Domains

A domain is purchased from a registrar – who manages ownership of domains. Examples of registrars are godaddy.com  and dotster.com

A domain is purchased by the year – and it’s recommended to purchase the domain for more than one year – which shows the intent for longevity of the business and website.

The price for a domain can range from as low as a few dollars per year to hundreds of dollars or more each year.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Question:  Can we buy a domain for a client?

Answer:  Yes we can do that.  While we do not recommend that we purchase domain names for a client, some customers are more comfortable with having this handled for them.  For those customers, they will be billed for the domain renewal fee each year.

Question:   My client came to me with a letter from a domain registry company and is concerned that there is a problem with their domain.   How do I answer them?  

Answer: Ask to see the letter – it is likely from a company trying to gain ownership of the domain.  A domain is like a piece of real estate and if the business gives up ownership they may not be able to get it back or may be paying a high price.

Question:  What happens if my client does not renew their domain?

Answer:  The registrar will make quite a few attempts to remind you to renew your domain. Once it expires, there is a waiting period and you will need to pay a fee in addition to your renewal fee. Once that waiting period expires, the domain will be available for anyone to purchase it.

Question:  How can I find out if a domain is already taken?

Answer:  You can go to a registrar website such as godaddy.com and do a search.

Question:  Can I see who owns a domain?

Answer:  Yes, go to whois.com and do a search. Note that the domain owner may have purchased privacy so you may not be able to see who owns the site.