You can check status of any registration by doing a WHOIS look-up that will indicate that domain name is DETAGGED.

How can DETAGGED domain name be retagged?

To restore a DETAGGED domain name, registrant will need to pay a tag change fee of £15+VAT as of January 2004 to nominet via a registration service. Nominet charge a higher fee to deal direct with owner.

Can I register a DETAGGED domain name?

A DETAGGED domain name is still registered to original registrant, and it remains as such until it is either renewed by current registrant, or it is cancelled. Once cancelled, it immediately becomes available for registration on a first-come, first-served basis.

How long does it take for a DETAGGED domain name to become available for registration?

Nominet contact owner of each domain that is detagged and confirms if they wish to renew or allow each name to lapse.

If domain is allowed to lapse then domain name will be suspended after 21 days and then cancelled between 6-8 weeks after that.

For further information please visit Nominet http://www.nominet.org.uk

Checking if a domain name is freely available is very straightforward as most domain registration services provide a WHOIS service, as name suggest, this checks ownership details of a domain, note however that such services normally run 48 hours behind actual registrations.

Moving ISP’s can save money, however it may take time and incur extra charges. Pricing in domain name registration industry have fallen considerably over recent years and a domain name typically now costs from $15 for two years registration.

Once your domain name is registered, you can either leave domain name “parked” awaiting future use, or point it at a website, this is usually achieved by changing Domain Name Server, or DNS settings on domain to point at hosting company where your website is located. Almost all registration services offer a free user control panel to change these settings.

Web hosting is provision of space on a web server to publish a web site. There are numerous hosting companies in market, and most domain registration services also offer a hosting solution. Prices vary but $100 per annum should be sufficient for most business needs.

Clare Lawrence is CEO of Discount Domains Ltd – A leading UK provider of Domain name registration and Web Hosting services. Please feel free to re-publish this article provided this reference box remains together with a hyperlink to http://www.discountdomainsuk.com Clare can also be contacted on clare@discountdomainsuk.com

Clare Lawrence is CEO of Discount Domains Ltd – A leading UK provider of Domain name registration and Web Hosting services. Please feel free to re-publish this article provided this reference box remains together with a hyperlink to http://www.discountdomainsuk.com Clare can also be contacted on clare@discountdomainsuk.com