So we're all up to speed, your domain name is the address you type in or click on to get to your website. So if you visit Google, you will visit www.google.co.uk (or www.google.com). There are lots of different options and a number things to bear in mind. Some of these are quite boring but all are really important to know so that you don't run into any problems with your domain name.

What domain names are available?

As a school, you may well have a domain name ending in .sch.uk or .ac.uk. These are normally administered by the local authority, or the agency that the LA has outsourced this work to.

You can also buy domain names ending in .co.uk or .com (or .org etc etc). These might be administered by someone in school or by the company that built your current website.

What should my domain name be?

It should be something that makes sense to your site visitors and is not ridiculously long or over complicated.

What happens to my old domain if I buy a new one?

It depends. If you currently have a .sch.uk domain and you would like to move to a .co.uk or similar, it is possible to redirect your .sch.uk to your new domain. This involves speaking to your current domain administrator for them to action the change. Ask them to repoint your current domain to your new domain. It shouldn't take long at all.

We would recommend doing this so that at least for a period of time, both are available. Over time, Google (etc) will pick up that you are using the .co.uk primarily and will display that domain name in the search results. The end result is that ultimately you won't need your .sch.uk domain any more.

When I move website provider can I keep my domain name?

Absolutely. This can cause some issues but there is no good reason that you can't keep your existing domain name when you move website provider.

Here are a couple of examples:

1/ You currently have a domain name that ends .sch.uk and you are changing website provider. Most often you (or the new provider) will contact your current administrator to ask them to make a change to the domain name that will result in your new website displaying to users when they visit it. The change takes a day or so to take effect and there shouldn't be any downtime. The switch should be seamless.

2/ You currently own a .co.uk domain and are moving website provider. This can be a little more complicated because private agencies can be a bit slower, or even more difficult about releasing domain names that they have bought on behalf of a client.

It shouldn't be a problem though and any reputable company will resolve this for you pretty quickly. If there are ongoing problems with this, or your provider is downright unhelpful (which unfortunately does happen), there are always ways to resolve this and your new provider should be able to help.

Who owns my domain name?

Following on from the last question it might be helpful to use a couple of examples.

1/ You have a .sch.uk and need to know who owns / administers the domain. This is a bit of a grey area as it could be registered by way of a consortium or directly from the school through Nominet, the governing body. Nominet will be able to tell you this and also help put you in touch with the right person. Ultimately, as the school in question, you WILL be able to make any amends necessary to this domain name one way or another. Nominet are generally very helpful when it comes to making amends to your .sch.uk domain name.

2/ You have a .co.uk registered via a 3rd party agency. The agency should have registered this domain name for you with YOUR organisation as the registrant and also include your main email address as the administrative and technical contact for the domain name. This is the correct way to set up a domain for you.

If they do this they can still manage the domain name on your behalf through which ever control panel they use, but you can ultimately take control of the domain should you ever need to.

I can't stress enough how important this is to get right at the outset as it can be tricky to resolve if ever there is a dispute. If it comes to it, Nominet can help you get sorted.

What is Whois and what does it do?

If you aren't sure about who owns or administers your domain name at the moment, there are a number of whois tools available online to give you a quick snapshot of who is looking after the domain for you. It is a really good way to check if you are registered alongside the domain, or the agency who represents you. If it isn't your organisation, get it changed!

Have a look at the Nominet Whois Tool.

If you have any questions or issues with your domain name please get in touch, we would like to help out if we can.