The value of
a domain name
By Staff
A domain name says it all
about your business and therefore should be
chosen very carefully. For instance, if you
are in the business of selling shoes you
need to choose a name that is appropriately
associated with that item. A domain name
that may be appropriate would be [your name
shoes.com]. So if your name is Dexter let’s
say, the domain name of your business site
would be Dextershoes.com. This name not only
lets people know that you are in the
business of selling shoes but also gives
them an idea that someone named Dexter owns
the business. It is simple, to the point,
related to the product and most importantly
easy to remember. These are the most
important factors when choosing a domain
name for your online business.
Sometimes it is not that easy
to get the domain name to totally reflect
what your business is all about because the
name is already in use by someone else. It
is not impossible though to find an
appropriate name that will stay in the minds
of potential customers, it just takes a
little research on your part. As long as the
name is short, reflects the type of business
or product, is easily remembered and catchy,
it should serve your business well. Let’s
look at an example.
Which would you remember
first?
www.petco.com
or
www.takemeawaycalgonbeforeiscream.com
As you can see, no one has
trouble-remembering petco.com and they know
instantly that the site has something to do
with pets. The second domain name is not
only too long but you don’t have a clue what
type of business it is or what they offer in
terms of products and services. So in order
to have a successful business presence on
the web, you need to make sure that you have
the best domain name possible. It could mean
the difference between life and death of
your business.
There are numerous sites on
the web that sell domain names. They also
have a free domain name checker that you can
use to see if the name you want is
available. You will need to seek these sites
out and find a name that best suits your
business. Don’t be discouraged if you have a
little difficulty or if it seems that all
the good names are taken, with a little
perseverance you can find a suitable one.
One site to investigate
is
www.ooodomains.com,
it is a good site to purchase domain names
from. Like anything else I recommend
shopping around first because prices do
vary. But this site is a good place to start
the search. In addition, the price at
www.ooodomains.com is very affordable at
only $13.50 for the year.
Think carefully before you
choose a domain name. Remember that it is a
two-part name. The first part reflects your
business and the second part is the
extension to that name, like Dextershoes.com.
The domain name must absolutely fit your
business type perfectly or it will not be
remembered. No matter what product you are
selling or what service you are providing,
the first part of the domain name needs to
say that. If you choose something like
roadkill.com and are selling birds, your
business will not be accurately reflected in
that domain name. Another consideration,
which is equally important, is that the
domain name must be professional. After all
you are running a business and need to
portray a professional image through out
your web presence.
Now, the second part of the
name is usually dot com (.com). There are
other extensions available such as .org,
.net and so on, but .com is the most common
and easiest to remember. As a matter of
fact, people are programmed to type in .com
before any other extension so always try to
get a .com extension in your domain name. If
people they to type in .com and you have a
.net or .org extension, your web page will
not come up and they will get frustrated and
give up the search for your business. This
can add to many lost sales.
Another thing to consider
when purchasing a domain name is that you
will own it for a full year. If you don’t
choose wisely, you are basically stuck with
it for that period of time. In addition,
because you can buy domain names fairly
cheap, they are scooped up in quantity and
bought without careful thought. There is a
tool available on the web that is located at
nameboy
Domain
Registration
Domain name registrars are
people who track the ownership of domain
names and the servers that the domain names
point to. In order to use the domain name
that you have selected, you will have to
register it. Cost varies between registrars
but usually ranges from $10 to $35 for a
one-year registration.
Prior to 1999, the options
for registering a domain name were slim. One
sole company held the monopoly on domain
name registration making it impossible for
people to have a choice of plans. Today,
things are different as new registration
companies are springing up all over the net.
That is in part due to Register.com, which
broke the monopoly and therefor gave people
a choice. Since then, more and more
registration companies are available with
more options to choose from.
As stated, prices will vary
so you will have to shop around for the best
deal. Registering a domain name has become a
lot cheaper over the years. As your business
grows, you will probably want to register
more domains, so it will be worth while to
find an affordable group of names. Make sure
that your registration company is reliable
and offers great back up and support. Do not
be swayed to choose the cheapest, they may
not be the best. You get what you pay for
holds true here.
Web Site
Hosting
Now that you have a web site
and a good professional snappy domain name,
it’s time to look into getting a good
web-hosting plan for your site. The sole
purpose of a web host is to rent you space
to put your web pages on. This way potential
customers have a place to go to find your
product or service.
Web hosting plans range from
cheap to very expensive depending on the
number of features offered as well as the
level of technical support available. The
key here is to remember that you will get
what you pay for. If you opt for a cheap
hosting plan, that’s exactly what you will
get. In addition, don’t expect any technical
support, because you won'’ find it with a
cheap hosting plan.
In order to keep your
business online running continuously, you
will need to pay a little more for
additional features and support. Seek out
only professional web hosts that are
reliable and have been in business awhile
and look as though they will continue to be
in business for a long time to come. There
are far too many web hosts on the net today
that are here today and gone tomorrow. You
don’t want your business going down the
tubes if your web host decides to close down
without notice or disconnect your service
without warning. This could be disastrous
for your business.
When searching for a
reputable, reliable web host company,
consider the following factors before you
commit to a plan.
1.
Is there
an initial setup fee? If so, how much?
2.
What is
the monthly cost? Yearly?
3.
How much
disk space do you get for your money?
4.
Do they
offer email accounts? If so, how many?
5.
Will you
have CGI access?
6.
Do they
take care of domain registration for you?
Before you search for answers
to these questions, you should plan your
requirements carefully. This will help you
seek out a web host that can meet your exact
needs. You need to set a spending limit,
know how much space you will need now and in
the future for growth and whether or not you
will need additional programming services.
Once you know these things, it will make
your search much easier.
If you need help in finding
a good web host, there are several search
engines on the net designed to help you do
just that.
Each of these search engines
XE "search engines" has a variety of search
options. Some are easy to navigate through,
while others are a little more difficult.
Either way you will be provided with a
variety of information to use which will
make choosing a web host easier.
In regards to fees for web
hosting, expect to pay around $50 for the
initial set-up fee and monthly payments can
run as high as $100 depending on the plan
that you choose and the support provided.
One thing to remember is
that if you experience any problems with
your web pages once they are uploaded to the
web, it will not be the fault of your web
host but rather that of the person who
designed your pages. You will need to
contact that person to resolve any issues
with this.
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