This guide is aimed to assist the reader in having a clearer understanding of domains. We will explore what a domain name is, why they are beneficial and how to choose one. We hope this guide provides information that will aid you in your domain selection and better your knowledge.

1. A Beginner’s Guide to Domains
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2. Guide to Domains
This guide is aimed to assist the reader in having a clearer understanding of domains. We will explore what a domain name
is, why they are beneficial and how to choose one. We hope this guide provides information that will aid you in your domain
selection and better your knowledge.
For further questions please view the http://faq.1and1.co.uk/
Please note: Throughout this guide, we will use the domain www.testyourdomain.co.uk as an example.
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FAQ on our website
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3. What is a Domain name?
Just like a street address determines the recipient of a letter, an IP address is used to identify computers on the Internet.
IP addresses are sequences of numbers, such as 195.20.247.70 and website are identified by this IP address. As it is easier
for a user to identify text rather than a series of numbers, an IP address is mapped into a domain name. For example
www.1and1.co.uk is a domain name, it is easier to store and is more recognisable for your website user/visitor.
Structure of a domain name
A domain name consists of a word and a suffix; which is known as an extension. There are two types of extensions, country
and generic:
1. Country extensions (cc TLD): These extensions consist of two letters that identify a country or territory. For
example: de is for Germany, fr for France, and be for Belgium. We will cover other country extensions available
on
2. Generic extensions (g TLD): These are composed of at least three letters, generally identifying the type of site.
For example .org represents the word ‘organisation’ and is primarily used by non-profit groups or trade
associations. We will cover other generic extensions available on
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4. Requirements when choosing a Domain name?
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When choosing the name for your domains always consider the following factors:
 The name should have between 2 and 63 characters.
 Only characters from the Latin alphabet (A-Z) and numeric digits (1-9) can be used.
 Only lowercase letters can be used.
 Special characters (except hyphens) are not authorised.
 No hyphen can be used at the beginning of name.
 Tip: Deciding on a domain name
If your company has a short name, use it! If your company has a long, complicated name, secure it nevertheless.
Additionally, register a logical abbreviation. For example, if your company is 1&1 Test Domain Ltd., you could secure
the following names:
Domain 1 (complete name): 1and1-test-domain.co.uk
Domain 2 (abbreviation): 1and1test.co.uk
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5. Benefits of registering a Domain name
There are many advantages of registering your own domain name:
1. Protecting your brand, your company identity and/or your name.
By registering the domain name which corresponds to your brand, company or name, you can secure your online
presence. In doing so, you will also protect other parties from registering a similar company name, if not the same.
You can also register other top level domains and then point each domain to the most relevant one.
For example, when looking at the below .com and .info can be mapped to .co.uk
1&1-test-domain.co.uk
1&1-test-domain.com
1&1-test-domain.info
2. Having a website and email addresses customised to your name/brand/company.
A relevant domain name allows users to find your website easily. You can create different email addresses for your
employees, family or friends associated with the registered domain. Therefore you can effectively manage and
facilitate the communication with your visitors and reinforce your image.
For example when taking our example domain name testyourdomain.co.uk, the website address could be
www.testyourdomain.co.uk and the email addresses associated with it could be:
contactus@testyourdomain.co.uk
name@testyourdomain.co.uk
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6. Which extension do I choose?
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Below we have listed the domain names which are available to UK 1&1 customers and have explained each extension. If
there is an extension not listed below, which you would like to know more about, please contact support@1and1.co.uk
Country extensions (cc TLD):
.CO.UK
This is the country code for United Kingdom. The .co portion of the extension indicates the domain name is for commercial
purposes (similar to a standard .com extension). It is unrestricted and may be registered by anyone, from any country.
.ME.UK
The .me portion of the extension indicates the domain name is for an individual and the .uk is the country code for United
Kingdom. It is unrestricted and may be registered by anyone, from any country.
. ORG.UK
The .org portion of the extension indicates the domain name is for an organisation and the .uk is the country code for
United Kingdom. It is unrestricted and may be registered by anyone, from any country.
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7. Which extension do I choose?
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Generic extensions (g TLD):
. BIZ
This refers to the word business. This extension is ideal for e-commerce and small business websites. To use this
extension you have to confirm and certify that the site will be used for legitimate business or commercial use.
.CO
This extension is gaining popularity as an alternative to .com. Many top brands and companies register .co in addition to
their .com because it is considered short for company, corporation and cooperative.
. COM
This represents the word commercial. It is the most widely used extension in the world. Most businesses prefer a .com
domain name because it is a highly recognised symbol for having a business presence on the Internet. The domain name
.com is now used by all those who wish to give an international dimension to their website to reflect a picture of
international stature. It is suitable for businesses who wish to enhance their presence in different markets around the
world.
.EU
This is the country code for the European Union. This indicates a top-level domain and is highly recommended for
companies wishing to expand their business within the Union European or for those wishing to put forward their European
identity. This extension is open to anyone with a address on the territory of the European Union.
. INFO
This signifies a resource website and is the most popular extension beyond .com, .net and .org.
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8. Which extension do I choose?
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Generic extensions (g TLD) continued:
. NET
This represents the word network. It is most commonly used by Internet service providers, web hosting companies or
other businesses that are directly involved in the infrastructure of the Internet. Additionally, some businesses choose
domain names with a .net extension for their intranet websites. It is also a good alternative to .com
. ORG
This represents the word organisation. It is primarily used by non-profit groups or trade associations.
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9. Which extension do I choose?
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Please note: The more keywords referenced in your domain name, the more search engines will rate your website and
therefore position it higher in search results. Meaning the more visitors will reach your website(s).
 Tip: Secure misspelled domains
When visitors manually input your domain name into the browser address bar, they will often misspell words, switch or
miss letters. Check how your domain name could be misspelled and secure these as additional domains.
Did you know? Domain squatters use misspelled domain names for criminal purposes and secure these in order to direct
customers who are looking for your website to their own websites.
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10. Why choose a Domain name with 1&1?
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With more than 12.5 million customer contracts, over £3.5 billion in annual turnover, 5000 employees, 19 million registered
domains and 5 high-performance data centres, we are one of the world’s largest web hosts and a leading domain registrar.
Buying a domain name with 1&1 is simple; your perfect domain will be yours in just a few clicks! When registering your domain
with 1&1 you will have these beneficial features:
 Full DNS (Domain Name System) management
DNS management is a service which allows domain owners to manage and organise their DNS records in a simple and
reliable way. With the 1&1 DNS management tool you have complete flexibility to point your domain names to any static IP
address or hostname and point your domain to 1&1 name servers. You can optimise the logistics of your web addresses
and websites, and organise your domain records with a variety of users, servers and locations. In addition you can obtain up
to four name servers of your choice.
 Masked URL forwarding
1&1 offers masked URL forwarding, which is perfect for people who want to redirect their domain to another URL. Therefore
the true URL of the website will not appear in the address bar of a user's browser and the domain name being forwarded
appears in its place. For example, if the domain domain.co.uk uses URL Masking to http://www.google.com/ then when
anyone views http://www.domain.co.uk/ in the browser, they will see the Google page while the address bar will still have
http://www.domain.co.uk/
 1&1 Control Panel
Manage all of your domains from the easy-to-use 1&1 Control Panel and benefit from the reliability and security of 1&1
name servers.
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11. Thank you
If you have any questions, please ask us:
1&1 Internet Ltd.
Phone: 0844 335 1211
Email: support@1and1.co.uk
Facebook.com/1and1uk
Twitter: @1and1_UK
Twitter Support: @1and1_4u