Frequently Asked Questions

There are different types of TLDs:

1. Generic Top Level Domains (gTLD)
   For example .com .org these are typically used for global organisations
2. Country Code Top Level Domains (ccTLD)
   For example .uk for the United Kingdom, .br for Brazil, .za for South Africa
3. Unsponsored Top Level Domains (uTLD)
   For example .biz and .info are used for various different services

The choice of TLD is really down to your preference. Originally .com was intended for international commercial companies whereas .co.uk (now being replaced by .uk) was intended to represent companies with interests in Great Britain. You may find that the most popular domain names are already taken for the most popular TLD’s.

However, everybody in the world will be able to see your website regardless of which TLD you use and it doesn’t make a huge difference for SEO (although it is a small factor). All things being equal, search engines will prefer a local domain where possible, so if you are in the UK you would more likely see .co.uk or .org.uk domains at the top of results if every other factor was equal.

Registering several types of domain name can be a good idea though, as it stops other people from registering your name and leaves it ready for you to use either right away or in the future.

Businesses were advised (particularly by domain registration companies, for whom it directly benefited) to register the .com, .co.uk, .net and every other possible form of their domain name and this practice still goes on today.

You don’t really need to do this, just register the one you need. If you feel better registering the .com and .co.uk variants then by all means go ahead and do so but it’s really not necessary

SEO ADVICE: Even though you can register most domains for a year at a time, be aware that search engines generally don’t favour domains that are registered for just one year. Even if you register your domain for two years it is important to renew and extend it by a year each time it falls to less than one year remaining.

At AfroDigital we operate an auto renewal policy designed to ensure continuity of service, which means that at the end of the initial registration period we will renew automatically for a further registration period. However, if you no longer need the domain name you can of course cancel before this happens.

A nameserver is a server that manages the addresses for a domain and tells other servers on the Internet where to find all the services for a domain. Here’s an example:

The main nameservers for AfroDigital are called ns1.afrodns.co.uk and ns2.afrodns.co.uk. These servers hold all the information about the IP addresses of all AfroDigital Internet services. Think of it as a sort of directory enquiries for the Internet.

Whenever anybody anywhere in the world (like you) needs to access something related to AfroDigital on the Internet their computer will ask a server near them (called a DNS server – usually their ISP’s DNS server) what is the correct address to use.

If you send us an email your computer will ask the nearest DNS server what is the address for the AfroDigital email server. If you type our website address into your web browser the DNS server needs to go and find out the address for our web server. Eventually (like in 0.00003 seconds) that DNS server, having done its research, will be told it has to ask ns1.afrodns.co.uk or ns2.afrodns.co.uk for the information because they are the nameservers for AfroDigital.

Your DNS server then connects to ns1.afrodns.co.uk or ns2.afrodns.co.uk (there are always two nameservers which are kept in sync; in case there’s a problem with one, the other can give out the addresses) and either of them will tell your DNS server the IP address it needs. Then your DNS server tells your computer, and your computer says thank you, and connects to the AfroDigital service you were looking for in the first place. All this is supposed to take place in less than 0.01 seconds or so. Imagine, all that happened to get you here reading this.

Now here’s the thing. When your domain is registered with us all your domain’s addresses are stored on our nameservers. For this reason, during the domain registration process you should leave the Nameservers boxes as they are, they are already set to the correct settings for most of our customers. The boxes are there for advanced users who might need or want to do all sorts of flashy, somersaulty, backflippy acrobatics with their domains. Because they’re show-offs. Step aside, give them plenty of room.

But, and I know it’s a lot to take in but bear with me, here’s another thing. When you already have a domain that is registered with a different company but you want to use AfroDigital for your web space you need to make a decision. Do you leave your domain registered with the other company or do you transfer the domain to AfroDigital? Honestly, it’s up to you. There are pros and cons to each.

If you transfer the domain to us, everything will be in one place, the nameservers will change to ours and you will only have one set of control panels etc. But the transfer process, though easy, is a bit tricky to get your head around if you’ve never done it before.

If you decide to leave the domain registered with the other company (which is completely fine – and is the simpler option) then you will need to login to your control panel at the other company and change your nameservers on their system from theirs to ours so that our servers can tell the world where all your stuff is. Phew! Still with me? Good.

So now you know exactly what to choose when you get an option like the one below, right?

Registering a domain with AfroDigital

I hope so, because explaining that was like going to the dentist!

However, it sometimes takes up to 12-48 hours for all the servers across the internet to know about your new domain name. This means that while you might be able to access your domain, your next door neighbour might not if he/she is using a different Internet Service Provider.

The email you get from us will also give you information about temporary addresses you can use to view your site until the time that all other servers on the Internet have been updated.

However, If you’re moving away, we’d really like to know why you’ve chosen to leave us, and if we’ve done something wrong we’d like to be able to fix it and hopefully change your mind.

You also get a cPanel control panel which is one of the most fully featured and advanced web service control panels available. You’ll have full FTP access to your web space, DNS settings, nameservers, cron jobs, raw stats, everything. We like to think that you’re responsible enough to take control of your online property. Of course, with great power comes great responsibility, and we know you will wield your power with respect and restraint. After all, it’s your web property, not ours.

We also offer bank transfer and direct debit for recurring services like domain names or maintenance support packages.

However, for added safety, our entire website is encrypted with a 256bit SSL Certificate, the same way as your online banking or other shopping sites. This ensures information you enter into our site, such as your username and password, address details and other sensitive data is protected between your computer and our servers.

Our prices are set in GBP and the EUR / USD prices are checked and updated against our currency exchange partner twice a day. Look for the currency selection option at the top right or bottom right of payment pages. It is either marked by the three-letter currency code or the official flag of the currency nation/federation.

We cannot refund any domain registration charges and these remain yours until the expiry date even after you cancel your account with us. Our refund policy does not extend to web design/development projects.

If you decide to cancel within 14 days and have registered a domain with us, please ensure you have started the transfer process to move the domain name to another provider.

Please view our refund policy for full details.