Domain rules- When it comes to registering domain names there are certain domain rules that you have to follow. Not following these domain rules can cost you a lot of money and the loss of your domain names. Here are the most common domain rules that you need to follow after registering a domain name.
All of the following domain rules apply to the domain extensions that are most commonly used. Before we list the domain rules you should know that they are broken down into two categories; General domain extensions and country specific domain extensions.
Domain Rules
General Domain Extensions:
The most common general domain extensions are .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz, and .mobi. Here are the specific domain rules for each domain extension.
.com- For use on commercial and personal websites. You are only able to use letters, numbers, or hyphens. Cannot begin or end with a hyphen and have to be less than 63 characters. It is recommended that your domain name should be 26 characters or less due to some web browsers not being able to support larger ones.
.net- Originally designed for eCommerce companies but now commonly used as a replacement when .com is taken. You are only able to use letters, numbers, or hyphens. Cannot begin or end with a hyphen and have to be less than 63 characters. It is recommended that your domain name should be 26 characters or less due to some web browsers not being able to support larger ones.
.org- Designed for non profit organizations but there is no way to prevent the registration. You are only able to use letters, numbers, or hyphens. Cannot begin or end with a hyphen and have to be less than 63 characters. It is recommended that your domain name should be 26 characters or less due to some web browsers not being able to support larger ones.
.info- For use in both commercial and personal sites. You are only able to use letters, numbers, or hyphens. Cannot begin or end with a hyphen and have between 3 to 63 characters. It is recommended that your domain name should be 26 characters or less due to some web browsers not being able to support larger ones.
.biz- Reserved for websites that have commercial and bona fide business purposes only. You are only able to use letters, numbers, or hyphens. Cannot begin or end with a hyphen and have between 3 to 63 characters. It is recommended that your domain name should be 26 characters or less due to some web browsers not being able to support larger ones. Additionally you can’t have two hyphens in a row.
.mobi- While there are no specific regulations, .mobi was originally designed to let people know that the website is designed for mobile usage. You are only able to use letters, numbers, or hyphens. Cannot begin or end with a hyphen and have between 3 to 63 characters. It is recommended that your domain name should be 26 characters or less due to some web browsers not being able to support larger ones.
.xxx, .porn, .sex, .adult- All these new top level domain extensions are for adult themed websites. More specifically pornography websites.
Some that is new and constantly evolving are the general domain extensions. They are constantly adding new ones such as .live, .store, .cloud, .family, and .xyz. Of course the rules for them are still being developed but they shouldn’t be too confusing.
Country Specific Domain Extensions:
Below is a list of the most popular country specific domain extensions and their domain rules. It is very important to follow these domain rules.
.ca- Registrants must meet Canadian presence requirements as defined by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority. The only people that can register .ca domain names are Canadian citizens, permanent residence of Canada, a legal Canadian organization, Indian Bands, a foreign resident of Canada with a registered Canadian trademark, a division of the Canadian government, and Queen Elizabeth II. You are only able to use letters, numbers, or hyphens. Cannot begin or end with a hyphen and must be between 2 and 50 characters.
.cc- To be used for commercial and personal sites within the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. You are only able to use letters, numbers, or hyphens. Cannot begin or end with a hyphen and must be between 3 and 47 characters. Also, you can’t have domain name with all numbers.
.uk – United Kingdom top level domain extension used for both commercial and personal sites. You are only able to use letters, numbers, or hyphens. Cannot begin or end with a hyphen and must be between 3 and 63 characters. Check out this .uk domain names article.
.de- Originally standing for Denmark, it is now the TLD for Germany and can be used for commercial and personal sites. You are only able to use letters, numbers, or hyphens. Cannot begin or end with a hyphen and must be between 3 and 64 characters.
.jp- Only allowed for commercial and personal sites in Japan. You are only able to use letters, numbers, or hyphens. Cannot begin or end with a hyphen and must be between 3 and 63 characters.
.nz – Used for websites based in New Zealand. You are only able to use letters, numbers, or hyphens. Cannot begin or end with a hyphen and must be between 2 and 23 characters.
.us- Only allowed to be used by U.S. citizens and residents, U.S. corporations and other U.S. organizations and organizations with a presence within the United States. You are only able to use letters, numbers, or hyphens. Cannot begin or end with a hyphen and must be between 2 and 63 characters.
.cn- Reserved for commercial and personal sites in China. You are only able to use letters, numbers, or hyphens. Cannot begin or end with a hyphen and must be between 2 and 63 characters. Cannot not have a hyphen in the 3rd or 4th position
.tw- To be used for commercial and personal sites in Taiwan. You are only able to use letters, numbers, or hyphens. Cannot begin or end with a hyphen and must be between 2 and 63 characters. Cannot not have a hyphen in the 3rd or 4th position
Follow these simple domain rules and you have no problems registering domain names especially if you use our GoDaddy coupon for domain name registration.
