A domain name is an Internet address that allows access to a website. It is an alphabetical name associated with an extension. If the name you want to give to your site is available, you can register the corresponding domain name with an accredited registrar, who will provide you with the top-level extension you want. To register a domain name, you need to know that there is a wide range of extensions, including national and generic extensions:

• Examples of generic extensions: .com, .shop or .hotel.
• Examples of national extensions: .com or .net.

The eligibility criteria and rules may vary depending on the type of extension chosen. Once you have selected your domain name and the top-level extension, you will need to pay a registration fee. The amount to be paid will depend on:

• The duration of the recording.
• Related services, such as hosting services that you choose.

Take a domain name for your business.

Your company’s website address is in the form of: www.your-domain-name.extension.

A domain name avoids the digital display of the site’s Internet address, the technical form of which is the IP address made up of a series of numbers. Now register a domain name in the following ways.

How to choose a name?

It is easy for a business to choose an Internet address name. This is most often the name of the company, brand or a particular product.

Three checks to do:

1. The length

• The shorter a name, the easier it is to remember.
• The name chosen must be between 3 and 63 characters.

2. The shape

• Several words can be associated with being separated by dashes.
• Capital letters are prohibited.
• It becomes possible to register domain names under .com containing around thirty new characters.

3. Availability

To check the availability of a domain name (name + extension) you need to do a Whois (a contraction of the English who is? Literally meaning who is?). It is a search service provided by Internet registers which also makes it possible to find out the name of the administrator of a site (the natural or legal person who acquired the domain name).

Note:

The purchase of a domain name is made online with a “registrar”.

Registrar: body accredited by the competent authorities for the allocation and management of Internet domain names.

• You should only purchase a domain name from a registrar approved by ICANN (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority).
• Most often, the registrar provides a complete solution (domain name + site hosting).
• The domains are rentals to be renewed, depending on the case every year or every ten years.
• The registrar is supposed to notify the site administrator before the end of the rental.

Which extension to choose?

The choice of the extension of your domain name is very important. Indeed, not all extensions are created equal: some have better connotations than others. A .com will always have a better effect on your customers than a .biz which can be a little underground. On the other hand, the vast majority of Internet users tend to type the .com when trying to remember your website’s address.

• .com – International extension, it primarily concerns commercial sites. It is the best-selling extension in the world.

• .org – Initially intended for the sites of organizations or associations, it is now generalized.

• .net – Extension for geek sites (computer enthusiasts), it has since become prevalent.

• .info – It designates information sites but can also be used for all types of sites.

• .biz – Short for “business”, this extension was created for business, commerce, and business.

Why reserve a new domain extension?

• To protect its brand from cybersquatting,
• To be more visible and stand out from its competitors,
• To be better referenced in search engines and increase its visits,

Protect your domain name

When a company reserves its domain name, it must ask itself the question of the border of protection given to the brand and the neighbouring names. Everything depends on its communication strategy. For example, a company that has markets abroad should consider taking the countries’ geographic extension.

A company that acquires a .com domain name has every interest in doing so also in the current extensions (.com, .net, .biz, .org, .eu):

• To avoid the risk of collision with another domain with a similar name.
• To ensure a meagre error rate when a customer enters the site address.
• To avoid falling victim to domain parking, a lucrative technique consisting of redirecting unused domain names to pages of advertising links.

A company in the process to register domain name should not wait for the start of its activity to choose its online name and its extensions. The domain name can be registered in your own name (that of the manager). Later, the manager can if he wishes to transfer his title to the company.

Paul Petersen