A domain, such as yourcompany.co.uk or yourfamily.com, is an easily recognisable way to identify you, your family or your business on the internet.

A domain is often registered by a company to reflect their trading name, or an individual that wants a memorable address for a family website or a special event like a wedding or christening.

So the domain 'yourcompany.co.uk' would have the website name:

www.yourcompany.co.uk

and also email addresses in the format:

anyname@yourcompany.co.uk.

Your domain name is a unique identity that people will remember amongst the millions of others on the internet. They will be able to access your website and send you emails, and as long as you continue to renew your domain, your email and web address need never change again even if you change Internet Service Provider.

We can help you with the following types of domain names:

UK Specific Domains
.co.uk
.net.uk
.org.uk

International Domains
.com
.net
.org
.eu

Also
.biz
.info
.uk.com
.mobi
.eu

Additional domains are added regularly

When you set up your domain name account you will be asked to provide an email address.

That email address will be the primary method through which we communicate with you about your domain.

This is particularly important as your domain or hosting package reaches its renewal date as we will only send the renewal email to this address and failure to act on that email could result in your losing your domain name or your website being deleted.

Yes. You can change you postal and email address details by logging into the Your Account area BT.com/domains using you username and password. Once logged in follow the links in the left had navigation to "account edit".

Your username and password for BT.com/domains was sent to your nominated email address when you ordered your domain name.

You can request a password reminder through the Your Account log in page.

Please note: we will only automatically email passwords. If you need a reminder of your username please send an email requesting we resend this information to:

support@btdomainsaccount.com

The information will be sent to your nominated email address only within 24 working hours.

No. Currently you can only order domain names using credit or debit cards.

We do not currently accept American Express or Diners Club cards.

No. BT Domains do not store your credit card details as part of our domain registration process.

As a security measure BT.com/domains will only accept credit cards with a UK billing address.

Once your domain name has been ordered and confirmed you will receive an email to your nominated email address containing your BT.com/domains username and password. You can use these details to log into the Your Account management area. Once you have logged in follow the links in the left had navigation to "domain maintenance".

You will be presented with a list of the domains you own, choose the domain you want to administer by clicking on "manage"



On the next screen you will see a section "Mail Forwardings" here you will be able to create your "alias" email address – the address which uses your domain name – and select the existing email address you wish to forward your alias address to.



In the example above we have created an alias bill@mydomainname.com and set it up so all the email sent to that address is automatically sent to the address bill@btinternet.com

You can create up to 10 mail aliases for each domain you have with bt.com/domains.

Please Note: no changes will be saved until you click the "save changes" button.

Once your domain name has been ordered and confirmed your will receive an email to your nominated email address containing your BT.com/domains username and password.

You can use these details to log into the Your Account management area. Once you have logged in follow the links in the left had navigation to "domain maintenance".

You will be presented with a list of the domains you own, choose the domain you want to administer by clicking on "manage"



On the next screen you will see a section "Web Forwarding" here you will be able to select the website address that you want to forward all of your web traffic to. Selecting "Test Link" will bring up your chosen destination page in pop up window.

You can forward your website either using "FRAME" or "URL". Use Frame if you want your visitors to only see your domain name in the browser Address field, URL will display the actual URL of the destination site to the visitor.

If you select Frame Forwarding you can optionally supply some additional "Frame Meta Data" information if you want your site discoverable by search engines:
Site Title – this should be no more than 100 characters and should be a short description of your site, this will form the clickable headline if someone comes across your site on a search engine.
Site Description – no more 250 characters, this is the long description.
Keywords – a number of search engines use "keywords" to classify websites. HTML tags are not allowed. Separate keywords by a comma. Example: web design, animation, design, create. Some search engines augment the text that they index on a page with the contents of this field.

If you choose URL forwarding you will not need to put Frame Forwarding data in place as this information willl be taken directly from the destination website.

Contact us:



In the example above, anybody visiting http://www.mydomain.com will be automatically redirected to http://myphotos.com/account. However, because we have opted for "FRAME" forwarding my visitors will only see http://www.mydomain.com in their browsers.

We've also added Frame Meta Data which will help classify our domain for search engines.

Please Note: no changes will be saved until you click the "save changes" button.

The BT.com/domains offers a "domain maintenance" screen which can be reached via the right hand navigation of the Your Account area once you've logged on. Domain maintenance is available as both a basic set of tools and a more advanced version. The default for new domains is set by default to the basic setting screen which allows customers to simply manage email and web forwarding.

For customers with experience of DNS BT.com/domains also offers non-hosting domains full zone file management facilities. To access the full zone management screens you need to change your preferences in the "edit account" screen. Here you will be given the option to change from "basic" to "advanced" management screens.

If you select "advanced" your "domain maintenance" page will change to offer full Zone file management. These screens allow users to set up subdomains, such as www.sales.mydomain.com and point their domains at specific servers.

We recommend that only customers with previous experience of DNS management access and use these screens as incorrect use of these screens can result in loss of service.

Please Note: if your domain has a hosting account attached, BT automatically disables the Advanced DNS feature because changes to these zone files can impair your websites performance. If you have a domain with hosting and wish to make changes to your zone settings (including MX) please contact the support desk through the "Contact Us" located in Your Account.

No. Currently BT is not accepting transfers into the BT.com/domains service.

If you would like to transfer a domain into BT please look at the packages available as part of our bundled hosting portfolio which can be accessed via: http://www.btbroadbandoffice.com/internetapplications/webhosting

Once you have your domain forwarding set up using the Your Account area you can then easily set your email client up so that all your email appears to come from your domain address.

In the example here we have used Microsoft Outlook but the principles will be the same with most POP3/IMAP email clients.

Open your email software and access the "Email Accounts" section under "Tools". Select to edit the account you have forwarded your mail to.

You will be presented with your mail account settings – simply change the listed email address from you@yourisp.com to your new email address.



In the example above we have left all the settings for our BT Internet account as they are but changed the associated email address to our domain address. Now, anybody receiving email from this account will see your new domain email address.

Please Note: many free web-mail accounts (non POP3) do not allow you to set the from address to your domain email address. You will receive email sent to your domain address in your webmail account but any responses you send will appear to come from your webmail address i.e. you@yourisp.com.

BT Yahoo Mail does allow you to send email using your domain name. For instructions on how to do this please refer to FAQ 4.8.

A small number of Internet Service Providers, most notably AOL, utilise systems which will prevent you forwarding mail from third-party domain names. If you are experiencing difficulty with your forwarded mail please check with your mail provider to assess whether they have any policies which prevent your domain name email being received.

Some corporate email systems systematically filter all forwarded mail to Spam Folders, if you are using you corporate email account and you are not receiving your mail as expected please check with your mail system administer.

bt.com/domains only offers domain names, if you are a new customer and wish to buy a domain with hosting and email, please look at the packages available as part of our bundled hosting portfolio which can be accessed via: http://www.btbroadbandoffice.com/internetapplications/webhosting

If you have a BT Business internet access account, our the Business Essentials pack you will have BT Business email and shared hosting services. To make your bt.com/domains registered domain work with these services you can either:

A) Use the bt.com/domains forwarding rules to point your domain to you "@btconnect.com" email addresses or home.btconnect.com/user webspace
B) Transfer your bt.com/domains domain to your BT Business account. By doing this you will be able to use the BT Business tools to create email aliases and set up the domain for use with your hosting.

To request a domain transfer please email support@btdomainsaccount.com, providing

- domain you wish to transfer from bt.com/domain
- Primary Username of account you wish to transfer domain to

We will contact you with specific information related to your account.

Please note that transferring a domain out of bt.com/domains can incur re-registration charges and that transferring a domain out of bt.com/domains will mean you loose access to any aliases you have created and any website you may already have with bt.com/domains.

Additional information about how domains are managed on BT Business can be found here: http://www.bt.com/business/help/DNS

Please Note: bt.com/domains no longer offers hosting services to new customers, if you are a new customer and wish to buy a domain with hosting please look at the packages available as part of our bundled hosting portfolio which can be accessed via: http://www.btbroadbandoffice.com/internetapplications/webhosting

This FAQ is for customers with existing hosting services on bt.com/domain

If you have upgraded your domain name to include a bt.com/domains hosting service you will have automatic access to our website creation environment Website Centre.

Access to Website Centre is only available through the Your Account area of bt.com/domains which you can access using the username and password you received when you created your account.

Each hosting account you own will be associated with one of your domain names and the link to the Website Centre application can be found under the domain maintenance tab on the left hand menu.

Please Note: bt.com/domains no longer offers hosting services to new customers, if you are a new customer and wish to buy a domain with hosting please look at the packages available as part of our bundled hosting portfolio which can be accessed via: http://www.btbroadbandoffice.com/internetapplications/webhosting

This FAQ is for customers with existing hosting services on bt.com/domain

When you choose a hosting package you'll be asked which domain you want to associate it with, our systems will then automatically configure that domain's settings so it points at your webspace, ready for you to build your site.

If you have multiple domains you can either add other hosting accounts (if you want to build a completely separate website) or use the forwarding tools to point your second domains at the address with the associated hosting package – ensuring that whatever address your site visitors use they always end up on your website.

For example; if you set up hosting and a website on www.yourdomain.com but also want to use www.yourdomain.co.uk for the same site, you would simply use the domain tools to point www.yourdomain.co.uk to www.yourdomain.com.

You should not change the settings of the domain associated with your hosting account as this will impact your website.

If you access your BT Yahoo! Mail using your browser you can set the "from" address to appear as your domain name by following this step by step guide:

1) Set up your new personal email address using your bt.com/domains (as set out in FAQ 4.1)
2) Set the forwarding for your new email to your btinternet.com email address
3) Using your browser, sign in to BT Yahoo! Mail and select "Options" from the top right hand screen
4) Select "Mail Accounts" then "Add"
5) You will be directed through the process of creating a new email account, fill in all the details with your new domain     address (i.e. you@yourdomain.co.uk) as the email address. You will see a screen asking for email server details,       you can skip this step.
6) You will then be asked to send a verification email, do this by clicking on "Send Verification"
7) An email will be sent to your BT Yahoo! Mail account with a verification link, follow the instructions in that email
8) Next time you go to send email from your BT Yahoo! Mail using your browser, your domain email will be available       as a "From" option – select this option when you want to send an email from your new domain account

.mobi is a new domain name designed exclusively for websites aimed at mobile devices and is operated by a new registry mTLD which is owned by a number of mobile phone operators
Because of it's special purpose there are restrictions in how you should use your .mobi domain.
Websites on .mobi domains must follow these style guidelines http://pc.mtld.mobi/documents/dotmobi-Switch-On!-Web-Browsing-Guide.html
You should make sure that a website you host on a .mobi domain name meets these guidelines. If it does not, the registry may suspend your .mobi domain.

BT.com/domains is a separate service to BT Business (www.btbroadbandoffice.com) with limited interoperability between the two. If you have a BT Business account please refer to the FAQs associated with that service for further information on how externally managed domains can be used. The full range of BT Business domain FAQs are available via: http://www.btbusinessoffice.com/help/DNS

Please Note: bt.com/domains no longer offers hosting services to new customers, if you are a new customer and wish to buy a domain with hosting please look at the packages available as part of our bundled hosting portfolio which can be accessed via:http://www.btbroadbandoffice.com/internetapplications/webhosting

This FAQ is for customers with existing hosting services on bt.com/domain

Downloadable user manuals are available for many of the key applications available in the BT Website Centre, including EasySiteWizard and EasyStoreMaker.

To access the user manuals click here.

Please Note: bt.com/domains no longer offers hosting services to new customers, if you are a new customer and wish to buy a domain with hosting please look at the packages available as part of our bundled hosting portfolio which can be accessed via: http://www.btbroadbandoffice.com/internetapplications/webhosting

This FAQ is for customers with existing hosting services on bt.com/domain

If you have an already existing website that you would like to upload to our servers you can do so using your normal FTP client or using the FTP tools available within Website Centre.

If you do not have an FTP client, you can download one by clicking on "Webmaster Tools" in the Website Management section of the WebsiteOS and choosing FTP Applications. Commonly used FTP clients such as CuteFTP or WS_FTP LE are available here.

To configure your FTP client, please use the following information:

Host Name / Address: Your Domain Name
User Name: Your Domain Name
Password: Your bt.com/domains password

Below is an illustration of a typical FTP client set:



If you do not want to use a third-party FTP client You can also click on the FTP icon in the top right corner of the WebsiteOS. By selecting the auto-FTP icon on the right side of the taskbar it will start an FTP session for the domain in a your web browser. You will need to enter your username and password again.

Please note: that FTP functionality varies between browsers from full drag and drop capability to downloading only.

Once connected, you will see the following directories:

cgi-bin
logs
private
public

Any files (other than CGI scripts) that are to be viewed by the public should be placed in the "public" directory (or a subdirectory of "public"). CGI scripts must be placed in the "cgi-bin" directory.

Please Note: bt.com/domains no longer offers hosting services to new customers, if you are a new customer and wish to buy a domain with hosting please look at the packages available as part of our bundled hosting portfolio which can be accessed via: http://www.btbroadbandoffice.com/internetapplications/webhosting

This FAQ is for customers with existing hosting services on bt.com/domain

If you are using Microsoft FrontPage to design and publish your website, it is essential that you follow these instructions:

1. Log in to your WebsiteOS
2. Click on "Site Builders" and then "FrontPage Manager" from the menu on the left
3. Once the "FrontPage Manager" page is displayed, click the "install" button. You will be prompted to set up a FrontPage password. The FrontPage password is independent of your domain password. It is used exclusively for accessing your FrontPage web with the FrontPage client and is something you would have set up the first time you used FrontPage, BT cannot tell you what this username and password is.
4. Enter and confirm the password
5. Click the "Submit" button
6. After reading the warning message concerning FrontPage restrictions, click the "install" button again and the extensions will be installed on your domain

In FrontPage, from the "File" menu choose the "Publish Web" option. You will be prompted to provide a URL to publish your web to.

Enter your domain (in the form of "%DOMAIN") as the URL. This will publish your web to your domain and place it in the /public directory.

After specifying the address to publish to, you have the choice of publishing the entire web site, or just the pages that have been changed. If you are publishing for the first time, choose "Publish all pages."
The "Include subwebs" option is for webs that parent multiple webs. If you're not sure if you have subwebs, you probably don't. In this case, leave the box unchecked.

Important notes:

- Publish your site using FrontPage's "Publish Web" function. Your publishing address is your domain name (in the form of "%DOMAIN").
- FrontPage extensions disable regular FTP access along with the following WebsiteOS functions: Ad Manager, Business Card, File Manager, Database Manager, Plug-in Scripts, EasySiteWizard and Website Security.
- Once your website is published, use a browser and check to make sure all your changes occurred. If they haven't, try refreshing your browser and clearing the temporary Internet files (cache) before making further changes to your site. In Internet Explorer, this is done by going to "Tools," "Internet Options." On the General tab under "Temporary Internet files" click "Delete files."

Please Note: bt.com/domains no longer offers hosting services to new customers, if you are a new customer and wish to buy a domain with hosting please look at the packages available as part of our bundled hosting portfolio which can be accessed via: http://www.btbroadbandoffice.com/internetapplications/webhosting

This FAQ is for customers with existing hosting services on bt.com/domain

The first page should be named either "index.htm", "index.html", "index.shtml", "index.phtml", "index.php", "index.wml", or "index.php3". The server will return the first index file it finds, regardless of any other files you have. Therefore, it is best to keep only one index file in your public directory to avoid confusion. If your package does not include scripting, your page must be named index.htm or index.html. Subsequent pages may be named whatever you wish, but the primary page must be named this way.

The Windows Services Enabler, which is available as part of the Business + package, allows you to use ASP, ASP.NET, ColdFusion and ColdFusion MX files on your domain. Our servers will serve your ASP and ColdFusion files correctly only after you enable the appropriate service on your domain. If you have an SSL certificate installed on your domain, you can also enable secure ASP and secure ColdFusion using the Windows Services Enabler.

To enable ASP or ColdFusion for you domain, it is essential that you follow these instructions:

1. Using the FTP information above, upload your ASP/ColdFusion files to the appropriate directory
2. Once logged into the WebsiteOS, select "Site Builders" from the main menu, and select "Windows Services Enabler" from the Site Builders menu
3. Select the appropriate tab. The enabler will display all the ASP or ColdFusion files in your domain
4. To set up the files to be correctly read by the web server, check the "Standard" or "Secure" checkbox
5. Click the "Apply" button to complete the operation

Please note: that enabling Windows Services on your domain can take up to 1 business day.

For additional help, click the "?" on the top right corner of the "Windows Services" application. There you will find detailed instructions for enabling Windows Services on your domain.

Please Note: bt.com/domains no longer offers hosting services to new customers, if you are a new customer and wish to buy a domain with hosting please look at the packages available as part of our bundled hosting portfolio which can be accessed via: http://www.btbroadbandoffice.com/internetapplications/webhosting

This FAQ is for customers with existing hosting services on bt.com/domain

The SSL Manager allows you to use our generic SSL certificate or set up your private SSL certificate on your domain without having to contact our support staff.

To access the SSL Manager, select "Security" from the main menu, and select "SSL Manager" from the Security menu. From the SSL Manager main page you have two choices:

- Use generic SSL Certificate (free)
- Generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR)

For additional help, click the "?" on the top right corner of the "SSL Manager" application. There you will find detailed instructions for configuring your SSL Certificate.

Please Note: bt.com/domains no longer offers hosting services to new customers, if you are a new customer and wish to buy a domain with hosting please look at the packages available as part of our bundled hosting portfolio which can be accessed via: http://www.btbroadbandoffice.com/internetapplications/webhosting

This FAQ is for customers with existing hosting services on bt.com/domain

We currently support MySQL and Microsoft Access as part of the Business + package.

If you need a DSN created on our servers, please contact technical support with the following information:

Domain name – (User's domain name)
Database name - (ex. data.mdb)
Language used - (Scripting Language ex. ASP/CFM)
Type of database – (MS Access, My SQL)
DSN Prefix - db (ex. db_mydomain_com)

If you are using MS Access, we will require the database to reside in a directory named "databases" within the root folder, not within the public directory.

If you are using MySQL, login to your WebsiteOS, go to Website Management and open the "Database Manager". From there you can set up the Database Manager password and create a database. The format will be prefix_yourdomain_com where the prefix is something you will choose (e.g. products_yourdomain_com).

Please note: that Database Manager is designed for advanced users. Knowledge of relational databases and SQL is required in order to use this Database Manager efficiently.

For additional help, click the "?" on the top right corner of the "Database Manager" application. There you will find detailed instructions for managing your MySQL database.

Occasionally FTP passwords need to be reset to maintain the security of the platform. If you receive a warning message related to your FTP password and have difficulty resetting your FTP details please contact us through the "Contact Us" or WebHost OS Instant Messenger service so our support team can reset your account.

BT.com/domain domains are available for a two (2) year registration term and hosting for one (1) year. This means that the domain is exclusively yours for a period of two years from the day your order is confirmed.

BT does not automatically renew your domain when your domain nears its expiration date.

At the end of the subscription period we will write to you asking if you would like to renew your service for another period. This contact will be made via email to your Administrative Email address and will usually be sent around 15 days prior to the expiry of your service with a follow up a few days before the actual expiry.

If you wish to renew your service it's important that you follow the instructions in this email and re-order. You will have first-refusal on any domain name you own and as long as you respond to the email there is no possibility of someone else getting your domain name.

IMPORTANT
If you do not renew your domain name it will be made available to the general market approximately 60 days after its expiration date, at which point anyone can buy it.

If you do not renew you hosting service your website will be deleted from BT's servers 24hrs after the expiration date.

BT.com/domains registered domain names are registered for two years with all fees payable in advance. Payments are non-refundable in accordance with Terms & Conditions.

If you no longer need your domain you can simply allow the domain to automatically expire at the end of its registration period. BT.com/domains does not automatically renew domain names, we will write to your Administrative Email address approx 15 days before your domain is due for renewal, if you do not wish to renew your domain, simply don't act on the renewal instructions contained in that email and your domain will naturally expire.

Alternatively, you can transfer your domain name to another supplier, see next FAQ.

Hosting packages are registered for one year, if you no longer wish to use your account you can automatically allow it to expire at the end of the registration period.

Bt.com/domains does not automatically renew hosting packages, write to your Administrative Email address approx 15 days before your package is due for renewal, if you do not wish to renew your hosting account, simply don't act on the renewal instructions contained in that email and your domain will naturally expire. Once your package has expired all hosted content will be permanently wiped from BT servers. If you wish to remove your website prior to expiration you can use the Website Centre tool to remove your content.

All BT.com/domains registrations and renewals carry a 60 day transfer lock, in accordance with the Terms & Conditions. During this initial period you will not be able to initiate a domain transfer.

If you wish to transfer a .com domain name to another provider please send your request in writing via the Your Account support area. BT will release your domain so that your new provider will be able to automatically take control of your domain - please note only your domain will be moved and you will have to recreate all alias email addresses and forwarding rules on your new supplier's systems.

If you wish to transfer a .co.uk or .org.uk domain name you should first contact your new supplier and ask them to provide you with their "IPS TAG". Once you have this please put your request in writing via the Your Account support area, clearly stating your domain name, user name and IPS TAG of your new provider. BT will change the details of your account to reflect those of your new provider so that your new provider will be able to automatically take control of your domain - please note only your domain will be moved and you will have to recreate all alias email addresses and forwarding rules on your new supplier's systems.

Please Note: bt.com/domains no longer offers hosting services to new customers, if you are a new customer and wish to buy a domain with hosting please look at the packages available as part of our bundled hosting portfolio which can be accessed via: http://www.btbroadbandoffice.com/internetapplications/webhosting

This FAQ is for customers with existing hosting services on bt.com/domain

If you are an existing bt.com/domain hosting customer you can add additional domain names or hosting packages to your account through the Your Account area.

You can also upgrade your existing hosting package. Upgrading your existing hosting package will create a new 12 month contract and incur an additional cost calculated by the difference in cost of the upgraded package and your remaining term with a credit calculated from your remaining term on your previous package.

For Example; if you are 6 months into your Home Starter Package (£20) and decide to upgrade to Business Starter (£60) you will be charged £50 for your new 12 month term.

BT does not store credit card details for any domain or hosting services purchased directly through bt.com/domains. When domains are due for renewal we will write to your administrator email address asking that you return to the Your Account area to input payment details, we will do this repeatedly right up to the point that the domain expires. Please check your spam filters as on occasion these emails can be mis-filed as SPAM.

The national body that manages ".uk" domain names - Nominet (www.nominet.org.uk) - currently runs a policy of physically writing to all customers with expired domains offering them a final chance to renew their domain. Doing this directly through Nominet is prohibitively expensive and they will recommend that you go back to your registrar to renew the domain.

If you have an expired domain (any type), you can renew it for up to 90 days post the expiry by inputting the domain details here https://www.btdomainsaccount.com/RenewExpired.

BT does not currently charge a premium for renewing expired domains but we cannot guarantee that the domain will still be available through the expired domain route. It is strongly advised therefore that you ensure that the payment details for any credit card purchased domains are up to date and that you monitor for any correspondence from BT as your renewal window approaches.

If you have and domain name related questions which are not answered by the Frequently Asked Questions provided here you can submit a question through our "Contact Us" located in Your Account (you will need your username and password to use this).

Email requests are usually responded to within one working day.

If you have one of our hosting packages you will be able to access a full hosting knowledge base from within the Website Centre application. You will also be able to instigate a "chat" session with a hosting specialists.

To access a chat session please visit: http://chat1.easylivechat.com/visitor/easychat.megawebservers.com/index.html?
If you have difficulty logging into your service or have any general enquiries, please email us on: support@btdomainsaccount.com. Emails should be responded to within one working day.

Please note: support for bt.com/domains is not available from any other BT support desks/route, if you need quick resolution to your issue it is important that you follow the guidelines set out above.

Register.com is a global leader in the registration of domain names. BT Business has offered domain names in partnership with Register for over 5 years.