Domain names

Used as a starting point to all website pages, a domain name often corresponds to the name of the company or brand which owns the site. It takes the shape of ‘example.com’, ‘example.fr’, etc. While there are no restrictions as to the name itself, this approach is the most widely observed.

When you purchase and register a domain name (such as ‘example.fr’), you create a unique and unalterable address. Modifying the slightest element in this domain name is indeed equivalent to creating a second one. Even a different extension leads to a unique domain name. Thus, ‘example.fr’ and ‘example.com’ may direct the users to two distinct websites belonging to two different people and dealing with completely unrelated topics.

For all the many websites on the Internet to be identified, every single domain name must be unique and needs to be registered through a registrar. When you purchase a domain from Gandi, it will be considered ‘unavailable’ to anyone wishing to register the same domain name for a minimum of one year. This domain name is reserved for you and you are free to use it for your own site without running the risk of it no longer being available.

Check your domains availaibility

It is possible to reserve a domain name before even beginning to use it. Similarly, renewing it when it is about to expire (usually after one year) is just as important. If you allow your domain to expire, it will become available to other Internet users once more. However, Gandi does offer automatic renewal.

Central to your website’s URL (or address), this element is used to identify your online presence and allows Internet users to find you within the worldwide web.

A domain name is the name you select to represent you on the Internet. Users can therefore continue to access your website by typing in the same address even if its hosting situation were to change.

Just as you may change your hosting service, it is also possible to opt for a different domain name registrar. If you already own a domain name, transfering it allows you to make Gandi your new registrar.

Transfer a domain