Should you buy your own website name?

For example, you might have a website on the free web space provided by your ISP, say www.suetoo123.virgin.co.uk, but want to look more professional. You buy www.myworld.com and have people type in that address.

The web forwarding service directs them to www.suetoo123.virgin.co.uk, but they think they are viewing pages on www.myworld.co.uk. Email forwarding is similar, allowing messages sent to you@yourdomain.co.uk to be forwarded to youraddress@gmail.com.

Address book
When registering a domain name, you’ll be asked to provide personal details such as your email address, postal address and phone number. These will then be recorded showing that you own the domain name.

Several records are held: one for the “registrant”, one for a “technical contact” and one for an “administrative contact”. The registrar will usually list your details as all three, but at the very least ensure that your name, and not that of the registrar, is listed as the registrant.

This shows that you, and not the company, own the domain name. The downside of this process is that anyone on the web can use a tool, known as a “whois” search, to see the addresses registered to a domain name. You might see this as an acceptable practice, or as a dangerous invasion of your privacy.

If you’re concerned about having your address publicly available, there are two ways to avoid it. One, provided you want a domain name for personal use, is to buy a .co.uk domain name and choose to “opt out” of the public register when you buy it. This hides your address from public view.

Alternatively, you could register the domain using another location, such as a work address or Post Office box. Don’t be tempted to lie and give a false address or an old one; important documents will be mailed there.