Small Business Websites

Some companies have been promoting private registration when registering your domain name. There are three levels of registration and anything above regular (or basic) will cost you extra each year. You may find this extra cost entirely worth it, depending upon your needs. To understand how each level is different, you need to understand the WhoIs database and its querying capabilities.

WhoIs Database
Each domain name is registered with your full name, company name, email, phone number and mailing address. Anyone wishing to find out who owns www.yoursite.com, can search a WhoIs database site such as www.whois.sc. By typing in the domain name they want more information on, they can not only see when it was registered, but also, your personal name, email, phone number and mailing address. Many people don’t like this information being readily available for anyone interested in looking, as they prefer to keep it private. Thus, the birth of private registration.

• Regular Registration
  This is the default, or basic registration. It doesn’t cost extra. When people query the WhoIs database, they can find all your contact information.
• Private Registration
  Keeps your contact information hidden. A company, for example, Domains by Proxy, will show up with all of their information (phone, address, email, etc.) in place of your data. In the event someone needs to contact you for some reason, they contact Domains by Proxy, who then contacts you. Private registration can protect you from spam and even fraud.
• Business Registration
  Allows you to keep some of your information shielded as well as choose what you’d like to make public. As a business, your domain name is usually registered in the company name and has the company phone number and address. This isn’t information you normally wish to hide, you probably advertise it all over! However, the email address you sign up with might be personal and you want to keep that hidden. With business registration, you can choose which phone numbers, addresses and emails are shown to the public.

Personally, I have used all three types of registration and I haven’t had a single problem with any of them. I started out wanting everything kept private and away from the prying eyes of the public. However, as time went on and I registered more and more domain names, having to fork over extra money for each year I registered them became excessive. Besides, most of my registrations are for business and most of the same information can be found in the phone book! If you have a personal site, private registration may well be the best way to go. You’re not advertising yourself and may want contact info hidden. Whatever your choice, understanding a little about each of the three can help you make the right decision for your needs.

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