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Domain Name Basics
Guide
Get the most out of your domain name!
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| What is a
Domain Name? |
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A
Domain Name is a Web Address |
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| How Do I
Use a Domain Name? |
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Create
a Personal, Business or Not-For-Profit Web Site |
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Get
Personalized Email |
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Sell
a Domain Name for a Profit |
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Protect
Your Name, Business or Product |
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Forward
a Domain Name to Another Web Site |
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.COM,
.NET, .ORG and More |
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Plan
Ahead, Register Today |
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| What
Options and Enhancements are Available with a Domain
Name? |
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Forward
a Domain with Masking |
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Add
Privacy to your Domain Name |
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Use
DomainAlert™ to Monitor any Domain Name |
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Backorder
any Domain Name |
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| Other
Domain-Related Topics |
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Renewing
Domain Names |
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Updating
Contact Information |
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Transferring
Domain Names |
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The
domain name is the same as an IP address (which represents a
physical point on the Internet), except the domain name is
letters and numbers that make sense to people, while the IP
address is a series of numbers. Thus, a domain name more
easily locates an organization or other entity on the
Internet. When someone types a domain name into a Web browser,
the requested Web page opens. For example, the domain name
www.yourdomain.com locates an Internet address for
"yourdomain.com."
A domain name consists of a top-level
and a second-level domain. The "com" part of the domain name
generally reflects the type or purpose of the organization or
entity and is called the top-level domain (TLD) name. The part
of the domain name located to the left of the dot (".") –
"yourdomain" in this case – is called the second-level domain
(SLD) name. The second-level domain name – the "readable" part
of the address – refers to the organization or entity behind
the Internet address. Second-level domains must be registered
through an ICANN (Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and
Numbers) accredited registrar.
The Internet domain name
system (DNS) consists of a directory of all the domain names
(and their corresponding computers) registered to particular
companies and persons using the Internet. DNS applies to
domains that are registered and hosted. If the registrant
elects to, a domain can instead be registered and parked. A
parked domain name does not need a DNS
affiliation.
Click
here for more information on registering a Domain
Name.
Once
the registration is complete, you have a few options on how to
put your domain name to use. The following are the most common
uses for a domain name and instructions to get you
started.
Put
up a web site on the Internet. If your web site is
complete, you will need to acquire a hosting account and
upload your site on the Internet. Or, if you have not yet
built your web site, there are several easy and affordable
options for you to quickly put together a professional,
quality web site.
Get
a personalized email address. An email account can be
a great way to put your domain to use. Get a personalized
email account that your friends, family, and business contacts
will more easily remember and associate directly with
you.
Sell
a domain name for a profit. Domain names can be a
great investment and you can easily market domains you intend
to sell by creating a For Sale parked page.
Register
domain names that are similar to your other domain
names. The more domain names you register, the better.
Prevent others from registering a similar domain name to
yours. What to do with all these names? Forward them to your
main domain name!
Wait
to use your domain name. Maybe you haven't decided
what to do with your new domain name. Don't worry – there's no
rush. You can leave it parked with us for the length of your
registration. Once you have determined which hosting provider
you will use, you must change the name server information so
that the site is no longer parked.
Putting up a web site on the Internet is one of the
most common uses for a domain name. Having a web site can help
you keep in touch with your family and friends, or customers
of your business, sell your products or services, improve your
customer service by giving your customers a way of finding
your company contact information or answers to their support
needs on your site, or simply expanding your exposure into new
market areas.
There are many options when it comes to
building and hosting a web site. We offer different options to
fit our customers' varying needs. You automatically get a FREE
"parked page" with every domain name you register through us.
But, when you're ready for more, we have the answer.
For those customers who are looking for an economical
solution to display their content, we offer an all-inclusive
option that includes hosting. With WebSite Tonight®, you can
click 'n build your site online, in minutes. You can choose
from 150+ professional templates or create your own. You can
also create a photo album and put together an event calendar.
Best of all, hosting and email are included.
Whatever
your web site needs, there are many options for you to choose
from. While you are building your web site, you are of course
welcome to keep your domain name parked for free on our parked
servers.
Please note that after you build your web site
(unless you choose to use WebSite Tonight), you will need to
obtain a hosting account. We offer a variety of hosting
account plans, rich with features and options.
To
unpark or activate a domain name:
- Log in to the Account Manager (click the My Account link
at the top left).
- Select Manage Domains from the Domain Names dropdown
menu.
- Select the domain you wish to modify by checking the box
next to it, and then click Set Name Servers.
- Enter the name servers that you would like your domain
name to point to and click Save Changes.
Click
here for more information on our web site creation
options.
Click
here for more information on our Hosting plan
options.
Having
a personalized email account (e.g., "you@yourdomain.com") is
the perfect way to leave behind your hard-to-remember email
address. Whether your domain is for personal use (to give
family and friends an email address they won't forget) or for
your business (where having your domain name in your email
address is a great way to build awareness and show customers
you're seriously in business), a personalized email account is
sure to be a great investment.
Choose the number of
mailboxes and amount of storage space that fit your needs.
Also, each plan includes POP3 configuration, Spam Xploder™
spam filter and FREE WebMail.
With WebMail, you'll have
the flexibility to read, send, store, and organize your email
whenever, wherever you have Internet access. It includes an
easy-to-use interface, its own powerful spam filters, an
address book, and much more.
Click
here for more information on our Email Account plan
options.
Domain
names can sometimes be great investment opportunities. Though
there are millions of registered domain names already in
circulation, there are still millions more that haven't been
registered yet. You may find that registering great domain
names could turn into a lucrative investment. The easiest way
to market domain names that you have registered as investments
is to create a For Sale Page for these domain
names.
To set up a For Sale Parked Page:
- Log in to the Account Manager (click the My Account link
at the top left).
- Select 'For Sale' Pages from the Web Sites dropdown
menu.
- Click Set up Site under the Domain For Sale
heading.
- Select the domain you would like to use from the drop
down list.
- Enter your contact email address and click Save
Settings.
Keep in mind that copyrighted or
trademarked names may be protected under federal copyright and
trademark laws. If you register a trademarked name, you could
be forced to turn that domain name over to the company or
entity that owns the trademark for that name, and usually
without collecting any money from that company. So, choose
your investments wisely, and don't tread on uncertain
ground.
Click
here for more information on registering a Domain
Name.
So
you've got your domain name and you've built a top-notch web
site. Now it's time for visitors to buy your product, check
out your business, or maybe view the latest photos from your
family reunion... that is, until you find out someone has
registered an insidious knock-off of your domain name – one
that's intended to be harmful and offensive to your name,
company, brand, or reputation.
Whether you're new to
domain names or a seasoned veteran, you can't afford to ignore
domain name abuse. You should consider registering any
underhanded versions of your domain name(s) – the cost is
minimal, but the savings can be tremendous.
You can
start by removing the most common harmful alternatives to your
chosen domain name: "(yourdomainname) sucks" is one; "I hate
(yourdomainname)" is another. While you can't anticipate all
of the possible alternatives, starting with the simple removal
of the obvious alternatives (and any others that come to mind)
can save you legal hassles, money, and embarrassment down the
road.
Protecting yourself is not only for big business.
Registering devious alternatives of your own domain name is a
great way to protect your personal and professional
identity.
Click
here for more information on registering a Domain
Name.
There
are other variations of your domain name, which may not be
devious or intended to be harmful to you or your business,
that may still prove to be solid investments for you to
register. These are simple variations or misspellings of your
domain name, such as "youredomain.com" or "yourdoman.com." You
can forward these variations of your domain name to your
actual web site so that your customers or visitors who mistype
your domain name will still find themselves at your web
site.
A
top-level domain is the part of the domain name located to the
right of the dot ("."). The most common TLDs are .COM, .NET
and .ORG. There are several other popular top-level domains on
the menu, including .BIZ, .INFO, .NAME, and .WS. The top-level
domains have certain guidelines attached, but for the most
part are available to any registrant, anywhere in the world.
Exceptions are the restricted TLDs (rTLDs) – which include
.BIZ and .NAME – that require the registrant to represent a
certain type of entity, or to belong to a certain community.
For example, the .NAME TLD is available strictly for
individuals. Where appropriate, a top-level domain name can be
of geographic significance and hence only available to
registrants in the locale defined by the TLD. These are called
country-code TLDs (ccTLDs) and include such top-level domains
as .US (United States), .TV (Tuvalu), .CC (Cocos Islands), .DE
(Germany), .JP (Japan), .BE (Belgium), .UK (United Kingdom),
and .NZ (New Zealand).
As you may have found, .COM is
the most common TLD in use today, which is closely followed by
.NET. If you find that the domain name you want to register is
already taken in .COM, you may check to see if it is available
with an alternate TLD. Following the same reasoning, if you
register a domain name, you may want to consider registering
all or some of the more common TLDs of the same domain name in
order to protect your brand, your site, or yourself.
To
find out which TLDs we currently offer, please visit our web
site.
When
you think of a domain name that you may want to use in the
future, the best thing to do is register it. Even if you
aren't planning on using the domain name right away, you
should register your domain name ideas for potential product,
business, or investment opportunities.
You have nothing
to lose by registering your domain name early. The banner at
the top of our parked page lets visitors know that your site
is coming soon.
There's more to a domain name than just the name. We
offer many products and services to complement your domain
name such as domain forwarding and privacy. Also, if you find
that the domain name you want is already registered by someone
else, we offer domain monitoring and backordering, so you
still have a chance at the name you want.
Masking works with domain name forwarding. Forwarding
redirects all Web traffic for a domain to a specific URL. When
someone types your-domain-name.com into a browser, our system
will automatically forward or redirect them to your selected
destination URL.
To forward a domain name to another
URL:
- Log in to the Account Manager (click the My Account link
at the top left).
- Select Manage Domains from the Domain Names menu.
- Select the domain you wish to forward by checking the
box next to it and click Forward Domains.
- Enter the name of the domain that you want to forward to
in the text box on the right side of the screen under the
Forward Domains heading.
- Click Save Changes at the bottom.
If you
want to have the domain masked, check the Mask Domain box.
Forwarding with Masking prevents visitors from knowing that
they have been redirected by ensuring that your domain name
remains in the visitor's browser address bar when being
redirected, thus concealing the actual destination
address.
With the Forwarding with Masking option you
can add a title, plus description and keywords Meta tag data
to the masked site. Title and Meta tag information is
important to a web site's search engine ranking, but does not
influence how a web site is displayed.
To add
masking to your domain name forwarding:
- Log in to the Account Manager (click the My Account link
at the top left).
- Select Manage Domains from the Domain Names dropdown
menu.
- Select the domain you wish to modify by checking the box
next to it, and then click Forward Domains.
- Under the Forward Domains heading on the right
side of your page, check the box next to Mask Domain, and
enter the title, description and keyword Meta data for the
masked site.
- Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
Note: Masking is only available after you have set
up domain name forwarding. It is included free with your
domain name registration.
ICANN
is the international governing body for domain names. ICANN
requires every registrar to maintain a publicly accessible
WHOIS directory displaying all contact information for all
domain names registered. That means your personal information
(your name, home address, phone number, and email address) is
made available to the public.
You can keep your
personal information private with a private domain
registration through Domains By Proxy™, which registers your
domain in its name and becomes the Registrant of record. Even
though Domains By Proxy is the Registrant, you still control
the domain and retain the full benefits of domain
registration.
More importantly, with a private
registration, Domain By Proxy's name, address, and phone
number are made publicly available in the WHOIS directory –
and not yours.
Click
here for more information on Domains By Proxy.
DomainAlert™ is a service that monitors and tracks the
settings of domain names. Any changes to a domain's registrar,
status, expiration date, or name servers will be detected, and
the DomainAlert user will promptly be informed about the
change(s) via email.
DomainAlert is available in two
service levels: The Basic Notification Service, which
automatically monitors all domain names registered with Aces
Domains, is included free with all domain names registered
through us; and DomainAlert Pro™ is an optional service that
includes historical tracking of domain name changes,
monitoring of domains not registered with Aces Domains, and an
optional weekly email notification, even if no changes have
occurred.
DomainAlert Pro also allows users to identify
two additional email addresses to which notifications will be
sent. By default, all notifications are sent to the domain's
Administrative contact.
Tracking a domain that you did
not register can be useful if you have your eyes on a
particular domain, but that domain happens to be registered by
someone else.
To set up your DomainAlert Pro
account:
- Log in to the Account Manager (click the My Account link
at the top left).
- Select Monitoring and Backordering from the Domain Names
dropdown menu.
- Click Set up Account to add monitoring to a
domain.
- Enter the domain name to be monitored and enter the
email address(es) to which DomainAlert notifications should
be sent. You may also indicate whether or not you wish to
receive weekly notifications, even if no changes have
occurred. Then click Save.
Click
here for more information on monitoring domains.
DomainAlert Pro Backordering is a service that enables
you to monitor particular domains and if and when they become
available, attempts to grab it. Because the DomainAlert Pro
Backordering fee includes the registration fee for the
monitored domain(s), the service can attempt to seize the
desired domain as soon as it becomes available, thus improving
the DomainAlert Backordering user's chances of obtaining the
domain. Additionally, a DomainAlert Backordering account
includes all the functionality and features of DomainAlert
Pro, including tracking and notification of any changes to a
monitored domain's registrar, status, expiration date, or name
servers.
Signing up for a DomainAlert Backordering
account ensures that the service will attempt to acquire the
desired domain if and when it becomes available. There is,
however, no guarantee the attempted acquisition will succeed:
The current registrant of the monitored domain might renew the
domain registration before it expires and DomainAlert
Backordering will not be able to attempt to acquire it. Even
if the domain does become available, it might be registered by
someone else. Still, DomainAlert Backordering will do
everything possible to acquire the domain in
question.
If, during the monitoring period, a
backordered domain becomes available, but the service fails to
acquire it, you can reassign the backordering account to
another domain, and the service will then monitor that domain.
In the event of an unsuccessful acquisition attempt,
DomainAlert Backordering will notify you via email. You can
then apply the backordering service to another
domain.
To set up your DomainAlert Backordering:
- Log in to the Account Manager (click the My Account link
at the top left).
- Select Monitoring and Backordering from the Domain Names
menu.
- Click Set up Account to add monitoring to a
domain.
- Enter the domain name to monitor.
- Select the checkbox next to "Click here to backorder
this domain name."
- Enter the email address(es) to which DomainAlert
notifications should be sent. As well, you may indicate
whether or not you wish to receive weekly notifications,
even if no changes have occurred.
- Click Save.
Click
here for more information on backordering a
domain.
In
this section, you will find information regarding important
actions and options you may perform with your domain name. It
is important to maintain your registration and keep your
account information current in order to ensure that you will
continue to enjoy the use of your domain
name.
It is
important to renew your domain names prior to their expiration
date to prevent any lapse in service. For instance, if you
have a web site and fail to renew your domain before it
expires your web site and any associated services will cease
to work.
To renew your domain name
registrations:
- Log in to the Account Manager (click the My Account link
at the top left).
- Select Manage Domains from the Domain Names menu.
- Select a domain name and click Renew Domains.
- Indicate if changes apply to only the Single Domain,
Selected Domains, or All Eligible Domains.
- Choose the length of time you wish to renew the domain
name(s) for.
- If the domain is currently public, choose if you would
it to remain public (standard) or if you would like to make
it a private registration.
- If you choose to make the domain registration private
you may enter a current Domains By Proxy account user ID and
password or create a new Domains By Proxy account. Then,
read and accept the Domains By Proxy Agreement.
- Click Proceed to Checkout and complete your purchase.
One way to prevent your domain name from expiring is
to set your domain name to auto-renew. Domains set to
auto-renew will be billed on the date of expiration by our
system. Your payment information on file will be billed when
the renewal is due.
To enable the auto-renew
option:
- Log in to the Account Manager (click the My Account link
at the top left).
- Select Manage Domains from the Domain Names drop down
menu.
- Select the domain(s) for which you want to enable the
Auto Renew feature.
- Click the Auto Renew button.
- Indicate if you want changes to apply to the selected
domains or to all eligible domains.
- Select Automatic Renewal Enabled.
- Click Save Changes.
It is
important to keep your contact and payment information
up-to-date whether you choose to enable the auto-renew feature
or not. Important email messages regarding your domain name
are sent to the email address on file. These may include
renewal notices, ICANN regulation updates, or status change
notifications.
Most importantly ICANN, the governing
body for domain names, requires valid Contact Information for
each domain contact (Registrant, Technical, Billing and
Administrative). If you enter false information, your domain
name could be cancelled.
To modify your contact
information:
- Log in to the Account Manager (click the My Account link
at the top left).
- Select Manage Domains from the Domain Names menu.
- Select the domain you wish to modify by checking the box
next to the domain name, then click Manage Contacts.
- Type in your new contact information in the spaces
provided under the Change Account heading on the right side
of your screen and click Save Changes at the bottom.
You
may transfer your domain name from your current registrar to
us at any time (within the restrictions set by ICANN and your
current Registrar).
Note: ICANN regulations prohibit
transferring a domain name that has been registered within the
last 60 days or that are set to expire within the next 10
days.
With Aces Domains, you will enjoy a fast,
automated, risk-free domain transfer with our innovative Rapid
Transfer System™, which spares you steps and saves you time.
Plus, a professional Transfer Concierge is available to you
personally, 24/7, to assist in the transfer process. Best of
all, any time remaining on your existing registration
transfers with your domain, plus you receive a FREE one-year
extension.
Domain name registration transfers may only
be initiated once acceptance of the transfer agreement is
recorded, payment is made, and the Administrative contact has
responded positively giving permission to transfer the domain
name. Your transfer is absolutely risk-free. If it fails to go
through for any reason at all, we'll refund your fee, no
questions asked.
When you transfer your domain name
registration to Aces Domains with our new Rapid Transfer
System, transfers are often completed in 5 days or less, but
please be aware that transfers may take up 7 days to
complete.
Follow these easy steps to ensure a smooth
and timely transfer:
- Purchase
a transfer from our web site.
- Advise your administrative contact that the domain name
is being transferred. Aces Domains will email your
administrative contact by the next business day to request
transfer approval.
- When this acceptance is received, we will send a
transfer request to the Registry and then the Registry will
email your current registrar.
- Most likely, your current registrar will send your
administrative contact an email asking for your approval of
the transfer to Aces Domains. Please respond as directed.
- Your current registrar will send an acceptance or
rejection notice to the Registry and the Registry will email
Aces Domains a notice of the acceptance or rejection.
- Aces Domains will send you an email informing you that
the transfer is complete. Should the transfer fail, we will
inform you.
The email message asking for permission
to transfer will be sent to the Domain Name(s) Administrative
Contact as identified in the previous Registrar's WhoIs
database. The Administrative Contact will be acting on behalf
of the Registrant and has legal authority to initiate this
transfer request. You are responsible for updating the
Administrative Contact's email as identified in the previous
Registrar's WhoIs database. Verify that the domain name's
administrative contact email address at your current Registrar
is correct. This is the address we are required to contact to
request approval for the transfer. Click
here to view your domain name in the Whois
database.
A Registrar may elect to accept or reject
your domain name transfer application for any reason at its
sole discretion. Please contact your current Registrar for
more information on a failed transfer. If you find that your
name was on hold and has been released by your current
registrar, please contact us to resubmit your
transfer.
After we have notified you that the transfer
is complete, log in to your account and verify the contact
information for your domain. Inaccurate or incomplete contact
data may result in the cancellation of your domain name. Click
here to retrieve your login information.
Click
here for more information on transferring a
Domain.
For
more information and answers to other questions you may have,
please visit our online FAQ
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