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

IETF Internet Engineering Task Force is an open international community of network designers, operators, resellers, and researchers concerned with evolution of Internet architecture and operation of Internet. Membership is open to any interested individual or corporation.

Nominet Nominet is UK TLD registrar responsible for management and development of .uk domain range.

W3C World Wide Web Consortium is an international industry consortium set up to develop common protocols to promote evolution of World Wide Web and ensure its smooth operation. Services include; a repository of information about World Wide Web for developers and users; reference code implementations to promote standards; and various prototype and sample applications to demonstrate use of new technology.