Registering a Domain Name - Tips
Registering a domain name is an important first step in developing your website. The standards which regulate validity of characters in a domain name have changed over time and will surely continue to evolve.
Currently, the valid characters for a domain name are letters, numbers and hyphens "-".
For a detailed understanding of issues in regard to domains, domain name servers and standards, please consult the following articles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_name
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Resource_Identifier
There are many budget priced and even free registrars for international domain names (.com, .net etc) It is recommended that you use Google to find the best price, however we can suggest the following as popular budget choices:
smallbusiness.yahoo.com/domains/
If you plan to register a domain name for an Australian business with a tax file number, you also have the option of using the ".au" domain space. The administrator for the Australian Domain Name space is AUDA. Their website, www.auda.org provides a huge amount of useul information about registering Australian Domains, including a list of accredited Australian domain registrars.
It is important to choose your domain name carefully. Some guidelines to follow:
- Keep it as short as you can.
- Try not to use words which can easily be misspelled (eg. "accommodation").
- Try to use phonetic sounds which are easy to remember.
- Try to keep the domain name closely related to your business name.
Most domain registrars offer additional services as part of a bundled package, and you need to be sure to uncheck all the add-ons if you want to simply register a domain at the best price.
Once your domain is registered it can be "delegated" to a different Domain Name Server (DNS) address. This is necessary in order to allow a hosting provider to host your website.
If you are using the Planet online hosting solution, you will need to delegate your domain name to our preferred hosting provider, www.deasoft.com . Please consult their website for specific information about DNS delegation.
