What you should know about buying a domain name

Buying a domain name can be a bit overwhelming the first to you go through the process of registering the domain name you have selected. This FAQ about buying a domain will give you a few pointers about the domain name purchasing process and what you can expect.

First off there are many domain name registrars to choose from when buying a domain name and all have different ways of getting your attention to show they have the best deal for buying domain names. Most of it is just their way of getting you to register the domain name with them as well as any future domains you may want to get. Most often through the domain name registration process you will have multiple add-ons and additional products and services put in your face to get even more out of you. That is why it becomes confusing when you’re going through the domain name buying process. So make sure your ready for that.

Here are the facts about buying a domain name

Domain names are governed by an organization called ICANN – Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. This group controls what domain names are allowed to be registered and by whom. ICANN was formed in 1998. It is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with participants from all over the world dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and develops policy on the Internet’s unique identifiers such as a domain name and IP addresses.

ICANN doesn’t control content on the Internet. It cannot stop spam and it doesn't deal with access to the Internet. But through its coordination role of the Internet's naming system, it does have an important impact on the expansion and evolution of the Internet. For more information about ICANN you visit their website here.

ICANN works with Domain Registrars such as DreamFire to allow for the creation and registration of a domain name. Think of registering a domain name like getting a phone number from the phone company. You have to give personal information such as your name, address, and other contact information to validate that your are the registered owner of the domain name.

 You also have options when you register the domain name. You can select specific points of contact during your domain name registration. You can assign a technical point of contact as well as others to be a part of the domain name registration. The reason for this is if someone is searching for the registered owner of the domain name that this information is available. With that being said you also have the option of making the domain name registration information private, just like you can get a non-listed phone number with the phone company. Keep in mind that if you select to have your domain name to be privately registered that there would be an additional fee to do so. It’s not much usually around six dollars or so. This private domain registration fee will need to be renewed each annual year of the domain names registration expiration date. That’s right domain names expire, but more on that in a minute.

Okay so there is a way online that someone can research to see who the registered owner of a domain name is. Don’t be too concerned it really quite simple. There is something called WHOIS which is generally offered by most domain name registrars. The WHOIS allows you as well as anyone else to see what domain name registration information is available for a domain name. It will list who the registrant is as well as when the domain name was registered and when it is due to expire. It will also show what name servers the domain is pointed to which is where the domain name is hosting a website in most cases.

If you chose to have your domain name privately registered it would show the domain registrars private contact information that way the registrar can get in touch with you if needed. There are private organizations that produce WHOIS search results as well, one example is NETWORK-Tools.com which can provide a ton of information about domain names as well as IP address information and email accounts. It’s a great tool for networking technical related issues.

Just to be clear you have every right to keep your personal information confidential and not have it be publicly available. Think about it for a second. Do a WHOIS on a major company. Would you expect to see specific contact information about who at the company owns the domain name and how you could easily get a hold of them? No you would most likely see that the domain name is privately registered and if not then that is a mistake by that company and could allow for security issues.

We at DreamFire recommend that you always register your domain name with private registration whenever possible.

Okay now back to “Domain Names Expire”

Yes, you’re domain name registration will have an expiration date when your register the domain name. You are given the option of registering the domain name from one to ten years at a time. Most often individuals will register their domain name for just one year. The cost of registering a domain name is generally around ten dollars a year. You will see promotions and special domain name offers from time to time with even more discount domain name prices such as $1.99 domain name registration. When this type of discount is offered you can expect that you have to buy more than just a domain name with the registrar website you’re purchasing your domain name from. At DreamFire we always have low price domain name registration and understand you may not need anything but the domain name at the time of purchase.

So be ready each year to renew your domain name again and again if you register the domain name for just one year at a time. One item to think about is “Search Engines” and your website ranking on the search engines specifically. Search engines can see how long a domain name is registered for and could take that into consideration when ranking a website. Consider two websites one with a domain name registration of one year and one with a full ten year registration. A search engine like Google may place the domain with the longer shelf life higher in the rankings based on longevity. The search engine might anticipate the domain with the longer registration life to be around longer and a more legitimate business. So when registering your domain name keep this in mind as it may directly affect how well your website ranks against your competitors.

If you have more questions about buying a domain name please see our Domain Name Help Center for more information.

You can Search, Transfer, Renew, or Register your Domain Name Here!