Name show up in Whois?

It usually takes about 48 hours for the registry to activate a new domain. This is referred to as propagation. The amount of time it takes to update the DNS. You should not be concerned about strange messages or no response for a few days. Not all WHOIS searches produce the same results. Just disregard any messages and try again later.

Please post your thoughts and comments below. Thanks!

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