secure your online identity by choosing the right domain name

Choosing a domain name for your web site can be tricky business. In this article we explain the legal, practical and even hidden obstacles that you need to be aware of when making your choice, including:

• What is a domain name?
• How to choose a domain name
• Start a list
• choose a suffix
• Check availability
• Register your domain name
• What if your business or brand name is already registered to someone else?

What is a domain name?

A domain name is the unique combination of name and suffixes (separated by full stops) that follow the 'www.' in a web site address or the @ sign in an e-mail, like designspring.co.uk. A domain name is not the same thing as a web site though, and you can actually register a domain name without having a web site or even e-mail - a bit like buying a plot of land without actually building on it.

Each domain name is unique. There can only be one registered version of each name, but different people can register alternatives such as designspring.com and designspring.net. I would recommend buying several variations when registering a domain name, to make sure that other people can't register them.

The names are all stored in a central registry, along with the contact details of the owner (the registrant) and the company that they used to register the name on their behalf (the registrar). There is a small fee for registering a domain name, and it is usually cheaper to use a registrar than to go directly to the central registry. Occasionally names are provided as part of a bigger web site hosting package so they can even appear to be free.

You don't actually buy a name outright - it's more like renting it for a period of time. You can pay for anything from 1 year to 10 years in advance and then renew it at the end of that time. If you don't renew it then, after a period of time, the name is made available for anyone else to register.

If you already have an e-mail address or a web site then you will already be using a domain name even if it isn't your own. Common names are hotmail.com for e-mail or geocities.com for free web space. I recommend that businesses always have their own domain names - it looks more professional and using your own domain for your web site will help users to find it more easily. Plus, why give hotmail free advertising on your business stationery when you could be re-enforcing your own brand name?

How to choose a domain name

Limitations:

• The name must be unique - you cannot register a name that is already registered to someone else.
• The name can't contain spaces or punctuation, other than hyphens.
• It has to be less than 64 characters long.
• Some suffixes can only be used by certain types of organisations, or within specific countries, for example, .gov is for government departments.

Apart from these restrictions you can have anything that you want as your domain name. However, I must warn you that, although you may be able to register somebody else's brand name, you will almost certainly get into legal difficulties with the rightful owner when they find out.

Start a list

Start by coming up with a list of 10 or more suitable names. Unfortunately, many of them will already be registered and therefore unavailable to you, so don't get too attached to any one name at this stage. Most common single words and 2 or 3 letter acronyms have been registered already so you may need to look for combinations made up from two or three words.

Choose a suffix

Then choose the most appropriate domain suffix for your name - .com, .co.uk, etc. These fall into two main groups - 'top level domains' and 'country specific top level domains'.

The top level domains currently include:

• .biz exclusively for businesses
• .com for anyone to use
• .gov exclusively for government departments
• .name reserved for individual's names
• .net for internet related organisations
• .org which tends to be used by non-profit making organisations

As well as a few specialised names such as .aero for the aviation industry and .museum exclusively for museums.

Country specific top level domains usually appear in two parts that combine a country code with a code that identifies the type of organisation. For example:

• .ac.uk for academic organisations in the UK
• .co.uk for private and commercial users in the UK
• .ltd.uk and .plc.uk  reserved for limited companies and PLCs only.
• .me.uk for personal domains in the UK
• .net.uk for internet service providers
• .org.uk for non-profit making organisations in the UK
• .gov.uk and .nhs.uk exclusively for UK government and NHS bodies

If your market is international then I suggest that you try for a .com first. If that is unavailable, or you are targeting the UK only go for .co.uk. Try to avoid the less common domains such as .biz or ones reserved for other types of organisations such as .org or .net. Users may guess at your domain name and they will usually try .com or .co.uk. If you have used a different top level domain, then they may not find you at all. Remember, with so many competitors out there, you need your web site to be instantly locatable.

Check availability

To find out if your names are available, I recommend searching the 'Whois' facilities at Internic (where you can search the registry of top level domain names) and Nominet (where you can search the UK domain name registry). Many service providers also provide 'Whois' search facilities some of which will search for several different suffixes in one pass, for example UK Reg.

What if your business or brand name is already registered to someone else?

Try typing your desired domain name into your browser to find out if it is being used for a web site. If so, have a look at the site and ask yourself:

• Do they have the right to use that name? If you think you have more right to the name then you can make a claim on it. See ICANN or Nominet for details on making an appeal.
• Is this site likely to confuse your customers if they see it before they see yours - is it in direct competition with you; in a very similar field, or maybe an explicit adult site that you wouldn't want your customers to see? In which case you may decide to steer clear of any variations on that particular name.
• Are you addressing a different audience? For example, if yours is a local business then the .co.uk variation would be more appropriate than the .com.
• Could you differentiate your name by adding a specific keyword or two? For example designspring-books.co.uk or designspring-holidays.co.uk?

Personally, I find that one of the most frustrating aspects of choosing a domain name can be discovering how many of the names that you want are already registered but not actually being used. You may be able to buy one of these names from the registered owner. Find out who owns the name by searching an appropriate 'whois' facility - at Internic or Nominet for example. These listings will tell you which registrar the name was registered with. You can often get more detail by going to the registrar's web site and searching their 'Whois' database. You can then decide whether to approach the owner (registrant) to find out if they are open to offers.

Sometimes the name that you want will be owned by a domain name auction company - they will invite you to bid for the name and they may suggest a starting price. But watch out, their prices can be high and only you can judge if the name is worth it.

Register your domain name

When you have identified a suitable name (or names) you can register it through any one of a number of registrars, including most Internet Service Providers. Internic and Nominet both have lists of approved registrars. If the company that you use is not listed it usually means that they are a 'reseller' and that they will be registering your name through one of the approved registrars on your behalf. Registration is usually very straightforward and can be done on-line if you have a credit card.

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last updated: 10/08/04