Skip to main content

What’s in a name? The deal with domains


If you own a website, you also have a domain name. A domain name is essentially the home address of your website; it’s the part that people can type in the search bar to find your website, like www.transcendit.co.uk. There are a few common problems that businesses run into with domain names - so if you don’t want your website name to disappear, here’s how to keep your domain safe.

The basics of domain names

So, you’ve set up a website and now you need a name for it. If you’re going through a website building service like Wix or Wordpress, it’s likely that a lot of this will be streamlined for you - the service will offer to lease you the domain name as part of their service. They will also host your website - you pay them a fee to store your website on their server. In this instance, the business hosting your website and the business leasing you the domain name are the same.

If you're having an awesome web design team build your website, they’re likely to lease it directly from a domain registrar; basically, a service which sells and manages domains. The organisation hosting your website might be the IT company that built it for you, or it might be someone different. But the business hosting your website and the business leasing you the domain name. 

What happens once I’ve leased a domain?

So you’ve bought a domain for your shiny new website. The fee that you pay to the domain registrar actually pays for your website to feature in the Domain Name System (otherwise known as the DNS). This is essentially a directory of all the websites currently in use, and it links your domain name (transcendit.co.uk) to the address of your website (which is a string of numbers, and would be hard for people looking for your site to remember). 

Who owns your domain?

This is one of the areas that businesses can run into problems with; particularly if you don’t have an IT support team helping you out. When you purchase a domain from a domain registrar, it’s like you’re renting a property; you pay a monthly or annual fee to the domain registrar to keep your domain name within the DNS. Whilst it is possible to purchase a domain name outright, it is far more expensive and has a whole load of other costs associated; for most organisations, leasing the domain is much cheaper and easier.

When you purchase a domain, it’s listed in the DNS along with the registrar - the organisation you’re leasing it from, and a registrant - the name of the person who registered the DNS. This is where businesses can run into problems, because if an employee begins the lease on your domain name, then they might put their own name as the registrant. Then, technically speaking, that individual owns the domain. If you have a web design team sorting your website for you, they could put their name in the registrant field. 

The registrant of the domain is like the person who signs the lease agreement on a property; whoever’s name is on that document is the legal proprietor of the domain. Changing this information can be very tricky because legally, the domain is that individual’s property - it’s not a quick switch, and it’s often a legal matter.

In cases where you’re registering a domain, we’d encourage you to use your business as the registrant rather than an individual. This means that whatever staffing changes occur in the future, the domain will always be the property of the business - providing of course that you pay your fees

Still confused?

If you’re having issues with domain names, we can help. Our IT support team will be happy to talk you through the ins and outs of domain names and any other queries regarding websites that you may have. If you are in the process of setting up a website, be careful with who you record as the registrar - you’re essentially handing them the key to your website’s front door.

Tweet us @TranscenditUK


The Transcendit Way

Transcendit understand that when you choose to work with us, whether we're taking care of your IT, app or web development, you're trusting us with part of your business. So whether we're looking after your computers, phone systems or servers we always do things 'the Transcendit way'.

The whole of our team adhere to the same values, beliefs and policies - the principles that were written when Transcendit first formed in 2000. Whether you come to us for cloud services or recovery backup you can be confident that you'll always receive the same excellent service.

The Transcendit way outlines how we do business; following the same straightforward principles with every client and customer, regardless of how big or small they may be.

That means we get to know you and your business. We offer you a friendly, professional and efficient service, and we'll always be honest with you.
We understand that not everybody speaks fluent IT, so we try to explain things in a way that is simple and clear. We always spend as much time as is necessary explaining things to you.
If you need to talk to us about something, no matter how insignificant, we are only ever a phone call away – and we’re never too busy to make you a cup of tea and have a sit down with you in person.
We understand how frustrating it can be when things are late. When we schedule an appointment with you, we are there when you’re expecting us. If something prevents us from getting there, we always call you in advance to let you know.
Sometimes things can go wrong, but we never lie to you or try to cover something up. If things go askew we tell you what’s happened and how we plan to prevent it affecting your business.
We want you to continuously benefit from working with us. We regularly discuss your business and make suggestions for improving systems and processes wherever we can – but we never try to push you into a purchase.
When we quote a fixed price, that's always the amount we charge – you won’t find any nasty surprises on a bill from us. If you are paying by time and materials, we inform you if our approximations could change.
We understand the importance of privacy for your business and your customers. We respect the confidentiality of your data, and we will never pass on your information to third parties.
We appreciate it when you take the time to give us feedback. A system called CustomerSure records our client's responses, so you can trust that our reviews are from real people.
Find out what they're saying here.
The service from Transcendit is beyond first class. Every time i have had to use it, all staff have been so patient and helpful with me as i am the antithesis of tech savvy. I have expressed my satisfaction with our factory leaders Jim and Steve and had asked them to pass on my sincere thanks for your help. Aaron today was exceptional at walking me through the pre-migration process from Citrix to Azure. I wish all companies that I deal with provided this first class service. Peter Howlett, Director of Design, George Smith

Based on 12075 reviews our customers rate us 9.8/10. Reviews and ratings by Customersure. 09-October-2024

Transcendit are proud sponsors of CHUF, the Children's Heart Unit Fund.

Transcendit is a Living Wage employer
Transcendit is a Microsoft Gold certified partner
VMWARE partner
Vipre partner
IPCortex partner
WithSecure partner
DELL partner
Barracuda partner
Veeam partner
N-Able partner