Chose your color

Frequently visited

Frequently asked questions

  • I am looking for a domain name registrant. Where can I look it up?

    The Whois is an easy-to-use tool for checking the availability of a .nl domain name. If the domain name is already taken, you can see who has registered it.

    On the page looking up a domain name you will find more information about what a domain name is, how the Whois works and how the privacy of personal data is protected. Alternatively, you can go straight to look for a domain name via the Whois.

  • I would like to transfer my domain name to another registrar. What is the procedure?

    To get your domain name transferred, you need the token (unique ID number) for your domain name. Your existing registrar has the token and is obliged to give it to you within five days, if you ask for it. The procedure for changing your registrar is described on the page transferring your domain name.

  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date. How can I get them updated?

    To update the contact details associated with your domain name, you need to contact your registrar. Read more about updating contact details.

  • Why is my domain name in quarantine?

    When a domain name is cancelled, we aren't told the reason, so we can't tell you. You'll need to ask your registrar. The advantage of quarantine is that, if a name's cancelled by mistake, you can always get it back.

    One common reason is that the contract between you and your registrar says you've got to renew the registration every year. If you haven't set up automatic renewal and you don't renew manually, the registration will expire.

  • Ik heb een klacht over mijn provider/registrar. Kan ik daarvoor bij SIDN terecht?

    Wanneer je een klacht hebt over of een geschil met je registrar dan zijn er verschillende mogelijkheden om tot een oplossing te komen. Hierover lees je meer op pagina klacht over registrar. SIDN heeft geen formele klachtenprocedure voor het behandelen van een klacht over jouw registrar.

  • What conditions do I have to meet as a registrar?

    Would you like to be able to register domain names for customers or for your own organisation by dealing directly with SIDN? If so, you can become a .nl registrar. Read more about the conditions and how to apply for registrar status on the page becoming a registrar.

More frequently asked questions

Positive about findability, concerned about Google

SIDN Panel survey looks at SEO for the business community

The Google data center in Eemshaven in the Netherlands.

A few weeks ago, we published an interview with SEO expert Chantal Smink about developments at Google. Recent updates to Google's search engine have caused a stir amongst experts, affiliates and bloggers because the changes seem to significantly diminish the effectiveness of existing SEO techniques. Against that background, we asked the SIDN Panel for their views on SEO, receiving responses from 119 of the Panel's 500 members. The survey's main finding was that panellists are optimistic about their own findability, but do have misgivings about Google's power.

SEO is the main website promotion tool

For a small business that wants to get its website noticed, the most important thing is to work on organic findability. Of the entrepreneurs on our Panel, 73 per cent make active use of SEO. For two thirds of those, or half of all respondents, SEO is the main tool for boosting site traffic. Indeed, 20 per cent of respondents rate SEO indispensable, and small businesses (1 to 5 FTEs) devote an average of a quarter of an FTE to website findability.

Bar chart showing the results of the SIDN Panel's response to the question of how members promote their website.

Optimism about the future

Strikingly, most of our Panel members aren't currently worried about their own findability on Google: 68 per cent said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their findability. In fact, 31 per cent expect their findability to improve in the year ahead, while only 9 per cent expect the opposite.

Google a cause of concern

Nevertheless, insofar as the business community is worried about findability, Google's updates are the main reason.

How important will each of the following factors be for the findability of your website in 2024? (n=119)

Updates to Google's search algorithm

60%

Online consumer behaviour

51%

Competition

39%

Our business's resources/expertise

39%

Our business's SEO budget

15%

"Google can change its algorithm any time. And so we can lose out any time!"

Quotation from Panel member

Domain names and hosting

We also asked Panel members whether they expected reduced findability to have implications for hosting and domain names. From their responses, it's clear that most don't see hosting and domain names as dependent on findability. However, nearly half think that reduced findability could lead to them investing less in their online business operations. If findability declined, a third of respondents would consider switching to another (cheaper) hosting service provider, and a quarter would look at reducing their domain name portfolios.

Suppose that your business website becomes harder to find on Google. To what extent would that affect each of the following? (n=119)

Investment in online business

46%

Relationship with hosting service provider

34%

Retention of existing domain names

25%

Registration of new domain names

20%

Interested in joining the SIDN Panel?

The SIDN Panel is a group of entrepreneurs and other domain name registrants, whom we consult about internet developments. Panel members receive a monthly (Dutch) questionnaire, and respondents go into a draw for bol.com vouchers. So why not give it a go? Read more about the SIDN Panel.

Article by:

Michiel Henneke

Michiel Henneke

Marketing Manager