Registering Domain Names
Transferring Existing Domain Names
What is a
"domain name"?
A domain name is the label used to
identify your Web site, for example ecosse-online.co.uk.
It usually describes some aspect of your site and is
easier for your visitors to remember than your Web
address, also known as your IP address.
In order for visitors to access your site on the
Internet, you must select a unique domain name and
register it with an accredited domain name registrar.
Ecosse Online can assist you with this process.
What kinds of things should I consider when choosing a
domain name?
Because your domain name will represent
your business, you should make sure that the name you
choose is memorable, descriptive and that it instils
confidence, particularly if you plan on selling goods
and services on your site.
Your domain name can be up to 67 characters long and can
include any combination of letters, numbers and dashes
(although it cannot start or end with a dash). A domain
name must end with a domain extension, such as .net,
.com, .org or .co.uk. The letters “www” at the beginning
of a name are not considered part of the domain name.
What
kind of domain name extensions can I use? Can I use
international domains such as .tr, .ch, .ca, .us or .au?
You can use common domain extensions such
as .com, Net and .co.uk as well as international domain
extensions such as .tr, Ch, Us but if you are a UK based
company you will likely choose a .uk name.
Ecosse Online can assist you in registering domains with
.com, Net, .org, .co.uk, .info and .biz extensions. For
extensions not listed here,
contact us for more information. Ecosse Online
cannot, however, register international domains. You
will need to take special steps to register an
international domain. See
How do I register an international domain name for
more information.
I
picked out a domain name. How can I find out if it is
available?
You can quickly check to see if a domain
name is available using our
domain name checker. Locate the Domain Name Search
box and type the domain name you are interested in,
select the extension, and then click Go. Ecosse Online
will search to see if that name is currently available.
If the domain name is already registered, you may want
to try variations of the name.
Remember, the domain extension is part of the domain
name — mydomain.com is not the same as mydomain.net.
Someone else is already using the domain name I want. Is
there anything I can do?
Once a domain name is registered, it
belongs to the person or company that registered it. If
you are really interested in having a domain name that
is already registered to someone else, you can contact
the owner of the domain name to find out if the name is
for sale or you can wait for the registration to expire.
Can I have
more than one domain name? Can they both point to the
same Web site?
You can have as many domain names as you
like. You can have each domain name point to a different
site, or you can have multiple domain names point to the
same Web site (but not to different pages within the
same Web site). Many companies register several domain
names and have them all point to the same central Web
site. This is known as a “domain alias.”
Registering multiple domain names for the same site not
only brings the largest draw to your site but it also
can prevent competitors from poaching your potential
customers. When picking multiple domain names—or
aliases—for the same site, consider variations of your
name such as common misspellings as well as both
singular and plural versions of the name.
I have decided on
my domain name. What is the process for registering it?
Once you have decided on a domain name
and have checked that it is available, you will need to
register it. Ecosse Online can assist you with the
process of registering your new domain name. See
How do I register my domain name.
I want
to reserve my name, but I'm not ready to post my site
yet. What are my options?
You have a number of different options.
If you think you may want to get your site up and
running in the near future, you can go ahead and
register your name and sign up for a hosting plan now.
You will receive an "Under Construction" page that all
your site's visitors will see until you are ready to
publish your site. Go to the
domain name checker and ordering page
How do I register
my domain name?
Once you have decided on a domain name
and have checked that it is available, Ecosse Online can
assist you with the process of registering your new
domain name. For domain names ending with .com, Net,
.org, .co.uk, Info, and Biz, we will send your domain
name registration request to an accredited registrar
immediately after you submit your order form. The
registrar typically completes the registration process
within 24 hours of receipt. The
propagation
process normally requires 48 to 72 hours. Use the
domain name ordering page here.
Of course, you can always take care of the registration
process yourself by working directly with an accredited
domain name registrar and then transferring the domain
name to Ecosse Online. See
I already have a registered domain name. How do I
transfer it to Ecosse Online?
How
do I register an international domain name?
Although Ecosse Online welcomes and
currently hosts many international domains, we do not
register international domains. Although the process may
vary slightly from country to country, there are several
basic steps you should take to register an international
domain name.
First, check with the appropriate domain registration
agency to verify that your new domain name is available.
Second, check to see whether the domain registration
agency for your country requires an account to be
created on Ecosse Online's servers before they will
proceed with the domain registration procedure.
If so, submit your order to Ecosse Online before
requesting the registration of your domain name. We will
then email to you important information about your
account, including your Web address (IP address) and
information about nameservers and their Internet
addresses. This is the information typically required by
your country's domain registration agency to register
the domain.
You should wait 48 to 72 hours between receipt of your
order confirmation from Ecosse Online and submission of
your domain registration request in order to allow time
for the nameserver information to
propagate.
What
does it cost to register my domain name?
The costs for registering your domain
vary depending upon your plan and the domain name
extension. For detailed information, view the
Hosting Packages
page. For questions regarding Ecosse Online pricing, you
can contact us or refer to
the Hosting Packages.
If you choose to work directly with an accredited domain
name registrar, check with them for terms and pricing.
How long will it take to register my new domain name?
The relevant information from the order
form you submit to us will be forwarded immediately to
an accredited registrar to register your domain name.
The registrar typically completes the registration
process within 24 hours of receipt. The
propagation
process normally requires 48 to 72 hours.
Whom shall I contact regarding domain name billing?
If you requested Ecosse Online to handle
the process of registering your domain name, we handle
the billing for your registration charges.
If you handled the registration process for your domain
name yourself, all questions and payments regarding
domain name registration should be directed to your
domain name registrar. Your registrar typically charges
a fee to cover an initial registration period, and then
charges an annual fee thereafter. If you are not sure
who your registrar is, please
contact us and we will find out for you.
I already
have a registered domain name. How do I transfer it to
Ecosse Online?
The transfer process depends on the
registrar with whom you registered your domain name.
Most registrars request that you log on to their systems
and transfer the domain name yourself using the user
name and password they assigned you. Once you log on to
their site, you will need to change the nameserver
information. If you have a UK domain (.co.uk or .org.uk),
you need to contact your registrar and have them change
the IPS tag. The transfer process typically takes 48 to
72 hours.
| Primary Nameserver: |
NS0.ECOSSE-ONLINE.CO.UK |
| Primary IP Address: |
83.233.125.10 |
| Secondary Nameserver: |
NS1.ECOSSE-ONLINE.CO.UK |
| Secondary IP Address: |
83.233.125.11 |
| IPS Tag |
ECOSSE ONLINE |
This is not the correct information but
serves as an example. Once you order you will be sent the
correct nameserver information for your new or transferred
domain.
I don’t
remember who my registrar is. What can I do?
You can go to
www.nsregistry.com, enter your domain name and
search for the registrar. Once you have this
information, you can contact the registrar directly.
Do you have contact information for the most common
registrars?
Here are some links to domain manager
interfaces for some registrars:
My registrar requires that I go online to transfer my domain.
What information do I need to give them to successfully
transfer my domain name to Ecosse Online?
In order to transfer your domain, you
will need to provide your current registrar with Ecosse
Online’s nameserver information:
This is not the correct information but
serves as an example. Once you order you will be sent
the correct nameserver information for your new or
transferred domain.
| Primary Nameserver: |
NS0.ECOSSE-ONLINE.CO.UK |
| Primary IP Address: |
83.233.125.10 |
| Secondary Nameserver: |
NS1.ECOSSE-ONLINE.CO.UK |
| Secondary IP Address: |
83.233.125.11 |
| IPS Tag |
ECOSSE ONLINE |
How long will it take to transfer my domain name to
Ecosse Online?
Typically the transfer should be
completed within about 48 to 72 hours. You may want to
check with your registrar to see exactly how long it
should take to complete the transfer.
How long will it take for my domain to be active?
There may be a brief delay between the
time your domain name registration or transfer is
completed and the time when your domain is active and
can be accessed by everyone over the Internet. This is
due to the
propagation process.
What is
propagation?
When visitors type your domain name into
their Web browsers, their request is referred to a
nameserver that indicates the physical location (the IP
address) of your domain on the Internet. When your site
location changes to a new IP address, or when you deploy
a new site with a new domain name, nameservers around
the world must be notified of the change. This process
of notification is referred to as propagation.
Propagation typically takes 48 to 72 hours. During this
time, if you are transferring your domain, some
nameservers will still refer to your site’s old location
while nameservers that have already been notified of the
change will refer to the new location. As a result,
visitors accessing your site may be directed to either
the old or new location, depending upon which nameserver
they connect to.
If some visitors are still being directed to your old
site location after 72 hours have elapsed, you should
contact your previous Internet Presence Provider and
request that they update their DNS and delete your
domain from their servers. Once this has been done, and
this change has been completely propagated, the transfer
to your new location will be complete.
If your site is new, your site may not be recognised by
all nameservers until the propagation period has
completed.During the
propagation period, you will need to use your Temporary
URL to upload files and view your site. You can find
your temporary URL by logging in to your Admin Panel.
How can
I avoid downtime while I wait for the new information to
propagate throughout the Internet?
While waiting for the new nameserver
information to propagate throughout the Internet, we
recommend maintaining your site at your current host to
avoid down time for your site. During this time, you can
use the temporary Web address (URL) that we gave you to
mirror your Web site on Ecosse Online's servers until
the transfer is complete.
If your site is new, you can use your temporary URL to
begin publishing your Web site while you wait for the
propagation period to complete.
My
site is not showing up when I type in my domain name.
What’s wrong?
If you have recently set up your account,
this probably means that your domain name has not been
propagated to all of the possible domain nameservers.
Test your domain by typing your temporary Web address in
a Web browser. If you can access your site using the
temporary Web address (URL), wait a day or two for the
propagation period to complete. If after 72 hours the
domain name still does not resolve correctly, contact
Ecosse Online support at support@ecosse-online.co.uk.
You should also check that you have given your home page
a valid file name (such as index.htm or default.htm) and
that you uploaded the files to the correct directory.
For more information on these types of problems, see the
Publishing Your Web Site FAQ.
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