Registering a domain name for a future website or application involves a few stages. This guide provides a few tips for registering a domain in an efficient and comprehensive manner.
Choosing a Domain Name
Choosing a domain name is an important process with far-reaching consequences for marketing or branding a product, service, identities or icons within the realm of the Internet. Therefore, several questions should be asked prior to choosing a name:
- How do you wish to represent yourself, your brand, product, company, etc.?
- Who are the potential clients, audience, customers, etc.?
- Does a domain with this name already exist? Is the domain legally restricted? Is it protected by trademark, copyright, or by any other legal rights or means?
- What features will make it memorable (is it concise, not too complicated, attractive or extraordinary)?
It’s worth considering choosing a domain name which has meaning or is relevant to the website’s content, yet is relatively short and memorable or popular. When creating a website for a company name, organization name or brand name, it may be advantageous to use that name as the domain name for the website.
One domain name, many extensions to choose from….
We’ve just covered the various criteria for choosing a domain name, but the extension type is no less important!
What does the extension represent? Is it a company (.com), organization (.org), or even a museum (.museum)?
Does it represent a country, such as Israel (.il)? Will choosing a particular extension assist in branding or enhance its uniqueness?
If your organization or establishment is based in Israel, has a branch in Israel, or is interested in attracting the attention of the local Israeli community, then the .il ccTLD may be the right choice for your domain extension.
What are the advantages of choosing the .il extension?
Website promotion: Google and other search engines generate the most relevant results for web searches. A website containing the .il extension is much more likely to appear at the top of a search relating to Israel or Israeli products or businesses.
Target Market: The .IL extension puts your website in the spotlight for everything Israel. Associating your business with Israel gives it a locally marketable feel.
Authenticity: The ccTLD .il is more likely to instill confidence that your product or service is authentically Israeli. Websites containing the .il extension are more likely to be perceived as authentically relating to or affiliated with Israel, Israeli organizations, and local culture and know-how.
Legal Perspective: .il websites are maintained and subject to the jurisdiction of the Israeli legal system.
Service & Support: Local and in the local language, including domain names in Hebrew.
Cyber: ISOC-IL makes the maximal effort to ensure a safe cyberspace for .il websites.
.co.il or .org.il?
.co.il extensions serve commercial businesses, and .org.il extensions represent Not for Profit organizations.
How to determine if a domain name is available
Once you’ve chosen a few domain name options, it’s time to see what’s available. The WHOIS interface provides information about which domains are available and domains that have been taken. Click here to view the WHOIS interface.
Choosing a Registrar
To register a domain name you must choose from the list of our Accredited Registrars.
ISOC-IL Accredited Registrars for the registration of domain names are private enterprises certified by ISOC-IL as public Domain Registration Service Suppliers, who fulfill the technical, service and legal criteria, determined and regulated by ISOC-IL.
The Registration Process
The registration process requires providing the domain name holder details (name, address, e-mail and telephone number), administrative and technical contacts, and the server where the domain is stored.
How to Choose a Registrar
The various Registrars offer the end user registration services as well as a variety of other website related services such as hosting, site building, email services and more. To ensure you get the best deal, it is wise to compare services and prices before choosing a registrar. It’s important to know: If you’re not satisfied with you domain name’s Registrar, you can always transfer domain management to another Registrar of your choosing.
Holder
The domain holder is the sole owner of the rights for a specific domain for the period of time that the domain is registered under the holder’s name, ranging from 1-2 years. The holder, either a private individual or other legal entity (such as a business or organization) has right to make changes regarding contact info, DNS management, administration, and the like.
DNS
Websites and email addresses are stored in DNS servers. When the domain names are updated in the DNS servers the domain presents the website content or activate the email mailbox. The holder has the right to choose any hosting service provider or any DNS names service provider.
Registration Period
Registration of a domain with the .il extension is limited from one to two years. When the registration period is about to end, the holder may renew the registration period. Renewal is possible up to 3 months prior to expiration of the registration period.
Important
After the domain has been registered and the holder has received confirmation for such, validate that the domain appears in the WHOIS interface. It is important to keep all of the domain’s details updated and to remember to renew the domain prior to its expiration.