Domain Names

What Is A Domain Name?
A domain name is a unique name that identifies a place on the Internet. An example of a domain name is mybusiness.com. Domain names can be used as part of a website address, such as www.YourBusiness.com, or they can form part of an email address, such as sales@YourBusiness.com. Domain names allow you to use descriptive words so it's easy for people to remember your website or your email address.

Searching for a Domain Name
In order to register a domain name no one else can have that exact name already registered. You must search for a domain name first to find out if it is registered. If it's already registered to someone else, you cannot register it for yourself.

Domain Name Guidelines
A domain name can be up to 26 characters long, including the suffix .COM, .NET, or .ORG. Therefore, the actual "name" portion can be up to 22 characters long. You can use numbers, letters, and hyphens in your domain name, but you can cannot start or end the name with a hyphen. Special characters like the underscore ( _ ), the exclamation mark ( ! ), or the at sign ( @ ) are not permitted. Domain names cannot contain spaces. Domain names are not case sensitive, so you can write them as "YourBusiness.com" or "yourbusiness.com."

Some services are now offering domain names that can be up to 67 characters long or have extensions other than .com, .net, or .org; however, not all browsing and search engine software can handle these new features. MouseWorks suggests you stick to the basic 26-character name and standard extensions, if possible.

Did You Know .....
Once information is entered into the Global Registry of Domain Names, it can take many days to make changes to the record on file? If you're not familiar with domain name registration, it's easy to make errors when registering your domain name ... errors that may result in a tedious and time-consuming process of filling out and submitting various file modification forms in order to use your Domain Name. And remember ... time is money!

The Solution?
Let MouseWorks register your name for you. We'll take care of the entire registration process! We'll search the WhoIs database to determine which domain name options are currently available and contact you for your choice. Then we'll complete the registration process for your new domain name. There is NO CHARGE for this service for MouseWorks clients ... you'll receive an invoice from MouseWorks for the registration cost only (usually $14.95/year). What could be easier?