Domain Intro

• A Domain Name is a unique, easy-to-remember address used to access websites
• The structure of a Domain Name:

  • www = Subdomain
  • ionos = Domain
  • .com = TLD
• Types of Top Level Domains (TLD)

  • gTLD = Generic Top Level Domain
  • ccTLD = Country Code Top Level Domain
  • nTLD = New Top Level Domain
• ICANN means the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and is the international non-profit corporation that oversees the assignment of both IP addresses and domain names. It has responsibility for managing root server and TLD name system management and has contractual agreements with both Registries and Registrars.
• The 3R's of Domain Name:

  • Registry
  • Registrar
  • Registrant
• A Registry is an organization that creates and regulates domain extensions
• The Registrar is the organization from whom, the registrant, buy the domain
• The Registrant is the person applying to be the owner (for a time) of a domain
• Rules and Restrictions for Domain Names:

  • A domain can be a combination of letters (a-z) and numbers (0-9)
  • Domain names can contain up to 63 characters (excluding TLD)
  • Special characters are not allowed except a hyphen
  • A hyphen can only be used in between the characters. It should not begin the domain
  • Should be unique
  • Should be available for registration
  • Registrant must have the legal rights to register the domain
  • Should not infringe someone’s intellectual property
• WHOIS (pronounced "who is") is an Internet service used to look up information about a domain name
• WHOIS Commands:

  • whois domainname.com
  • whois IP address
• Things to Consider (on How to Register a Domain):

  • Availability – Domain should be available for registration.
  • Price – Take note of the promo price vs the regular price.
  • Term – Domain can be registered for 1, 2, 3, 5 years in advance.
  • TLD – Some TLDs (extensions) may not be supported. 
• Public Registration is supposed to make the domain contact information viewable on WHOIS databases until GDPR rolled out.
• Private Registration hides the contact information of the registrant and will not reflect in all WHOIS websites.
• Included Domain (IN) - Registration and renewal costs are covered in the regular contract fees (e.g. web hosting monthly fee).
• Additional Domain (ON) - Registration and renewal costs are billed separately from the regular contract fees.
• External Domain (xdom) - Is a domain that is registered with another provider but which you can use and manage in your IONOS package.
• Common Registration Issues

  • Fraud Verification / Risk Prevention
  • Process Order Delay
  • ICANN mandates that registrant must confirm the (Reg-C) Email Address used during the registration (which must be verified within 14 days or the domain will be suspended)
• Reserved Domain - In most cases these are domain names that have a kind-of universal meaning. The registry won't give it away to anybody. We can refer customer to the registry operator directly and they will have to present his/her interest for that name
• Premium Domain - Is a domain name whose registry has deemed to be especially useful and/or valuable for registrants.
• Domain Settings & Configuration:

  • Subdomain
  • Privacy and Contact
  • Renewal and Transfer
  • Adjust Destination
  • Bulk Action
• Subdomain - It is a part of your domain. It is a prefix added to a domain name to separate a section of your website. It is used to organize or navigate to different sections of your website such as stores, blogs and support platforms.
• Domain fees are non-refundable as per our T&Cs (Registration Agreement 14.4). However, in certain circumstances, Agents can give a refund for new domains and renewals.