Domain names & transfers

A domain name is the 'web address' of a website - it is what you type into your browser when going to a website. Below are examples of domain names:

http://www.teddies-galore.co.uk
http://www.allthebestbaskets.co.uk
http://www.freedom.org.uk
http://www.gifts-for-you.com

A domain name is essential for you to have a website and you may choose a suitable name for this. Your chosen name may not be available (someone else may have already registered it) but, if it is, Webgloss will register the name for you - just ask us to check its availability. We currently charge £20 for this registration.

If you register your domain name with another registration company it will have to be transferred to our servers. You will probably pay for its registration with the other company and we charge £20 to transfer the domain name to our servers. It is therefore cheaper and less time consuming to allow us to register it for you.

It is imperative that your business does not 'lose' its domain name and, for that reason, Webgloss will ensure that it is renewed prior to its expiry. All domain names have to be renewed - once every two years for a co.uk type and once every year for a .com type. Before the domain expires Webgloss will renew it for you and you will be sent an invoice for £20. If you do not wish your domain name to be renewed you need to let us know in writing at least 90 days before the renewal date.

The only characters allowed in a domain name are the 26 letters of the standard alphabet, numbers 0-9, and hyphens (-). A domain cannot begin or end with a hyphen, but it can contain a hyphen. Underscore characters and spaces cannot be used in domain names. Names must have a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 63 letters (this figure does change though and may be different at the time of registration). Two-letter .co.uk domain names are not allowed by Nominet, the regulating authority for .co.uk names, because all two-letter combinations are reserved for the ISO country codes. When this rule was introduced, there were already a few companies that had registered two-letter names and they have been allowed to keep their domains

Domain transfers

If you already have a domain name you will need to arrange for it to be transferred to our servers when you have a website with Webgloss. There is a charge of £20 for transferring your domain name to Webgloss The method of transfer differs depending on whether the domain name ends with '.co.uk' or '.com'.

Ask your current host to change the IPS Tag for your domain to FASTHOSTS

Let Webgloss know when your host says that it has been done and we will then transfer your domain to the Webgloss servers.

Usually, .com type domains take longer to transfer than .co.uk type domains. There are conditions that must be met before a transfer can be carried out. The following conditions must be met before a gTLD (high-level, ie. .com type domain) domain name can be transferred to Webgloss:

• The domain name must have been registered for more than 60 days.
  
  
• The admin contact at your current hosting company for the domain name must be able to confirm the transfer and authorise the transfer email they receive.
  
  
• The domain name must not be 'on hold' with the current registrar. The domain could be on hold for payment issues, renewal issues etc.
  
  
• The domain name must be at least 40 days from its renewal date.

If the above conditions are met, contact your current host and tell them of your intention to transfer your domain name. Transfers of these domains can take up to 15 days and depend on your existing hosting company following the correct procedure. Many hosting companies insist that this is by fax or in writing. You will then need to let Webgloss know that your current host is aware of the situation and we will issue a transfer request.