Managed

Domain Names

Managed domain registrations & transfers

We make registering or moving your domain simple. Tell us the name you want, and we’ll check availability, register it in your name and set up hosting for your website and secure emails. If you already have a domain, we can transfer it or help you point the domain to your new site. All this is included with every website design package.

Our managed service saves you time and money, because we set everything up correctly and securely. With domains that we manage we’ll make sure your domains are renewed so you can focus on your business. We’ve been local, trusted and approachable for over 20+ years, with many customers staying with us from the start!

Not picked your domain name yet?

Picking the right domain name is worth taking time to consider. Watch out for pitfalls, look at our tips to avoid common domain name mistakes. We recommend buying the main extensions (.com, .co.uk, .uk) to protect your brand. If you like, we can suggest names and check availability for you.

All our registered domains include support for:
Helping you find the right domain.
Registering the domains to you as the registered owner.
Setting up your domain for your new website with us.
Setting up domain aliases to redirect traffic to your website if needed.
Plus domain support if you have issues.

I already have a domain

That’s not a problem, simply choose if you would like to transfer the domain to our trusted registrar and we can manage it and invoice everything together. Or manage your domain yourself and we’ll send you the information for you to update to make this happen.

All transferred domains include support for:
Advice for supplying your registrar.
Help logging in and doing this for you with your current registrar.
Setting up domain aliases on your new website.
Plus domain support if you have issues.

What our customers say

Below is just one of the many testimonials from long standing customers that have been happy with our service over the years. We have included other comments throughout our website.

  • Hassel-Free Domain Support

    “Needing to source several domains for our company, we found Compass excellent at liaising with us to find the right ones. They were helpful highlighting pitfalls that we would not have known to us without their professional knowledge. Thanks for making this process smooth and maintaining the domains so we do not have to worry about remembering renewals.”
    Matthew
    Bristol Windows and Doors

Ready to secure your domain?

Select one of our website design packages and you’ll have years of support, from registering, transferring or pointing your domain and setting up your secure email accounts. It will save you time, avoid mistakes and help to keep you focused on your business. Choose a website package with managed domain support today.

Choose your website design package today

10 things to avoid when planning your domain name

Some domain choices can create unexpected issues. They can be hard to remember, easy to misspell, or look unprofessional. That leads to lost visitors, missed emails and a brand that feels weak. Below are ten common issues to avoid, with a short explanation for each.

Don’t spread around possible domain names you’re thinking of to too many people, it’s easy for someone to register it and either make it unavailable, or it could even end up for sale online for hundreds or thousands of pounds (unfortunately we’ve seen this happen!).

Just like searching in Google, most searches on websites are logged. It is possible for a domain purchasing website to monitor searches and potentially flag domains that are frequently being searched. Trusted companies would not act on this information, but if you use a less trustworthy website to search available domain names, and they did flag potential valuable domains, you could find your favourite domain being bought and offered for sale. So our tip is to minimise your searches, discuss ideas with a trusted few people and get in touch with Compass, and we can do the final searches for you knowing that you’ll know what domains are actually available and register them for a few pounds.

Very long domain names, long URLs are hard to type and forget. Plus imagine trying to fit that long name on a business card! Unfortunately many short domain names have been already registered, so sometimes you might need to be creative. Select our custom website package and we can help you find the best domain to get you started.

Unless you have a large marketing budget, hard-to-spell names, misspellings would often lose visitors and cost marketing.

Although they are on the increase, hyphens can be confusing for reading out or typing. So should be considered carefully.

Numbers in names, numbers can be unclear (1 vs one) and misread. Unless you have a large marketing budget, these are easier to just avoid for most businesses.

Trademarked domain names, you risk legal trouble if the name is taken.

Only use if you are targeting a specific audience or have a shorter-term goal as trends fade and the name can age badly.

Avoiding domain names with slang or regional terms as they may confuse wider audiences. Plus domain names that look like spam or weak names reduce trust with customers.

Confusing punctuation, symbols break usability and aren’t supported.

FAQs about domain names

There are many frequently asked questions that businesses ask about registering, transferring domains, below are just a few of the more common questions we are asked. If you have any questions, please contact us and we will be happy to help further.

Of course, we always register every domain in the customer’s name, so you stay the legal owner. This is very important as some ‘free domains’ or ‘website offers’ can register themselves as the owner, this is far from ideal as they have the legal right to control that domain not you.

Depending on the domain type and registrar, transfers normally take a few days but can vary; we manage the process to reduce any interruptions.

Yes, we offer name suggestions, availability checks and advice on trademarks and branding. Our information above on this page should give you tips on keeping your initial ideas private, and domain names that can cause issues for potential customers.

When an existing domain switches over to a new hostplan it happens in stages, this is because the internet is made up of many hosting and email servers around the world. When you update your details it sends this updated information around the world to these servers. But these servers do not all update at the same time, so some servers will be quicker and others can take 24-48 hours. So we have in place a solid procedure to avoid lost emails during this process, making the transition as smooth as possible.

You’ll see many companies now using the .uk domain on vehicles and advertising due to it being shorter. Both work well for UK businesses, but depending on your industry and business we can advise which would work best for you and why.

Absolutely, we setup your business emails, configure the hosting where the emails and website reside, this is all part of the service.

Yes, we can add privacy protection to keep your contact details hidden where the individual domain type allows. Individual costs apply.

If you manage your domain:
Forgetting to renew a domain can be disastrous. If left for too long, then anyone can register that domain and often this is by companies searching for expired domains (accidental missed renewals). They then quickly advertise these domains “for sale”. But unlike the few pounds to renew, they often want thousands to get your domain back. So this is why we recommend Compass managing and renewing your domains.

If Compass manages your domain:
If the responsibility for the renewing of your domain name has been transferred to Compass, we will invoice you before the domains are due. This way, if there is a problem, we can contact you before any domain expires. If a domain were to expire it would enter a grace period before deletion. We have never lost a domain for any customer in over 20+ years.

Yes that’s not a problem, we will simply create the hosting for your new website and supply you with the details to connect your domain. Unfortunately we cannot manage domains not in our control.

Ownership transfers require registrant changes and ID documents in some cases; we can handle the paperwork.

There is no charge to transfer your domains to us. But you will need to check if your current registrar applies an exit fee.

Yes, VAT is included with all our prices, all detailed on our invoices.

We manage your DNS and will make changes when you need them. Additional DNS changes requested above transferring domains are chargeable. An example of this would be if you wanted the DNS modified for validating your domain with a third-party service or changing the DNS so it works with third-party software you have setup so it all connects.

Yes, .ltd.uk domains require a UK limited company and a matching company registration, per registry rules.

Registering or managing domains is something many customers avoid so mistakes are not made, get in touch and we can help you with your domains when you pre-order one of our website package.