Does a website come with a domain name? If not, what comes
with a website and how do I get a domain name?
New website owners often seem confused about how and when
domain names come into play. The questions usually boil down
to: "Does a website come with a domain name?" and "If not,
how do I get a domain name?"
Web hosting and domain name registration are usually separate
services. Although your hosting company may give or sell
you a domain name with your website, most hosting companies
are not domain registrars, and chances are they're procuring
it from a third party. (Domain registrars often give you
a website, but they're usually not "full featured" websites,
and another issue.)
What's more, despite the fact that hosting companies will
generally take care of your initial domain name registration,
becoming familiar with the basics of domain name management
can save you anywhere from a few bucks to a little bundle.
(For the definition of "bundle," forget Webster's Dictionary.
Look at your monthly statement from your hosting company;
if it gives you that sinking feeling, that's a bundle.)
Registrars like directnic.com and enom.com, for example,
charge $15 and $30, respectively, per year, per domain name.
In bulk, you can get names at enom.com for as low as $9.
And with a little shopping around, you can do even better
than this.
Managing your own domain names will usually have its biggest
payoff if you should decide to get more than one domain name,
a common practice that can sometimes enhance your web presence.
How? Let's say, your business name is "Grumpy's Hardware
and Paint." Some people know you as Grumpy's Hardware, some
as Grumpy's Paint, and some as just plain Grumpy. You might
want to get three domain names -- grumpyshardware.com, grumpyspaint.com,
and grumpy.com -- so your site can be reached no matter what
a surfer enters in his browser.
The way this would work is, you'd open your hosting account
using, let's say, grumpy.com. Then you'd add on, what's called, "parked" or "mirror" domain
names, grumpyshardware.com and grumpyspaint.com. Parked or
mirror domains are not separate websites; they simply point
to an existing website, grumpy.com, in this case.
The problem is that some hosting companies will charge you
setup and/or monthly fees for parked domains. These fees
are above and beyond the yearly fees you already pay for
registering domain names. And these fees can add up.
By managing domain names yourself, however, you can avoid
all "parking" fees, not to mention shop around for a better
deal on the names themselves.
The fundamentals of domain management begin with two basic
methods of directing domain names to your website. That is,
the process that gets a surfer from the browser to your website
involves a mechanism that takes the surfer (unbeknownst to
him) to your domain name registrar and then to your website.
The journey from your registrar to your website can be accomplished
by one of two methods -- "pointing" or "forwarding." It's
your choice as to which method to use.
What's the difference? There's a huge difference.
Although the menus for setting up these features vary from
registrar to registrar, the concepts are the same. "Pointing" involves
assigning a DNS (Domain Name Server) address, obtained from
your hosting company, to your domain name grumpy.com. This
is done at your registrar account.
Then, you must inform your hosting company to "set up" grumpy.com
on their end, if they have not yet done so. And this is where
domain name setup and monthly fees at your hosting company
come in.
"Forwarding" (also referred to as "redirecting"), on the
other hand, works a little differently. Let's say you wanted
to set up grumpyspaint.com for your website. Instead of using
the DNS method described above, you would simply "forward" it
to grumpy.com, which would already be pointing to your website.
In addition to being a little simpler, it's likely you've
just saved yourself some money.
How?
When a surfer enters grumpyspaint.com, they simply get forwarded
to your other name, grumpy.com, which is already pointing
to your website. It's almost as if the surfer entered grumpy.com
directly. And you don't need any additional setups at your
hosting company when you use this method, no matter how many
additional parked domain names you have. So, no setups, no
fees.
To put it all together, if you had let's say 20 domain names,
you'd need to set up only one domain name at your registrar
using the DNS method, and you'd need your hosting company
to "setup" that same name on their end. The other nineteen
names would need no setup whatsoever at your hosting company.
All you'd have to do is redirect (at your registrar account)
all nineteen names to that one name you already have set
up. And, thus, you've saved yourself setup and/or monthly
fees for nineteen parked domains.
How much can you save? Some hosting companies can charge
as much as $20 setup and $5 per month for each parked domain.
Figure it out.
Be aware that some registrars charge extra for features
such as "forwarding." But there's no need to pay extra even
for this. Many registrars, like directnic.com and enom.com,
include forwarding and other features at no extra charge.
So, even if you do not necessarily take care of these domain
matters yourself, but relegate it to a friend or coworker,
being aware of the ins and outs can help you avoid getting
ripped off by a hosting company whose job is not necessarily
to keep you informed of the most budget-conscious way of
running your operation. After all, the information super
highway should be for surfing, not for being taken for a
ride.
by Josh Greenberger from shopndrop.com
Josh Greenberger: A computer consultant for over two decades,
the author has developed software for such organizations as
NASA's Goddard Institute of Space Studies, AT&T, Charles
Schwab, Bell Laboratories and Chase Manhattan Bank. Since 1984,
the author's literary works have appeared in such periodicals
as The New York Post, The Daily News, The Village Voice, The
Jewish Press, and others. His articles have ranged from humor
to scientific to topical events. Visit him at
http://shopndrop.com
