UK Domain registrations

OK some on here know me some don't
I am a host and domain registrar and have been doing it since 1994 actually before the UK namespace was controlled by Nominet in 1996

I will write a couple of domain articles but for this one I am going to concentrate on UK domains only
UK domains are all controlled by Nominet - the UK registry, most domains are registered through registrars of which I am one, you can buy a UK domain direct from Nominet but will cost you £80 + VAT
UK domains available to all include
.co.uk
.org.uk
.me.uk
Also if you are a limited company you can have .ltd.uk although restrictions apply

For Normal .co.uk names Nominet operates on a first come first served basis - meaning if your not first tough, although anyone registering a domain should look out for probably future problems with similar names and for any trademarks.
Currently all UK domains are registered for 2 year periods - this may change in the future, you may see marketing about price per year but you cannot buy one for 1 year so always be aware of that

Nominet provides a whois database that people can look up - unlike other major domain types this only includes your name, company reg details if appropriate and an address your email and phone number are not listed, if you are an individual i.e. a consumer you are entitle to mask out your address from the whois ( more on this later) but if you are a business or trading then it is against their terms and is worth noting it is a reason for suspension of the domain.

When a domain is registered with Nominet they will send an email to you on your listed address giving you direct access to your domain so in the event of your registrar going bust or non responsive you still have access to your domain. More on this later as well

Where a dispute is entered into between two people Nominet provide an arbitration service which is initially free called a DRS however costs on this can quickly escalate if proceedings cannot be resolved quickly between the two parties.Many people look for the cheapest price for a domain however it is your most important commodity when running an online site - it is your window to your world, it is your email address it is what you are promoting in SEO and cheap self done registrations are not always the best way to go especially where you do not fully understand what you are doing

You are entering into a 3 way contract when registering a domain with Nominet, the contact between you and your registrar, the contract between you and Nominet and the contract between Nominet and the registrar, don't take this too lightly many have come done to earth with a thump by entering into contracts they do nut understand. Many will leave registering the domain to "Uncle Fred" because "he knows about these things" nothing could be worse - pick an accredited registrar don't get caught in a chain. Another thing I hear a lot is "don't host and register with the same person" rubbish this is usually spouted by people that have been trying to save a couple of quid and get caught up between a reseller and the registrar, we handle around 14k domains for clients ll over the world and abide by Nominets code of practice and terms and conditions.

Now the bad bits and some of the tricks

Companies will use resellers to register your name without entering you into the agreement with Nominet - this is a clear breach of T&C's how do they do this ? well the unwary trust these people to do the right thing in registering the domain for them - maybe as part of a "package" they then register the name in your name and mask the rest of the output ( remember this is against Nominets terms if you are trading) they use their own email address as point of contact so you never get the Nominet email and are left at their bequest - this way they create a lien over the domain which is also against Nominets terms and conditions.

Nominet is a very fair and reputable registry however like any business it has rogues trying to bypass the safety controls - be careful your £2 saving could cost you your business.

Feel free to contact me or post here if you need any other information about UK domains