Need a domain name?
If you are looking for a new website one of the things you will need is a domain name (eg the domain for our site is forestsoftware.co.uk) This is the bit that you use to get to a website or send emails - note that the www does not form part of the domain name).
There are many types of domain "extensions" (the .com bit). These include top level international domains such as .com, .org, .net, and .biz (and even .name - eg we had a client who had a train hobby site on colin.duff.name) Then there are the country level domains (in the uk there are prefixes to the 'uk' bit such as .co.uk, .org.uk, .ltd.uk, .plc.uk, some of these are reserved for ltd companies and plcs in the UK).
Generally, there is no restriction on the domain extension, initially .com was for commercial sites, .org for non-profit making sites etc, this is not controlled however and there are many example of .org commercial sites and non-profit .com sites. We are happy to advise on domain names if you wish.
Why not check to see whether the domain you want is available by using our domain availability checker and who-is script. If the domain has not yet been registered you can register the domain yourself by following the link on the results page to one of our partner sites. If you prefer however, we can register the domain for you (in your name) for a small administrative fee.
Important :
Please check that who ever registers the domain for you that it is registered in your (or your company's / partnership's / charity's name). If this is not done you may have problems if you want to move the domain to another provider. If you register a domain name through us we do not charge to move it to another host or provider as long as you have paid all outstanding registration and hosting costs. YOu should note though that some registrars will charge to "take on" the domain so we would suggest that you always check this (and their renewal fees) before moving domains between registrars or their agents.
Please note that if you register a domain through us we will contact you approximately 60 days before the domain expires asking if you would like to renew the domain and quoting the current price.
Domain Registry of...
A number of our customers have recently complained about being duped into renewing heir domains with other domain registrars by an email or letter, notifying them of an upcoming renewal requirement. Companies involved in this unsolicited contacting of our customers include:
- Domain Registry Group
- Domain Registry of America
- Domain Registry of Europe
By responding to these spam emails or "look alike bills", ou will be *TRANSFERRING OUT* of our control and will thus lose all the benefits offered to you by Forest Software. The only way to renew your domain with us is by confirming to Forest Software that you want the domain renewed when we ask. More details about the Domain Registry of America can be found here. If you receive one of these "bills" and wish to complain you may lodge your complaint directly with the Office of Fair Trading. The more complaints that are received regarding this activity the stronger the case will be, for the OFT and, where appropriate, the police.
Please forward all complaints for the attention of: Ms Felisberta Handem, Office of Fair Trading, Control of Misleading Advertisement Team, Fleet Bank House, 2-6 Salisbury Square, London. EC4Y 8JX.
We would urge all our customers to continue to read carefully any documentation or e-mails received regarding domain registration and renewal, in order to ensure their authenticity.
Update : November 2005
One of our clients transferred their domain, unwittingly, to Domain Registry of America (DRA) and missed payment of the domain renewal by a couple of days. The DNS records pointing to their site were changed by DRA to point to one of their own servers and the website was replaced with a web directory showing sponsored listings (shown here). This will cause the client problems in the future as any search positions that they may have gained are likely to be lost as the search engines may consider this site to be duplicate content and therefore worthless. Once the client recovers the domain by paying DRA's fees it is possible that the "stigma" of a duplicate and useless directory will remain (the directory is described as useless as many directories seemed to be banned by Google during the summer of 2005).
UK Domains
However, if you have a uk domain name you may receive a letter from a company called Nominet containing a security code and asking you to confirm the domain. These are perfectly above board and should be responded to. It is best if you, the client respond since it proves to you that the domain is registered in your name, however should you wish we can respond for you, you will need to send us a copy yof the letter with the security code shown. Nominet is the only Registry for all .uk domain names.
For full details of costs of registration or to ask us to register a domain name please use our contact form