Domain not available?

[DLZ]

I just wanted to put this out there to get feedback from anyone who might be experiencing the same issue.

I decided on a domain name for my affiliate site after an exhaustive search for a ".com" that fits my theme and is not yet taken. I did my research for available domains at Net Solutions, a large, well known host.

After doing some research, I decided to go with BlueHost (one of Ros's recommended hosts) as my host & domain registrar. The domains (I tried two) that I tried to use came up as "not available" at BlueHost. I went back to NetSolutions and they are still available there.

Can someone explain this to me? Are there different databases that these hosts are pulling data from? I want to use BlueHost for everything because the domain is free with a package. If I need to I guess I could register the domain w/NetSolutions & transfer it to BlueHost for hosting.

Any feedback on this is appreciated. I did open a ticket with BlueHost to see if they can answer this.

-- Doug

[Jim Hutchinson]

Hi Doug

Domain name availability varies at different registrars depending on how often that registrar updates their domain database from the "master" at ICANN - Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.

Registering the domain at Network Solutions will cost you more than going to another service, but if it is one you really want, the added cost may be worth it to you.

You will then probably just want to point the name servers to Blue Host, since transferring the domain requires another registration/transfer fee.

You can also try other services such as GoDaddy.com or DirectNIC.com to see if the domain is available their at a lower cost.

Hope that helps.

Jim Hutchinson

[DLZ]

Hi Jim,

Thank you for your response. Here's what happened:

Since I conducted my search at Network Solutions, they "reserved" my domain in case I registered my domain with them. BlueHost reported that they were reserved domains. I then had to contact Net Solutions to release the domains, after which I registered everything with BlueHost.

Thanks for your feedback on everything. In the interest of simplicity and cost I made a final decision to combine hosting & domain registration together. As this becomes more of a full time thing for me I'm sure I'll change things up a bit. I know that I'm going to make some mistakes along the way but it's all a learning experience I do have a bit of experience with website management but none w/ affiliate marketing. I'm looking forward to the journey!

-- Doug

[Jim Hutchinson]

Good job getting the domains released and registered! Your problem solving skills will come in handy along the way.

I heard (or read) somewhere that if it was not for mistakes, most successful marketers would not be where they are today, because they would not know how to avoid the mistakes.

Your journey begins and we are here for you.

Jim Hutchinson