New To Domains?

Are you thinking of purchasing a domain, or already have one but are having trouble with it, or even just curious? This article will go through what’s necessary when you buy a domain.

What is a domain, exactly?

A domain name is basically a means of identification on the internet.

Top level domains (TLDs) are those such as .com, .net and .org. There are also lower level domains such as name.example.com.

You may have a very long URL if you are hosted on a freeserver. A domain name is (usually) a short name that can be used to locate your site. It does cost money to have one.

Registrar and purchasing

The registrar is the company where you buy your domain from. NameCheap.com is one such example. Some companies are larger than others, some are resellers, meaning that they purchase the domains from a registrar, but may sell them through their own website.

Through a registrar you can purchase domains. Sometimes the domains come with special features to protect your identity or further help you with setting up your website.

Payment can be by credit card, mastercard, PayPal, and many other forms. It all depends on your registrar.

You can transfer your domain to another registrar, if you prefer another one because of price, or other personal preference. It isn’t too much work and in most cases the company will help you through it!

A host

A host and a domain name are different; I cannot stress this enough.

A domain name is simply the name. All you get for the $10 or so you spent, is a domain name, such as mine: heartdrops.org.

You don’t have a place to store your files. You don’t have anything on your site – which is where a host comes in.

A host is simply someone, or a company, that gives you space to place your files. In doing this, you can view your files by typing in your domain name. It can be free or paid, but you must do your research.

Many kinds of hosts exist – they can host you and give you space, but you may not be able to host people on your domain. For example, you cannot host people as amy.yoursite.com.

Most hosts do allow this though, and you should be able to host other people!

Addon Domains: You add another domain to the same account, just like a subdomain (a subdomain is you.yoursite.com). That person updates their site just as they would on a subdomain.

Parked Domains: Domains that simply point to a page on your webserver. For example, if you just registered mysite2.com, you might want to point it to mysite.com/comingsoon.html.

If you want to offer hosting to people with domains, so they can have control over their domain, you must buy a reseller, which has quite a large amount of space and is designed for “reselling”.

However, to understand how to connect a domain name and host, read on.

Domain name system

Also known as DNS.

The system is used to name things on the internet. It can associate computers, files, services, and other paraphernalia, with domain names.

Naturally, a website on the internet can be accessed by a number such as 208.77.188.166. This is also known as an ip address. Your computer has an ip address. Therefore, the host’s server, where your files are located, will have a certain dedicated ip address.

The domain name system is a way of translating a whole host of numbers where your data is located, to your domain name, for instance.

Basically, a domain name, or even a URL, is actually an easy way of popping in a large series of numbers for the location of data.

Name servers

Name servers are what you can change to point your domain to your host, therefore allowing you to see your files when you change them to the correct name servers.

A name server basically connects the host (who has a funny little ip address) with your domain name. This is the key to it all. If you change your name servers to something other than the ones of your host, your domain name will no longer point to your files and will therefore not work.

Renewing

There are fees for your domain. In most cases you will have to renew it by paying each year. Otherwise you may let it expire.

Your hosting may also expire, so be sure you get payments in early to prevent your site getting downtime!

Suggestions

Recommended domain registrars:

NameCheap.com. I highly recommend NameCheap because they have a fast, reliable service, and are relatively cheap.

Websitedomains.com.au. I don’t recommend these guys as much as NC but their service has been great, no downtime – pretty good.

Free hosts:

Bubble.nu. Kya at Bubble has been my host for over a year and her service has been fantastic. Not only do you get enough space, but you also get a friend.

So-Pink. Olivia at So-Pink has a great, active service, though rather selective. There are also domains available for adoption.

Paid hosts:

Ashpink.com. Excellent service, barely any downtime, and good prices.

Surpass hosting. Again excellent service, barely any downtime, with many options.