How does it work in a nutshell?

We own a domain name. You rent the domain name for a fixed term (eg two years), paying a monthly rental fee. We retain ownership throughout but you have full use of the domain name.

Why would I want to lease a domain name?

1. Customers love good, memorable domain names.

2. Having a good generic domain name relevant to your business gives you added kudos and may be the differentiating factor that brings you business over your competitors.

3. Having a keyword rich domain name is one factor that can help you rise towards the top of the search engine (eg Google) results - natural positioning that you don’t need to pay per click for.

How long does the lease last?

This is negotiable, but the usual term is two or three years. The minimum term is one year.

How much does it cost?

There is a one off setup/administration fee of £50+VAT and then a fixed monthly payment payable on the first of each month during the lease term. This monthly fee is payable by standing order. The monthly fee depends on the domain name, starting at £100+VAT per month.

Do we need to sign a contract

Yes, a lease agreement is signed by both parties before the commencement of the lease.  This is there to protect both parties. A sample agreement is available to seriously interested parties.

Who owns the domain?

We retain ownership of the domain name before, during and after the lease. Think of it like renting a property - you live in it and enjoy all the benefits of it, but you don’t ever own it.

What happens at the end of the lease term?

This is covered in the contract and is negotiable. There are a number of possibilities, here are two of them:

• You stop using the domain name and we regain control of it and are free to use it as we wish - we will probably lease it to someone else.

• You re-lease the domain name for a further fixed term, at a re-negotiated price. In order to protect your interests, the amount of any increase can be capped in the lease agreement.

Can we (the lessee) end the lease term early?

You can, but you must give three months notice and you must pay the usual monthly fee for those three months.

Can you (the lessor) end the lease term early?

Yes we can. If you misuse the domain name (as defined in the contract - eg using it unlawfully) then we can end the lease agreement immediately.

In any other scenario, we can end the agreement with 6 months notice. During these 6 months, you retain use of the domain name and continue to pay for it.

One year is too long, can we lease a domain on a much shorter term (eg 3 months)?

Generally speaking, no you can’t.

Will our site be guaranteed to get to the top of (eg) Google for certain keywords?

Nobody can guarantee this. In our experience, a keyword rich domain name is one important factor out of five that will help you to achieve better search engine listings. The others factors are: quality unique content, relevant backlinks, regular updates and a search engine friendly website.

Can we do what we like with the domain name?

At the start of the lease, we will agree with you what you can use the domain name for. So, for example, we will agree that you can use treadmill.co.uk for the retail of treadmills. You must not use the domain name for any other purpose without our prior agreement.

Can we sublet the domain name to a 3rd party?

No.

Can you host the domain name for us?

No.  We point the domain name to your ISP and you arrange hosting/email/etc.