A domain name is unique name on the internet that allows people to find you and communicate with you. Our domain name is klixo.co.nz. We can use that domain name to allow people to find and access various services.  A couple of common examples are:

• Typing www.klixo.co.nz or even just klixo.co.nz in a web browser (eg Firefox or Internet Explorer) will take you to our website.
• Typing [NAME]@klixo.co.nz into an email address field will ensure that email comes to us (eg support@klixo.co.nz)

Basically the domain name is a way of telling computers where to find or send information for you.

The relevance of this for your business is that your domain name is your front door on the web and is an important branding tool for you. You don't have to 'own' a domain name to have a website or an email address, just as you don't have to put a sign outside your shop. The fact is if you want to be found on the internet, owning and using a relevant domain is very important.

How to Get A Domain Name

An important point to understand is that you can never fully own a domain name in the same way as you might buy a car, a book or a house. Domain names can only be rented and you have to pay an annual sum to retain your right to use that domain name. You can register a domain name for up to 10 years and in some cases this can bring the annual cost of the domain name down. It is important to keep an eye on the expiry date of your domain name, and to renew it on time. The last thing you want is to allow your rental to lapse and suddenly find someone else owns your domain name.

To get a domain name you need to register it with a domain name registrar, there are a number of local and international businesses that offer this service. You can't register a domain name already owned by someone else and domain names are issued on a first come, first serve basis.

Once you have registered your desired domain name you will need to 'point' it at the various services you want to use it for such as websites and email.

If you manage your domain name yourself it is important to make sure all of your details are up-to-date. Your domain name details are used to send reminders about renewing the domain name. If your domain name is not renewed before the set period of time your website will no longer be displayed. When people visit your domain name they will generally see a holding page put up by the company that provides your service - or nothing at all. Any email accounts you have on the domain name will no longer work once your domain name has expired e.g. support@klixo.co.nz.

After a certain amount of time (generally three months for .co.nz), your expired domain name will be available to other people for purchase. You can lose your domain name this way.

How Does the Domain Name Work?

Keeping it to a simple level, when you buy a domain name, your domain name registrar (the company you bought the domain name from) keeps an authoratitive record of where to send all requests for your domain name. If someone is trying to reach your web site, it says 'get it from here'. If someone is trying to send you an email, it says 'send it here'. Your registrar does not (necessarily) host your website or your email.

When someone types your domain name (e.g. klixo.co.nz or www.klixo.co.nz) into a web browser (e.g. Firefox, Internet Explorer or Chrome) it sends a request out to get a web page. Their computer asks their internet service provider where to get the page from. If it doesn't know, it finds out who has the authoratitive record (your domain name registrar) and asks them where to get the page from. If your domain name records are set up correctly, your domain name registrar then says 'you can get it from their web hosting company, here'.

The same thing happens when someone sends an email to your domain name (e.g. support@klixo.co.nz).

Here are some examples of domain names - klixo.co.nz - google.com - mashable.com - xtra.co.nz - hotmail.com. These are the addresses you type in to find a website. You type a domain name into the Address bar of your browser:

Figure 1: Domain name in address bar of browser

Is a domain name all I need for a website?

No. The domain name (your street address) is the address that points at your website's hosting (your house). Web hosting is where all of the files are kept for your website and this is paid for separately to your domain name.  

Using your domain name for an email address

Are you currently using an email address that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) has given you (e.g.klixo@xtra.co.nz)? If you have a domain name you can (and should) use an email address using that domain name e.g. support@klixo.co.nz. Why? Say you print out 1000 business cards withklixo@xtra.co.nz as the email address, and then you decide you would like to change ISP to Slingshot because they are cheaper... You would have to throw out your business cards.

There are a few other reasons for having your own domain name email address, you want people to see your brand name (Klixo), not the brand name of your ISP (Xtra). Overall it looks more professional.

There are two options, one is to set up an email forwarding account on your domain name - this is generally free. When someone sends an email to you@example.co.nz it will be forwarded to youryou@xtra.co.nz email address (so when you change providers you only need to redirect the email to a new address e.g. you@slingshot.co.nz). The downside to having a redirect is that when you reply to an email it will come from your you@xtra.co.nz account. The other option is to set up email hosting with a provider along with your website hosting (or with the domain name company directly). This will give you an email account that you would use in the same way you useyou@xtra.co.nz.  

What is a UDAI?

If you ever decide to move your domain name from one registrar to another you will need to get a UDAI.

A UDAI is a Unique Domain Authentication Identifier. UDAI are specific to each domain name and are required only to change the registrar for your domain name. If you own a domain name, make sure you know how to acquire your UDAI - this allows you to take control of your domain name and transfer it away from a company you may be having issues with. Most companies that register domain names on your behalf will send you your UDAI if you request it. If you register a domain name yourself, you should be sent a UDAI as part of that process, keep it somewhere safe.

Quick Notes:

• Your UDAI is like a Bank PIN and should not be given to anyone lightly
• Generally, your UDAI should only be provided in the course of transferring management from one registrar to another
• Your UDAI is NOT required to change name servers, hosting provider - this is generally done in the domain name control panel.

For your security, UDAIs will only be released to the Name Holder/Registrant of the domain name and these are sent to the email address listed in the account details. Again it is important to keep these details up to date - and if someone is registering a domain name on your behalf make sure they register it using your details as the registrant.

Domain name extensions (e.g. co.nz)

Domain name extensions are the last part of a domain name, for example klixo.co.nz - The part in red is the extension. Generally if your business is targeting New Zealand visitors, you should use the .co.nz domain extension. The most common domain name extension is .com (short for commercial) this intended for global business use. You can register a range of domain names with different extensions and in some cases a combination of .com and .co.nz may be relevant.

Here is a list of domain name extensions that can be used:

For some of the listed extensions there are guidelines that your company must fit into in order to register.

Rules for .co.nz domain names

• Domain names are registered on a first come, first served basis
• Use only letters, numbers or hyphens
• Name segments may not begin or end with a hyphen
• Length cannot exceed 63 characters (not including extension)
• Must have at least 2 characters
• Domain names are not case sensitive
• Domain names cannot include spaces

Can I point my domain name at another website?

If you have purchased a domain name for future use, or you have a domain name that is no longer used (and you're waiting for it to expire). You can point these domain names at any other website. This is called a domain name redirect. For example if you visit klixo.net.nz this will automatically point you at our new domain name klixo.co.nz.

Another good way to use domain name redirects is for measuring advertising. You can use another domain name e.g. greatwebsites.co.nz(not really our website) in your print advertising to give you a clear idea of how many people have visited your website from an ad (you can easily measure how many people have visited a certain address). You can also redirect that domain name to a specific page on your website that relates to the print advertisement. 

Related Articles:

How to avoid Domain Name Scams

Questions / Need help?

If you have any questions about domain names, contact us.