What is a domain name?

A domain name is a set of characters containing one or more terms (sometimes separated by hyphens) and an extension (.com, .net, .org, .info, .biz, .fr, etc.). It appears in all Internet protocols (http, ftp, mail, news, etc.) and personalises your services (see the section on 'Managing your domain name'):

• http://www.entreprise.com/
• ftp://ftp.entreprise.com/
• contact@entreprise.com
• news.entreprise.com ...

The importance of registration

It is important and urgent to reserve your domain name as soon as possible, because the system operates on a first come, first served basis. This means that a domain name is given to the first person who asks for it, if it is available.

Characteristics:

• The domain name must contain at least two letters. It must not contain spaces, accents, or special symbols except the hyphen '- ' used as a separator. Exception: internationalised domain names.
• The domain name must have between 3 and 63 characters, excluding the extension.
• The authorised characters are the letters from 'a' to 'z', the numbers from '0' to '9', and the hyphen '-'.
• A domain name may not begin or end with a hyphen '-'.
• The hyphen '-' cannot be in the third and fourth position at the same time. (except for internationalised domain names: if you know how, you can register your domain name directly using an ACE series starting with xn--)

Extensions

To protect yourself from cybersquatting, you can register your domain names with several extensions.

.com is normally attributed to business and international sites. Since there are no conditions regulating its attribution, however, it can be purchased by a private individual or a company in any business sector.

.net is supposed to designate sites belonging to the IT and new technologies sector. In spite of this originally intended use, it is increasingly used instead of .com (for example, when the domain name is already taken in .com). There are no restrictions on the attribution of a .net.

.org tends to designate institutional sites (associations, government bodies, museums, etc.). Here again, it is attributed without restriction and can be used to replace another extension.

.eu represents the extension denoting persons (legal or natural) based in the European Union. To register an .eu domain name, you must give evidence of having a valid address in one of the 27 member countries.

.biz is obviously a business extension. A company that chooses .biz will reinforce its brand image on the Internet, increasing its visibility and customer impact.

.info is defined as a generic extension, intended to supplement the 80 million .com domain names that already exist, for websites whose purpose is primarily to provide information.

.fr gives a national identity to its domain names. .fr domain names are subject to strict attribution rules, defined in the AFNIC naming charter. Anyone requesting a.fr domain name must have documentary evidence of the right to have this registration.

.be is the Belgian national extension. .be domain names are open to all, like .com. By registering a .be domain name, you increase your Internet visibility and improve your image and your business on the Belgian market.

The .asia domain name, to gain recognition in the Asian market, requires a local contact present in one of the 73 member countries of the DotAsia community (Asia / Australia / Pacific).

.mobi is internationally recognised and distinguishes applications, content, and websites that are specifically intended for use via a mobile device. .mobi can therefore guide nomadic users to websites created for them, i.e., which are suited to the technical constraints of mobile devices (site architecture, weight of pages, presentation of text and video content).

.tel is not a classic extension. It takes the form of an interactive Web sheet including all of your contact details: telephone numbers (landline and/or mobile), fax, e-mail addresses, websites, key words describing your activity, instant messaging address

Note: a .fr domain name cannot be converted to .com (or vice-versa) because the applications are submitted to two different, independent bodies (AFNIC and INTERNIC)

Sector-based extensions

With the Pack Relais, we give you a means of affirming your presence on the Internet and highlighting your areas of expertise by registering a domain name with a sector-based extension:

• .chirurgiens-dentistes.fr
• .aeroport.fr
• .avocat.fr
• .experts-comptables.fr
• .geometre-expert.fr
• .notaires.fr
• .veterinaire.fr

These extensions are reserved for professionals in your business sector. They allow you to be identified more quickly and easily by your potential customers.

Internationalised domain names

An IDN (Internationalized Domain Name) is a domain name represented by characters from languages that use characters other than 'a' to 'z'. Pack Relais lets you register an internationalised domain name with certain extensions:
.eu or .com or ..net: your domain name can include special symbols and accented letters from the Latin, Greek, or Cyrillic alphabet.
..org or ..info: your domain name can include special symbols and accented letters from the Danish, German, Spanish, Hungarian, Icelandic, Lithuanian, Latvian, Polish or Swedish character sets.
..biz: your domain name can include special symbols and accented letters from the Danish, German, Spanish, Finnish, Hungarian, Icelandic, Lithuanian, Latvian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese or Swedish character sets.

Domain name and property

When NordNet registers your domain name with the competent bodies (Registers), your contact details appear in the domain name ownerThe domain name owner is the legal or natural person in whose name the domain is registered. This is therefore the 'owner' of the domain name for the chosen registration period.. You also appear as the administrative contactThe administrative contact is the person who represents the domain name owner. His or her job is to express the owner's wishes concerning any action applied to the domain name. The administrative contact must be consulted (via e-mail) about any request to modify information concerning the domain name. of your domain name. NordNet manages its technical aspect only. The one and only domain name ownerThe domain name owner is the legal or natural person in whose name the domain is registered. This is therefore the 'owner' of the domain name for the chosen registration period. is you!

Domain name availability

To check whether the domain name you want to register is available, use our Check a domain name search tool. Simply indicate the desired name and extension. If it is available, you can then register for one of our Pack Relais packages directly.

Domain name configuration

To configure and use your domain name, you must subscribe to a Pack Relais, which allows you to use additional services (web redirection, e-mail returns).