Questions about Domain Registration Service

New Registrations

I just registered my new domain name, what should I do next?

Pricing & General Questions

How do you register domains at such a low price? Are there any hidden fees? Will I receive another invoice from the Internic or Network Solutions? Is there a charge by WebDirectHosting.com if I decide to transfer away to another registrar at a later date? Is there a charge by WebDirectHosting.com if I sell my domain or transfer it to a different owner? When I submit the order for my domain, how soon is it actually 'registered'? If I register my domain name with you, do I also get a website/webspace? Am I required to host my website/domain with you in order to use your domain registration services, or can I just register my domain name with you? I registered and purchased a domain name, then noticed that I misspelled it. Can I delete it and get my money back? When I register my new domain name, how long will it take to go “live” on the internet?

Ownership Questions

When I register a domain with WebDirectHosting, who is listed as registrant for the domain?

Transfer Questions

I have already registered my domain with another company, can I transfer my existing domain registration to WebDirectHosting.com? I have registered my domain with another registrar company, and it is coming up for renewal. Can I renew my existing domain with WebDirectHosting.com? I have registered my domain with WebDirectHosting.com and I would like to transfer the domain registration to a different domain registration company. How do I do that?

Payment Questions

What forms of payment do you accept for domain registrations? Can I register a domain through the mail with a check or money order?

Registration Changes

How do I make changes to the registration information listed for my domain? How do I change my domain name?

Availability Search

I just registered my new domain, why does it still show up in the 'availability' search?

Domain Forwarding Questions

I would like to forward or point my domain name to an existing website. How do I do that?

Name Server Questions

What are name servers and why does my domain need them? How do I register new name servers based on my domain name?

Changing & Updating Name Servers

I have selected a web hosting service and they have provided me with the name servers to use for my domain. How do I update the name servers for my domain?

Domain Password Questions

What is the purpose of the Domain Password on the registration order form? I am receiving a password was not valid error when attempting to login to the domain administration area, what is wrong?

Registrar Lock Questions

What does the term “Registrar Lock” mean? How do I remove the registrar lock on my domain?

Domain Renewal Questions

How can I find out what the current expiration date is on my domain name? How will I be notified when my domain is up for renewal? I've already registered my domain with WebDirectHosting.com, How can I add years to my current registration?

Answers

New Registrations I just registered my new domain name, what should I do next? Well, that depends on what you would like to do with your new domain. 1.) If you only want to reserve the domain for future use, then you do not need to do anything. We will park the domain with a "coming soon" page until you are ready for hosting service. Once you are ready to bring your domain online, go to the domain administration area and update the "names servers" listed for your domain to that of your selected web hosting service provider. (Your selected web hosting service should provide you with their name servers information when you sign up for service) 2.) If you would like to have your own website displayed when someone visits your domain, then you will need someone to "host" your domain name and provide you with webspace to build/upload your website and also provide you with email addresses at your domain.The company that you choose to host your domain is called your "web hosting service provider". You can choose to have your website hosted by WebDirectHosting or you may choose to have your domain hosted by any other web hosting service provider that can host domain names. 3.) If you already have an existing website and you would like to use your new domain with your existing website, then you will need to contact the company that is providing your web hosting service and request that they host your new domain and point it to your existing website. Specifically, they will provide you with their 'name servers' information. Once you have this information, you can update the name servers listed for your domain through the domain administration area. For detailed instructions on how to change/update the name servers for your domain, see below. [Back to top]

Pricing & General Questions How do you register domains at such a low price? Are there any hidden fees? Will I receive another invoice from the Internic or Network Solutions? There are no hidden fees. You will not receive any invoices from the Internic or Network Solutions or any other company. We just don't charge as much as some of the others do. [Back to top] Is there a charge by WebDirectHosting.com if I decide to transfer away to another registrar at a later date? No, we do not charge you to move away from us. [Back to top] Is there a charge by WebDirectHosting.com if I sell my domain or transfer it to a different owner? No, we do not charge you to change the ownership information for a domain or any other information you have listed with your domain registration. The ownership information can be updated at anytime through the domain administration area. [Back to top] When I submit the order for my domain, how soon is it actually 'registered'? When you submit your registration order, your domain is instantly registered in real-time. Our registration process is automated for efficiency. No human interaction is involved in the registration process. [Back to top] If I register my domain name with you, do I also get a website/webspace? Domain Registration and Web Hosting are separate services. To have a web site, you will need a web hosting company or an ISP to supply you with web space and FTP access. You can purchase webhosting for your domain through WebDirectHosting.com or any provider of your choice. [Back to top] Am I required to host my website/domain with you in order to use your domain registration services, or can I just register my domain name with you? We would like you to consider our web hosting service, however you are welcome to host your domain with the web hosting service provider of your choosing. [Back to top] I registered and purchased a domain name, then noticed that I misspelled it. Can I delete it and get my money back? Sorry, no, all domain registration sales are final. We use a real-time registration system to secure your domain name immediately, and we cannot 'un-register' a domain once an order has been submitted. Please double check your domain name before submitting your order. [Back to top] When I register my new domain name, how long will it take to go “live” on the internet? Once your registration order has been submitted, please allow 48 to 72 hours for your new domain to appear or go 'live' across the internet. [Back to top]

Ownership Questions When I register a domain with WebDirectHosting, who is listed as registrant for the domain? You are listed as the Registrant Contact, Administrative Contact, Billing Contact, and Technical Contact. Optionally, if webdirecthosting.com is also hosting your domain/website, we will be listed as the technical contact and the billing contact (we pay the annual registration fees for all hosting customers). Important Note: Wherever you decide to register your new domain, make sure you are listed as the administrative contact! We sometimes get requests from webhosting customers to transfer their domain, only to find out that the domain is not really owned by the customer, but owned by the company they originally chose to register the domain for them. This does not happen often, but it does happen. Make sure when you register a domain with any company, you will be listed as owner/registrant. [Back to top]

Transfer Questions I have already registered my domain with another company, can I transfer my existing domain registration to WebDirectHosting.com? We do not do domain transfers at this time. However, if you are a web hosting customer we will transfer your domain to our registrar service at your request and at no charge. Once transferred, you will no longer have an annual domain fee as long as your domain is hosted with us. [Back to top] I have registered my domain with another registrar company, and it is coming up for renewal. Can I renew my existing domain with WebDirectHosting.com? I'm sorry, we do not do renewals or transfers for domains that have been registered through another registrar. You will need to renew your domain with your current registrar or locate a registrar that will transfer the domain for you. [Back to top] I have registered my domain with WebDirectHosting.com and I would like to transfer the domain registration to a different domain registration company. How do I do that? Procedure to transfer a domain away from WebDirectHosting.com 1.) The domain must be at least 60 days old before it can be transferred from one registrar to another. 2.) Be sure that the "Domain Registrar Lock" is unchecked in the domain administration area. The domain cannot be transfered if it is locked. 3.) The domain registration must be current. If the domain registration has expired, you are no longer the domain owner and you will not be able to transfer the domain until the domain registration has been renewed. You cannot transfer away an expired domain name. 4.) The transfer must be approved by the registrant's email address. To initiate a transfer, please contact the registration company you are transferring to and they can initiate the domain transfer request. Once a transfer request has been initiated, you will receive an approval email at the email address listed as registrant for the domain. The approval email will come from the domain registrar you are transferring your domain to. You must follow the instructions in the email to approve the transfer of the domain. Only the email address listed as registrant for a domain name can approve the transfer of the domain. [Back to top]

Payment Questions What forms of payment do you accept for domain registrations? We accept visa and mastercard and american express as payment for domain registrations. [Back to top] Can I register a domain through the mail with a check or money order? To keep our registration prices low, we use a completely automated registration system which verifies your payment and registers your new domain instantly. We only register domain names through our online system. We do not accept checks or money orders as payment for new domain registrations. [Back to top]

Registration Changes How do I make changes to the registration information listed for my domain? To make changes to your registration information (change owners, change name servers, etc), please go here: http://webdirecthosting.com/access/ You will need the password you selected during the registration process. NOTE: Do not include the 'www' when you login or you will receive an error. [Back to top] How do I change my domain name? Once a domain name is registered, the spelling or syntax cannot be changed. If you would like to use a different domain name, you can register the domain name you want to use and discontinue using the one you don't. [Back to top]

Availability Search I just registered my new domain, why does it still show up in the 'availability' search? Since your domain was just registered, it may be 1 or 2 days before it stops appearing in the 'availability' search. Our availability search checks several databases across the internet, and its takes a few days for these databases to recognize newly registered domains. [Back to top]

Domain Forwarding Questions I would like to forward or point my domain name to an existing website. How do I do that? Domain forwarding/email forwarding is not a service that is included with domain registrations. You will need the services of a web hosting company to provide you with hosting for your domain. Almost every company that provides web space and hosting can also host domains. Please contact the company that is hosting your website, they will provide you with information on how to point your domain to their server by changing the name servers for your domain to theirs. The name servers for your domain can be updated at anytime from the domain administration area. For specific details on how to change/update the name servers for your domain, see below. [Back to top]

Name Server Questions What are name servers and why does my domain need them? The name servers for your domain tell the rest of the internet where your domain is hosted. Every domain name on the internet, no matter where it was registered, must have valid name servers in order to function correctly. Your webhosting company will provide you with the necessary information for your name servers. They usually have a format similar to this: ns.yourwebhostingcompany.com ns2.yourwebhostingcompany.com You can update your name server information at any time by logging into the domain administration area. Note: When you change the name servers listed for your domain, please allow 24 to 48 hours for the changes to take full effect across the internet. If you are hosting your website with WebDirectHosting.com and you have registered your domain with us, we will automatically update your name server information when you order web hosting service. (No action is required on your part) If you do need our name server information, please contact support@webdirecthosting.com If you are hosting your website/domain with us, the name servers to list for your domain will depend on which web server your site is hosted on. If you have selected domain registration only service and you are using our free "coming soon" page until you are ready for hosting, these are the name servers to list for your domain: Primary Nameserver : ns.webdirecthosting.net Secondary Nameserver: ns2.webdirecthosting.net [Back to top] How do I register new name servers based on my domain name? If you are a web hosting company or operating your own server and you need to register new name servers based on a domain registered through our system, please send a request to support@webdirecthosting.com and include the new name servers (ns.yourdomain.com & ns2.yourdomain.com) and the IP addresses to register along with them. We will have your new name servers registered within 24 hours. [Back to top]

Changing & Updating Name Servers I have selected a web hosting service and they have provided me with the name servers to use for my domain. How do I update the name servers for my domain? 1.) Login to the domain administration area 2.) Select 'name servers' from the main menu. 3.) You will see the current name servers listed for your domain. 4.) Replace the current name servers with the new name servers information provided to you by your web hosting service provider. Note: You only need to enter the name of the name servers (not the IP address). 5.) Select 'update' and your name servers will be updated. 6.) Please allow 48 hours for name server changes to take full effect across the internet. [Back to top]

Domain Password Questions What is the purpose of the Domain Password on the registration order form? The domain password is a unique password you will need to login to the domain administration area. Please select a password that cannot be easily guessed. Be sure to write your password down and keep it in a secure place for future use. [Back to top] I am receiving a password was not valid error when attempting to login to the domain administration area, what is wrong? Your domain password is case sensitive and must be entered exactly as it was set during registration or you will receive an error. For example, if your password is Blue, then blue or BLUE will not work. If you are entering the correct password and are still unable to login, please contact: support@webdirecthosting.com for assistance. Please include your name, your email address and your domain name. We will need to verify your information before we can re-issue your password. For security purposes, we will only send domain passwords to the email address listed as the administrative contact for a domain. [Back to top]

Registrar Lock Questions What does the term “Registrar Lock” mean? This is a security feature that prevents your domain name from being transfered from one "Registrar" to another. If you are attempting to transfer your domain name to another registrar, this lock must be removed. You can remove this lock at anytime through the domain administration area or by contacting support@webdirecthosting.com. [Back to top] How do I remove the registrar lock on my domain? You can remove the registrar lock at anytime from the domain administration area 1.) Login to the domain administration area. 2.) Uncheck the box marked "registrar lock" on the main page. (If the box is already unchecked then the lock has already been removed.) 3.) Hit the "submit changes" button at the bottom of the page. [Back to top]

Domain Renewal Questions How can I find out what the current expiration date is on my domain name? Login to the domain administration area located here: http://webdirecthosting.com/access/ Once logged in, you will see the expiration date for your domain listed at the very top of the page. [Back to top] How will I be notified when my domain is up for renewal? You will receive an email notification 15 days before your domain is due to expire. The renewal notice will be sent to the email address listed as registrant for the domain, so be sure to keep your email address on file current. [Back to top] I've already registered my domain with WebDirectHosting.com, How can I add years to my current registration? You can add years to your current domain registration at anytime through this secure link: http://webdirecthosting.com/renew/ Important Note About Renewals - If you wish to renew your domain name, please do so before it expires. Once a domain has expired it will be de-activated on its expiration date and you will no longer own it. Once a domain expires, the login to the domain administration will no longer function. To renew/reactivate an expired domain, please proceed here. [Back to top]

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This page last updated 12-01-2005