Nameservers are the Internet’s equivalent to phone books. A nameserver maintains a directory of domain names that match certain IP addresses (computers). The information from all the nameservers across the Internet is gathered in a central registry. This makes it possible for visitors to access your website using a familiar domain name, instead of having to remember a series of numbers. Nameservers on other networks can access information at the central registry up to 8 hours after registering .COM and .NET domains and up to 48 hours for all other domain extensions. This period is referred to as the propagation period. The nameservers you use depends on when you set up your hosting account.

Setting Nameservers for Your Domains

When registering your domain with us, we park your domain on our parked nameservers so a temporary page displays when visitors go to your website. After determining which hosting provider to use, you can change your domain’s nameservers to remove the parked page and activate your domain name. You can purchase a hosting account with us to use our nameservers, regardless of where you registered your domain. Update your nameservers according to one of the following:

• If you purchased your domain registration and hosting account with us, use our Default Hosted Nameservers.
• If you purchased your domain registration with us but are hosting your domain elsewhere, your hosting company should provide at least two nameservers for you to enter through our Domain Manager. Some hosting companies also provide an IP address for nameservers, but we do not require an IP address.
• If you purchased your domain registration with another registrar but are hosting your domain with us, point your domain to our nameservers. Check with your domain registrar for specific instructions on how to set your nameservers.
• Aliased domains use nameservers based on the date they were added to the hosting account.

After updating your nameservers, it takes about 4 to 8 hours for other networks to access information for .COM and .NET domains and about 24 to 48 hours for other networks to access information for all other domain extensions.

How do domain names work?

Registering a domain doesn’t automatically make your website appear when visitors enter your domain into a Web browser. You have to upload your website to a computer that hosts the site and assigns a numeric address, called an IP address, to your domain. Your domain and associated IP address are stored in a database with every other domain and associated IP address. When visitors enter your domain into a Web browser, your domain works like an address forwarding service by forwarding visitors to the IP address where your website is stored. We use domain names instead of IP addresses because most people find it easier to remember a name rather than a series of numbers.

When you register a domain, you do not have to create and upload a website. You can also:

• Sell it. Domains can be a great investment. If you have registered a domain that you are not using, maybe someone else can. Log in to your Account Manager and set up a For Sale parked page for your domain. Don’t forget to include your contact information.
• Protect your brand online. The more domains you register, the better. Prevent others from registering a similar domain to yours—just to steal away your customers. What to do with all these names? Forward them to your main domain.
• Hold on to it. Maybe you haven’t decided what to do with your new domain. Don’t worry – there’s no rush. You can leave it parked with us for the length of your registration.
• For new .COM and .NET domains and updates, it may take up to eight hours for changes to become effective. It may take up to 48 hours for changes made to all other domain extensions to become effective. This is because of the number of networks and agencies involved. Delays apply to all domains and registrars. Please allow for this delay when planning websites or configuring a domain to work with your email.

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