BASICS – Domain Names 101

Here are a few things you should know about domain names

Registering (buying) a domain name is really simple and straightforward, but when the domain name owner wants to transfer the domain or if they forget to renew the domain, the processes can get a bit confusing.  We’ve listed a some of the standard rules and processes below. Remember, if you bought your domain name from SiteDart or are transferring your domain to us, we can help make things less confusing.

• When you first register (buy) a domain name you will have to wait 60 days before transferring it. This waiting period is applied to all accredited registrars by ICANN, the non-profit corporation that governs Internet naming standards.
• Domain names are locked at the domain registrar to protect a domain name owner. This is a security feature to avoid domain names getting transferred out from under a domain name owner. You can login and check that yours is locked too.
• Authorization Codes are necessary to begin a transfer to another registrar. When a transfer request is made, the code for the transfer is normally delivered by email to the Registrant. Contact in your Whois Record for Information.
• You can have a domain name registered at one hosting company but point to a different company where your website is hosted. This is done by changing your Domain Name Servers.
• Google shows some SEO favorability to domain names that are registered for 5 years or more.
• You can have multiple domains pointing to the same website.
• Has your domain name expired? Don’t panic… your domain name will enter a grace period for anywhere from 29-45 days depending on the registrars. You can still renew during this period at the same price before the domain becomes available to everyone
• After a grace period an expired domain name goes into a redemption period. You can normally renew your domain name during this time but there is a penalty, the cost will be substantially higher. But if you allow it to go past this time your domain name will be released for someone else to scoop up.
• You can only renew your domain name through your domain registrar, the company you registered it with. Make sure you know who your registrar is to avoid scam attempts to renew your domain name by a company who cannot.
• Domain names we manage for our customers cannot be transferred to other registrars without action from SiteDart Hosting and the customer.
• You can only use letters, numbers, and hyphens for a domain name.
• No special characters can be used when creating your domain name.
• Domain names are not case-sensitive. www.SiteDartHosting.com is the same as sitedarthosting.com.