Multiple domain hosting, Domain parking, Sub domains, WhoIs Record, Domain Renewal

It’s been two years since John started his online business. He is very much satisfied with his current web host whose services he acquired one year ago. Today John is relaxing in his chair and thinking about the initial days when he spent many hours on the Internet collecting information related to web hosting. Like him there are many John’s out there who are in search of information everyday, visiting this and that website hoping to find the most illuminating advice. The problem is that common topics of interest can be found on most of the websites whereas other relevant issues are not dealt with everywhere. This article is going to touch on one of those areas: various concerns related with domain names.

What is multiple domain hosting?
Many times you will see that a web host offers multiple domain hosting. In simpler words it means that on buying an account you will have the ability to get multiple websites. For instance, if the plan provides you with five domain names, you can use one domain for your website and you will still have four domain names leftover to use. The advantage of this scenario is that you can resell these four domain names to your clients.

What is Domain Parking?
If you are planning to build up a website and have decided on a name for it you then must purchase that domain name from a domain registrar: i.e. your domain name gets placed on a name server so that you can use it later on. This is known as domain parking. Even if your website content is not ready, it’s better to park your desired domain name. Otherwise, it might be possible that in the future somebody else will acquire that particular domain name.

What are sub domains?
Sub domains are ‘third level’ domains in the sense that they are used solely to organize your website content. They are simply folders under your root directory, but to access them a special URL is used.
For instance, http://www.m6.net is a regular URL without a sub domain.
http://features.m6.net is an URL with the sub domain name: "features".
An explanation:
net: is the first level domain,
m6: is the second level domain,
features: is the third level domain

For how long does a domain name belong to you?
Generally when you register a domain name it is registered for a minimum of one year. However, you can register it for more years, as there is no hard and fast rule as such.

What is Domain Renewal?
After one year you need to renew your domain name so that your website doesn’t get lost. Generally when your domain is about to expire your domain registrar will send you a reminder mail regarding the domain renewal.

What happens when your domain name expires?
When your domain name expires you can renew it within one month. If you don’t renew it in this period it goes into a redemption phase. It stays in this redemption phase for 15 to 30 days before it is then available for purchase again at a normal price. Getting a domain name out of redemption phase is like buying fifty domains as it can cost around $200!

How to find out the owner of a domain name?
To find out the owner of a domain name, use the WhoIs search tool on the Internet .For E.g. Go to http://centralops.net/co/ and type the domain name under Domain Dossier. It will show you the name of the registrant/domain’s owner/web host.

What is WhoIs record?
WhoIS record is a domain name search engine/Internet program where users can enter an Internet entity (e.g. a domain, a network, some hosts) and it will give detailed information on the domain registrar, the owner of the domain, and respective DNS records.

Priyanka Agarwal
Hosting evangelist
http://www.m6.net
 

The internet can be pricey, especially when you start to promote. There had been a time when it was highly expensive, and only those who were willing to spend some significant money could get in on the miracle that was known as e-commerce. Now however , you can buy inexpensive site names, and you can keep them for a similar low cost.

To find affordable domain name registration you would need to start with a simple internet search. Some search queries you could use might be 'online cheap domain name' or 'buy web names cheap'. Once you do this, you will most likely come up with a number of results that you can use, but which one should you pay for? How do you know which host offers the most affordable domain name registration? When you are trying to buy cheap domain names, you need to check into each result and make sure they are reputable.

You can find this information just by looking forums and chatting to others who have made use of the service. Remember that when you buy a domain, you are buying something that'll be utilized in your business for a long time. You wish to ensure you are going with a host that is able to work with you, which will listen to any questions you should happen to have. One feature that you may look for is the power to transfer an existing domain, or the facility to transfer your domain from the company if you decide to go with a different service. The last thing you want is to be locked into a contract with a website host that you really don't want to be with.

Customer support is also very important when you want to buy cheap domain names. Just because the domain name is cheap doesn't mean the service should be anything of the sort. It shouldn't take you too long to find a decent service, especially when you consider the sheer number of services that are out there.

The ability to buy cheap domain names is something that will carry you quite far in the e-commerce business. There are some domains however that you will not be able to obtain for quite as cheap. For instance there might be some domains based on keywords that are in high demand, and you will have to pay outrageously high prices in order to obtain them. If you are just starting out, this isn't something to worry about, but later on you might want to consider looking into these domain names because the proper use of them could bring in amazing profits.