N/F Domain Name Registration

[Chris]

Hi, just looking for some advice on registering a domain name. Did a search on google and it looks like there are a lot of sites where you can register starting from $5 a year and up. Anything to look out for/avoid and is this all regulated by some gov't. agency??? Any help would be appreciated.

[Raf]

if you're looking for a .ca , CIRA is the Canadian Internet Registration Authority. However, you still go through a registrar to purchase your domain.

[Chris]

Thanks Raf, and Wendel too for the pm.

[maybe]

Check out Wikipedia for domain name and domain name registrar for the basic primer.

 

Bear in mind that registration information can be pulled on any domain name by using a "whois" lookup. If you don't want your name, address, telephone number, email, yadda hanging out in the breeze, choose a registrar who offers a privacy feature. Instead of seeing your personal details, anyone running a whois will be referred to the company in the middle.

 

Choose a large, established registrar - you don't want some little fly by night that might evaporate and leave you with trouble moving/modifying your domain name.

 

I know of several small businesses who were screwed over by a local 1-man "internet company." The clients weren't net-savvy, and trusted this kid to "look after everything." He registered their domains in his name, ignored the renewal notices, and the domain registration lapsed when he didn't pay up. The clients didn't find out until it was too late to save their addresses - years of advertising $$$, and the companies' email addresses, lost forever.

 

There are several sites out there in the business of selling newly-expired domain names. You can even get lists of what will expire 5 days from now. Tons of predators buy well-publicized dotcoms, redirect them to sleazy advertising websites, and profit from the hijacked traffic. You don't want to wake up one day and have your fishing club dotcom point to a cybersquatting porn site.

 

I have a .org through Joker.com and a .ca through NamesPro.ca (Joker is in Germany, and doesn't do .ca). Both have been pleasant to deal with, FWIW.

 

When choosing a domain name, bear in mind that people automatically think ___.com. The further you get from this (.net, .org, .ca), the less your chances are of people typing it correctly. Try to avoid those 3 unless you actually do have a network, organization, or Canada-only site. The fringes (like .info) start to appear downright shifty...you'll look better if you avoid them. Don't choose a name with a dash in it - people never remember them, and they'll wind up in the wrong place.

 

If you register a .ca, you'll wind up with a CIRA membership. For most people, it's pretty much irrelevant. They sent very snazzy little USB drives free to members last year, but give or take some very ignorable newsletters, that's about all the effect it's had on my world.

 

Good luck.

[AzuluSpookd]

You must have been listening to Z103 this morning

[maybe]

Z103 fizzles out 15 miles from me...only get to listen to it when I'm headed for Toronto. What'd I miss?

[jonnybass]

Will you be looking for hosting as well? If so, look to register your domain with a company that has good hosting plans that meet your current and future needs. This way, you save the headache of having to transfer your domain to another host after fact.

[fishbreathjr]

Most of them come with a free site package and free builder and free 5 page domain. If you dont mind adds, i reccommend Godaddy. If you want no adds I reccommend 1 and 1 internet. They are like 5.99 to 8.99 a year free 5 page sites, free builder. I own about 30 from each company. Very cheap and easy to build and no need for hosting unless you are needing large number of pages.

Edited April 8, 2008 by fishbreathjr

[TJQ]

I host and manage well over 250 domains... the best piece of advice i can give you is that in that game you get what you pay for... I could do them all for 5 bucks a year, but i dont and pay a reliable registrar that I can get through to on the phone. You cant believe the nightmares I have had clients have when just trying to change dns codes...

 

KEEP ALL THE DOCUMENTATION YOU GET... honestly over the course of a year... whats the difference between 5 bucks and fifteen for place you cn trust.. pm me and ill tell you who i deal with

[Chris]

Thanks for the info everyone. TJ you have mail.

 

[Crazyhook]

Are you registering Chris' Lawn care!

 

How you been Chris?

[Mike Pike]

Just a bit of advice. I write ads for a radio station and we advise our clients on domain names all the time.

 

One common mistake, I believe, is when people choose names that can be spelled different ways. ie: stevenslawncare.ca. Customers may have problems finding you because they'll spell 'steven' with a 'ph.' So if the business name is too complicated, why not use something like: greatlawns.ca. Or, simply register stephenslawncare.ca as well and have people who type it that way get re-directed to your site.

 

Make it short, memorable and only spelled one way.

 

Don't use numbers or words that suggest numbers; ie: got1fishingcharters. Unless you also plan to register; gotonefishingcharters. See what I mean.

 

Anyhoo, just a few thoughts.

Edited April 9, 2008 by Mike Pike

[Wendel]

I host and manage well over 250 domains... the best piece of advice i can give you is that in that game you get what you pay for... I could do them all for 5 bucks a year, but i dont and pay a reliable registrar that I can get through to on the phone. You cant believe the nightmares I have had clients have when just trying to change dns codes...

 

KEEP ALL THE DOCUMENTATION YOU GET... honestly over the course of a year... whats the difference between 5 bucks and fifteen for place you cn trust.. pm me and ill tell you who i deal with

 

Pretty much the same advice I'm PM'd you...

It's not always about price. Service is way more valuable, something the megahosts and the bigbox companies are taking away from customers.