What is a web name and why is it important to you ?
A web name is the name by which an organisation's presence is identified on the internet. For example the BBC uses bbc.co.uk (It couldn't get bbc.com - it was too late !). We are known as web-names-2-buy.co.uk. Your choice of web name can have a big impact on the image and prestige of your company and also has an influence on the success of your activities on the world wide web. At present there is not a great deal of regulation controlling who can have what web name. This is good in one sense since it gives a company freedom to choose the most appropriate name. However it also means that the name or names you want can easily be registered by someone else, even if those names have less relevance to them than to you. If you are too late with your registration the chance to choose the name you want will almost certainly be lost forever ! So even if you are taking your time in assessing how, or even whether, you should be present on the internet you would be well advised to take steps now to protect those names which will be of importance to you in the future. Fortunately this is cheap and easy to do, just use the search facilities on our home page.
How does it work ?
The Web Name System (DNS) converts the letters in the web name into unique numbers, rather like a telephone number, that are used to communicate with that organisation's systems on the internet. Consequently users do not need to understand these cryptic numbers themselves, they only need to use the web names. Ideally an organisation will want to be identified by one or more web names which have relevance to its own company name, brand names or trademarks. Then that company will be able to have email and website addresses that mean something to its clients, contacts and customers. For example, you could have an email address <you@companyname.co.uk> or a website address of <www.yourbrandname.com>. This is preferable to the common practice of adding your name to that of your service provider as in the email address <yourcompanyname@yourserviceprovider.com> which will inevitably make you look less important and make it harder to guess at your email address. There is a certain snobbery in web names and even if you don't feel that way yourself you should still put yourself on the right side of the divide !
Why register now ?
Registering suitable web names on the internet will provide you with unique identifiers for your company, brand, products, etc. Once registered, no-one else can use that name. As there are many companies with similar names, it is important to register a suitable web name for your company as soon as possible. The most popular domains in the internet community are the UK (.co.uk) and the US (.com) web names. The rules of registration for both of these allow an individual, or company, to buy any web name regardless of any relevance to their name or trademarks outside the internet medium. As part of our service we help you to select possible names and check out if the names that interest you are available. And if the names you want are already taken we will help to identify suitable alternatives for you.
After registration
As soon as the web name has been cleared by the UK registry NOMINET, or the US registry INTERNIC, it is ‘delegated’ to a DNS server. This is a technical procedure which transfers control of the name to the server. We offer this DNS service at no extra cost so that you can set up further facilities in your own time. You can also transfer the name to another DNS server at any time, at no further cost. The process of registering a UK web name takes only a few hours (subject to the name being available), the process of registering a US web can take up to three weeks, but is usually completed within six hours. Once you have received confirmation of delegation you will receive a payment invoice and receipt to cover the registration and a certificate of registration for the name.
Annual fees
To ensure continued use of a web name, you must maintain payment of annual fees to the Central Registries. The first two years’ fees are payable in advance and are included in our charges. Subsequent fees will be billed to you directly from the relevant registry unless you make other arrangements.
Types of Web Name
