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Our primer on websites...
If you are one of the many
people overwhelmed by how all of this works, we'll simplify it a
bit. This page is mainly all about domain names.
Domain Names
Early on, it was apparent that
there could only be 1 dude in charge or the whole system would be
chaos. ICANN was
formed to set up the domain system to prevent duplicate names and
get the system organized. They set up the TLD's (top level domains,
such as .com, .org, .gov, etc. and as the system grew, they added
country codes and even new TLD's such as .aero for airline/aircraft
companies, also TLD's such as .us, .biz and so on.
The ability to "sell" a domain and collect fees was
licensed
to a select few companies and their resellers - called registrars.
These companies allow you to enter a name in a search box, and if
the name is not registered, you may purchase it for "x" number of
dollars for a period of time from 1 year to 10 years or more. Please
note - just because the ".com" TLD isn't available, you might get
your name in ".us" or some other TLD. The ".com" TLD is
most known, but the other TLD's may not necessarily be significant
drawbacks. For example, if "joesplace.com is taken, "joesplace.us"
may be available. Some TLD's may be priced slightly higher or there
may be some hoops to jump thru to obtain them, i.e., getting a .gov domain
does require that you are a government entity of some type.
GoDaddy charges around $9 per year and Network Solutions may
charge upwards of $35 for pretty much the same service. You can
"Google" the term "domain registrars" and come up with many
companies that sell domain names. Make sure you can easily find a
way to contact them via phone or email or you may regret it.
Register a name for at least 5 years to avoid the domain renewal hassle
every year - and make sure you own it, not your webmaster or
hosting company or brother-in-law. You can check ownership of
domains by using the "whois" function of most registrars (more on this
below). The registrars try to tack on all kinds of extra services,
like "private registrations" and so on, you can pretty much ignore
all of these "extras".
Note: Save the registry info, the URL, the
user/password, .etc - It's a real hassle if you lose the info. Start
a file, I bought domain such and such at Joesdomains.com, my account
number and username is, etc.
What to choose for a domain name
Our view - make it pertinent.
It doesn't necessarily have to be your business name, short is nice,
and topical is better. There are people who will tell you that
having your major product or service in the domain name is a big
plus - this view isn't shared by all, but it won't hurt.
If you own "joesplace.com", you may want to buy joesplace.net and .us to
keep someone else from using your success to draw traffic. You don't
have to use the extra domains, but you can prevent others from doing so.
Also, "joespizzaplace.com" is more relevant and can be a help in
rankings. And joesstlouispizzaplace.com may be
even better.
Want to get fancy? Your main website can very well be
joesstlouispizzaplace.com. So, OK, it's mouthful and the search
engines will love it, but it is too damn long....
Here's your out, and a cheap, effective solution. Get the domain
joesplace.com and have it forwarded to the longer domain name. Now
you can use the brand, customers won't notice or care about the
domain forward. Advertise the heck out of joesplace.com and push the
brand, no worries.
Want to purchase a domain name already registered?
You can, but it can cost extra. There are a lot of
companies that will help you do this - just be wary. You can check
on who currently owns a domain by simply going to "whois" found on most
registrars, or Google the term "whois". There are firms that
will put you in line to buy a lapsing domain name, or bid on the
rights to own it.
What happens to if my domain expires?
If yours expires, you will know it quick enough - the domain registrar will
switch the registry settings away from the server you are hosted on
and your site will be gone from view - and right now. You have a 30
day grace period to renew, so don't panic, but it is a pain
to do this and a lot of unnecessary effort and maybe extra $. Make sure your
domain settings are correct as to owner name, address, phone and
email. Your site is still on your server, you didn't lose it,
although your email may not work and site can't be viewed.
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Rule # 1
Make sure you own your domain name, you
may allow others to be technical contacts, but be sure you are the
organization contact and that your current email address is listed.
Rule # 2
Save the info! Keep a file with the domain registry
info where you can find it. The username and password to administer
the registration will be needed from time to time, so don't lose it.
Rule # 3
Be wary of emails advising you to renew your domain
registration - there are companies out there that will collect $ and
then switch the registry to them. It may be technically legal, but
not ethical. You can check your domain for expiration easy enough if
you follow Rule # 2. |
