Domains and Hosting

A domain name, such as yourname.com, is your website’s unique identifier on the Internet. It can be thought of as the address where your website resides. When you or your visitors type your domain name into their browser’s address bar the browser will query your Internet Service Provider name server which will provide it with directions on how to find your website.

Basically a domain is web space allotted to a client. The name given to this web space after a site is created is called a domain name.

The domains available include

• .com, .co.uk for commercial
• .org, .org.uk for charity organisations
• .net, .net.uk for Network Service Providers
• .ltd.uk for limited companies
• .plc.uk for PLC's
• .biz for businesses
• .ie, .ca, .au for nation specific

Choosing The Right Domain Name

Here are some points to keep in mind:

• Keep your domain name short and easy to spell;
• Avoid confusing names with unclear spellings (i.e. names with hyphens, names that can be spelled several different ways).
• Make sure your name doesn't infringe on another company's trademark.
• Choose a name that conveys an appealing image and clearly reflects what your business does.

To determine whether your choice for a domain name is available, you can conduct a "who is" search through any domain name registrar or through such resources as
www.internic.net/whois
| "|www.allwhois.com

We offer domain name registrations for the following prices:

• A ".co.uk" domain name costs £35 + VAT for two years
• A ".com" domain name costs £50 + VAT from two years

Note that you are under no obligation to purchase your domain name from us. A search on the Internet will reveal that there are literally thousands of places that you can buy a domain name. Many of these sites will quote extremely low prices for domain names, check that there are no hidden costs before buying.

Domain Forwarding

Domain Forwarding services enable users like you to avoid expensive web hosting fees. With Domain Forwarding, you can set up your web site with SABP-Web subdirectory hosting and make it look like your company is located at a domain you choose to register.

For example, one of your customers types "http://www.yourname.com" into the URL bar of their browser, if you enable domain forwarding/cloaking in your control panel that user will be automatically forwarded to your actual web site hosted at the "http://www.sabp-web.co.uk/yourname" address.

There are a few types of Domain Forwarding options. With a simple Domain forwarding service the address of the new web site shows up in the URL bar.

Domain Masking/Cloaking

This means that even though the browser is forwarded to somewhere other than yourname.com, yourname.com is still listed in the URL bar and the title specified in the settings panel would be displayed at the top of the browser window.

Web hosting

A website must be hosted on the internet. To make your website permanently accessible files for your website are stored (or hosted) on a computer that is permanently connected to the internet, this is a web server.

Web hosting is the provision of allocated space for your website on a server. Web hosting allows you to use email and have a web site using your domain name, create you@yourdomain.com email addresses and advertise your web address as www.yourdomain.com

There are hundreds of companies that will host your site in a shared environment. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP), the company through which you access the internet such as BT or AOL, will often give you a small amount of space on which to host a website.

If you have purchased a domain name, the company that registered it for you will often provide a free or low-costing hosting service. Before committing, take note of exactly what is on offer as the downside of some low-cost services is compulsory advertising on your website, restricted space and poor support.

These options are adequate for brochure or static websites but if you would like to develop the functionality of your website further you should seek expert advice from a web development company.