Domain Name Registration FAQs

The following FAQs provide detailed information on registering domain names with EasyHost, transferring registrations from your current registrar to EasyHost and using the services and features included with EasyHost's domain name registrations.

For more general information on domain names and the domain name registration and transfer processes, see the Domain Name FAQ.

Transferring Domain Name Registrations to EasyHost

 

Using EasyHost's Domain Name Registration Services and Features


How do I transfer my domain name registration to EasyHost?

Currently, to transfer your domain name registration to EasyHost you must be a customer of EasyHost. You can become a customer by registering a new domain with us or by ordering any of our Web hosting plans.

Once you establish an account with EasyHost, you can transfer your domain name registration from your current registrar to EasyHost using SiteEasy, your Web-based control panel. Log in to SiteEasy and select Domain Name. Then, select Transfer a Domain Name to EasyHost and follow the prompts to initiate the transfer process.



How long will it take for my transfer to be processed?

Transferring a domain name to another registrar can take 5 to 14 days. Once you submit your request for transfer through SiteEasy, EasyHost sends an email message to the Administrative Contact listed on the Whois record for your domain name requesting authorization for the registrar transfer. The Administrative Contact has 14 days to respond to the email message.

Once the Administrative Contact authorizes the registrar change, it takes 5 to 7 days to process the request. If the Administrative Contact does not authorize the request or does not respond by the deadline, the transfer process will be canceled.



How can I check the status of my transfer ?

Transfer requests can take up to 14 days to process. If it has been 14 days and you have not received any information, you can contact EasyHost Support via email at support@easyhost.com.



SiteEasy requires a password for domain name registration transfers. How do I get this password?

In order for EasyHost to initiate a domain name registration transfer process for you, we need the password assigned to you by your current domain name registrar. Without this password, the request will be rejected by your registrar. If you do not know your password, contact your current registrar.



What happens to my domain name during a domain name registration transfer?

Until the domain name registration process completes, nothing will happen to your domain name registration. As long as you remain current with your billing with your current registrar, there will be no service interruption. However, if your domain name expires after you have requested the transfer but before the transfer completes, you will need to renew your service with your current registrar to ensure your domain name remains yours.



Can I transfer my domain name registration if it has expired?

No. Before you can transfer domain name registration, you must bring your domain name billing up-to-date with your current registrar.

If your domain name has expired, you can wait until the domain name becomes available for registration again (typically 70 days after the domain name has expired), however you risk losing the domain name to someone else who registers it first once it becomes available.



What is a redemption period?

When your domain name expires, you generally have 5 to 10 days to bring your billing up-to-date with your current registrar. After this grace period, your domain name enters what is termed a "redemption period." During this time, no action can be taken on your domain name. In order to re-activate your domain, you must pay a fee to your current registrar. This fee typically ranges from $135 to $150. If your domain name is currently in the redemption period, you should contact your current registrar for details.



What is a "registrar hold"?

When you register a domain name, you can request what is known as a "hold" on your domain name. If your domain has a hold on it, EasyHost cannot initiate a domain name transfer on your behalf. In this instance, you must initiate the transfer request yourself by contacting your current registrar and requesting removal of the hold.



What is a "registrar lock"?

When you register a domain name, you can request what is known as a "lock" on your domain name. A lock prevents contact information from being made publicly available. If your domain name has a lock on it, you must first contact your current registrar and request that the lock be removed. Once the lock has been removed, EasyHost can initiate the domain name registration transfer for you.



What is a Whois record?

A Whois record indicates who owns a particular domain name and provides contact information for the owner. The Whois record is public record, as mandated by ICANN, the governing body that regulates the domain name registration space. You can search for Whois records associated with .com, .net, .org, .biz and .info domain names using EasyHost's domain name look-up tool.



What is a registrar? Who is ICANN?

A registrar is a company that has been licensed by ICANN to register domain names for the public. EasyHost currently works with AAAQ, an ICANN-accredited registrar, to process domain name registrations.

ICANN stands for The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. It is a non-profit organization composed of various stakeholders in the Internet space and governs domain name registrations.



Who is AAAQ?

AAAQ is the domain name registrar EasyHost has partnered with to process domain name registrations. On the Whois record for your domain name, AAAQ will be listed as the domain name registrar.



Using EasyHost's Domain Name Registration Services and Features


What services and features are included with my domain name registration?

With your domain name registration with EasyHost, you receive the following tools and features free of charge:

Parking page. Your parking page is set up automatically when your domain name is activated. 48 hours after your domain name has been registered, people typing your domain name in a browser will be taken to your parking page. Without a parking page, visitors will receive a "site not found" error message.

Domain forwarding. Domain forwarding enables you to forward Web traffic coming to your domain name to another Web site you have set up already. For example, if you have a Web site at www.abc.com and register the new domain name xyz.net, you can forward all the traffic to xyz.net to your site at www.abc.com.

Web-based control panel. Domain name registrations provide you access to SiteEasy, EasyHost's Web-based control panel. When you log in to SiteEasy, you can manage your domain name and your EasyHost account 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can use SiteEasy to:

• Change the nameservers associated with your domain name
• Update your contact information
• Check your billing status in "real time"
• Make payments online
• Access additional domain name set up functions



How do I FTP or upload my Web site to my account?

In order to upload a Web site, you must have a Web hosting plan with EasyHost. If you have only domain name registration service with EasyHost, you cannot post a Web site. If you need to set up a Web hosting plan, you can do so easily from SiteEasy's Order Services section.



Can I upgrade to Web hosting and other services offered by EasyHost?

Whenever your needs change, you can easily upgrade from "domain name registration only" to Web hosting or any of EasyHost's other services. For example, you can upgrade to an Email Plan that enables you to send and receive email using your domain name instead of your ISP's name (myname@mydomain.com instead of myname@aol.com). If you are ready to create a Web site and get it online, you can easily upgrade to one of EasyHost's many Web hosting plans.

To upgrade to Email or Web hosting plans, browse the different plan options at www.easyhost.com. Once you've decided on the plan that's right for you, log in to SiteEasy and select Order Service. Follow the prompts to upgrade.



Do I get phone support if I only have domain name registration with EasyHost?

Phone support is not available with domain name registration only. However, you can contact EasyHost's Support team 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via email at support@easyhost.com. You will receive a response within one hour.

EasyHost's Help Center provides a number of FAQs and User Guides that can answer your questions. You can use the knowledge base search feature to search all of the documentation for specific words or phrases.

24-hour phone support is available with EasyHost's Web hosting plans (excluding Value Plus Plan and Gold Plan).



How can I change my nameservers?

If you registered your domain name with EasyHost and plan on using our Web hosting services, you do not need to modify any nameserver information. However, if you plan on using a third-party hosting provider, you may be asked to change your nameservers or DNS information associated with your domain. You can find detailed instructions for modifying this information in the SiteEasy User Guide at http://help.easyhost.com/documents/siteeasy/online/Ch0613.html.



How do I set up a business card page?

If you ordered the Email Starter or Email Plus Plan from EasyHost, you receive a free Business Card page. The Business Card page is a specially-designed, customizable parking page that enables you to input your personal or business contact information. When people type your domain name in a browser, they will see your customized parking page with your contact information.

To create your Business Card page, log in to SiteEasy, select Domain Name and then click Setup Business Card Park Page. A wizard walks you through the steps to create and customize your page.



How do I add email accounts to my domain name?

Email accounts enable you to send and receive email using your domain name instead of your ISP's name. For example, instead of using myname@aol.com you can use myname@mydomainname.com. To add email to your domain name, you need to upgrade to an Email or Web hosting plan. You can upgrade using SiteEasy's Order Service section.



Why does SiteEasy show different plan information for my domain names?

Domain name registrations are managed separately from any Email or Web hosting plans you may have set up. When you log in to SiteEasy, select the Currently Managing field in the upper-left corner of the main window. Any Email or Web hosting plans display at the top of the list; domain name registrations appear toward the bottom of the list. Select the item you want to manage to view detailed information for that item and to access related features and tools.



Can I modify my MX records myself?

EasyHost's MX record editor is only available to customers with Web hosting plans. If you need to modify the information for your domain name to use a different mail server, you will need to make these changes to your nameserver information. You can find your current nameserver and make changes to this information using SiteEasy's Domain Name section.




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