Frequently Asked Questions About Domains

What is a domain name?
Why do I need a domain name?
What characters can you use in a domain name and how long can it be?
Is it possible to sign up for a domain name before getting a plan with WeHostWeb?
How can I find out if a domain name is already registered?
Do I have to pay for domain name registration?
What is InterNIC and what is Network Solutions Inc.?
Should I register my domain with a "www" in the front?
Should I register my domain with InterNIC?
What is an IP address?
Do I need to have a server to register a domain name?
What steps do I need to take to set-up a virtual domain with you?
What are Top Level Domains (TLD) And what do they mean?
What does the Top-level domain signify?
Can I register more than one domain?
What is DNS and how does it work?
This other registrar asks for two DNS servers when I register with them. What's that?
How often do I get billed?
I just signed up and my domain is not up yet?
I need to change the domain name I signed up for, how do I do it?
Can you host sites with an international domain?
What if I am not ready to register at this moment?
I already have a domain name, do I have to pay again for it if I sign up with you?

What is a domain name?
A Domain Name is YOUR OWN Internet Address! Or the location of your website. A Domain Name is a group of letters, numbers, and hyphens in the form like: abc.com or abc.net it can be almost anything. A Domain Name should be relatively easy to remember. The domain can be used as the address for your web site and/or can be used as your email address.

Why do I need a domain name?
No two domains are the same. By registering your own ".com" Domain, you can distinguish yourself and promote YOUR OWN business instead of being one of 12 million other users @aol.com. It is your identity on the World Wide Web. For businesses and organizations, a domain name can help brand your products and services. For individuals and clubs, a domain can identify your affiliations, relationships, or can just be your online personality. Equally important, it is your Business's E-mail Address
Joe@yourname.com
sales@ yourname.com
info@ yourname.com

Fact: Your Domain e-mail is independent of your Internet Presence provider, which means you can change access providers WITHOUT changing your email address!

What characters can you use in a domain name and how long can it be?
The valid characters for domain names are the alphabet, numbers, and hyphens. Domain names are not case sensitive, therefore YourName.com and yourname.com are NOT different. A domain name cannot start or end with a hyphen. Special characters such as exclamation marks (!), question marks (?), and underscores (_) are not allowed and there can be no spaces in a domain name. A domain name can be up to 67 characters long, which includes the extension. If you are using the .com/. net/.org extensions, your desired name can be 63 characters long.

Is it possible to sign up for a domain name before getting a plan with WeHostWeb?

Yes, just use the banner on the right to register your name with register.com™ 

How can I find out if a domain name is already registered?
Using register.com search, you can look up any domain name instantly and find out if it has been taken.

Do I have to pay for domain name registration?
Yes, Register.Com requires a $70 InterNIC fee to keep track of your domain name and associated information. This fee covers the first two years of domain name ownership. After that, you will be charged $35 a year. 

What is InterNIC and what is Register.Com Inc.?
InterNIC stands for Internet Network Information Center and is the organization in the United States that manages Internet domain names and the DNS. Register.Com Inc. is the company that has authority selling domain names.

Should I register my domain with a "www" in the front?
No. The www is not part of the top level domain, it is just something most people put in front for their website. Just register yourname.com, NOT www.yourname.com, we will make sure both work for your URL, free of charge.

Should I register my domain with Register.com?
Yes.

You can choose to register domains all the way up to 10 years in advance! You can register domains up to 67 characters in length (including the .com .net, or .org). You can register with us even if you ever decide to host your domain elsewhere.

What is an IP address?
The Internet Protocol address or IP Address is a numerical identifier for a computer (server) attached to the Internet. An IP Address is four numbers separated with periods and is typically a 12 digit number.

Do I need to have a server to register a domain name?

No. but once you register you could give them our DNS address and we will do your hosting.

Primary DNS         ns.wehostweb.com

Secondary DNS     ns2.wehostweb.com

What steps do I need to take to set-up a virtual domain with you?

Please contact us. We are working on automating this process.

What are Top Level Domains (TLD) and what do they mean?
The Top Level Domains (sometimes called Generic Top Level Domains) are the last two or three letters in a domain name. Web sites outside of the United States may have two letter country codes (for example: .ca for Canada or .au for Australia).

What does the Top-level domain signify?
.com - usually a company .org -usually an organization .net - usually a network or a company .edu - educational institutions only .gov - government institutions only .mil - military use only 2 letters - identifies a country or a region of the world The .com, .org and .net top-level domain are available to the public.

Can I register more than one domain?
Absolutely, you may register, as many domains as you'd like. Actually, many sites have Multiple Domain Names pointing to the same place, which could increase the number of visitors to your site.

What is DNS and how does it work?
DNS stands for Domain Name System and is the system that the Internet uses to find the information on the web. Domain names are registered with a central organization in each country and each domain name is associated with two DNS servers, a primary server and a backup server. In the United States the registry is called InterNIC. When someone types in a Domain Name into a web browser their Internet Service Provider's (ISPs). DNS computer looks into its cache for an IP (Internet Protocol) address associated with that domain name. If the ISP does not have an entry cached it sends a lookup query to InterNIC's root servers which returns the DNS location associated with the domain name back to the ISP. Once the ISP's computer finds the IP address it can access the web site. IP addresses are typically 12 digit numbers, which identify a computer on the Internet. IP addresses are like street addresses. They refer to specific servers and their physical location on the network. Domain names are like the names on the mailboxes, they are associated with people and with content.

This other registrar asks for two DNS servers when I register with them. What should I use?
Those are the servers that tell users on the Internet what server to go to when they type in your URL in their browsers. For domains hosted by WeHostWeb use: ns.wehostweb.com, ns2.wehostweb.com

How often do I get billed?
You may choose a billing cycle from 2-10 years, with full payment due at the beginning of each cycle.

I just signed up and my domain is not up yet?
It generally takes at least 24 hours after you register your domain before it is available everywhere on the web. Don't worry though, IMMEDIATELY after submitting the registration request, you've reserved the domain, and no one else will be able to register it (even though it doesn't come up right away). Transferring an existing domain sometimes takes as long as 3-5 days for the old registrar to do. Generally the solution to your problem is just to be patient, the domain will come up soon.

What is the procedure?
STEP 1: Find a version of your name that is available using our Real-Time Domain Search
STEP 2: Fill out and submit the On-Line Registration Form that follows.

I need to change my domain name I signed up for. Is there a fee and how do I do it?
If you need to register a new domain, you must again pay for that domain. You may not change the name of a domain you've registered and paid for. That only goes for registration though, as for hosting, we will let you change what domain you host on any of your plans for free.

Can you host sites with an international domain?
Yes! WeHostWeb can host any domain name with two letter country extension codes. The domain owner is responsible for registering their domain with the country's registry. Each country runs their registry differently, and therefore, we cannot expedite the registration process. Each country will also charge different amounts. The domain owner is responsible for making all payments to the registry.
You will most likely need information regarding our DNS servers:

If you desire to host an international domain name with us, we recommend that you first find the official registry of that specific country and examine their application process.

What if I am not ready to register at this moment?
Domains are being registered at the amazing rate of over 20,000 a day. Even if you haven't developed your site yet, you should at least grab onto the domain you're going to use immediately. Even if you are not yet ready to use your Domain Name, you should register it now for future use - once you register a domain name, it becomes restricted to for others to register! Use our quick and easy "register.com™"

I already have a domain name, do I have to pay again for it if I sign up with you?
No, you can transfer domain names without being charged by us or interNIC.

If you still have an unanswered question, please contact our Sales Department at sales@wehostweb.com