Why your Web Site MUST have a Domain name. . . and how to get one
Author: Harvey Segal
1. What is a Domain Name ?
How would you react to this letter in your post ?
"Dear Sir,
We are sorry to advise you that we are no longer trading as your ISP and your web site name "www.localisp/~business/retail/videorecorderland.com" is no longer active".
Consider the effect this would have on your business.
Think of all the locations where your Url is recorded, both
- Online - with customers, adverts, search engines and all the web sites that link to yours, and
- Offline - your company stationery, business cards, letterheads, envelopes, newspaper ads, brochures, shipping labels, catalogs, etc.
All these contacts are now LOST to you - they will visit your site only to be met by the ‘Url not recognised’ message.
So can this be avoided ?
Yes, simply. You can have a name which NEVER changes.
This is a ‘Domain’ name - a unique name which will always be yours, independent of an ISP.
If this alone was the only benefit of a domain name it would still be a MUST for any business. But there are many more advantages and this article will review them, explain how to choose and obtain a domain name and how to move from an ISP based web site name to a domain web site.
In our example above the domain name could be simplified to the very impressive www.VCRworld.com , gaining all the advantages which will be explained below.
2. What makes a good Domain Name ?
The key elements of a good domain name are
2.1 It should convey effectively the nature of your business
A name such as golfnews.com will immediately give the reader an idea of what the site contains, with no further description. It will also be easy to recall from memory at a later time.
But, a warning, you must also plan ahead for any future diversity.
Suppose you then decide to provide news about other sporting activities. It would make no sense to set up new names such as
- golfnews.com/boxing golfnews.com/tennis
The name of your site should be generic in order to allow for future variation.
If you had chosen the more general "sportsnews.com" this gives you the flexibility to add
- sportsnews.com/golf sportsnews.com/boxing sportsnews.com/tennis
2.2 It should be easy to remember and to spell.
Can you recall the web address at the start of the article ?
I doubt it.
(It was www.localisp/~business/videorecorderland.com)
Can you remember the new name ?
Probably yes.
(It was www.VCRworld.com)
Think of the situations when you need to convey the spelling of your Url. It could be in spoken format (during a conversation, a phone call, in your voice mail) or printed format (on all your stationery). You want to make it as easy as possible for your customer to record it and to recall it later and, hopefully, to communicate it to others.
You need to avoid a name that is too long or one with confusing characters such as ‘~’ or ‘-’ or mixing ‘I’ with ‘1’ (And just how do you explain the tilde sign ‘~’ over the phone ?)
3. What are the benefits of a Domain Name ?
3.1. Portability
A domain name means that you are free to move to a different web host or ISP and leave the name unchanged.
Why would you want to move ?
Some of the reasons could be
- A better standard of support (quick response and competent replies to technical questions)
- Lower prices
- Faster connectivity to your site
- Better tools and features
Whatever the reason you are no longer tied to your old ISP.
3.2. A professional image for your company
Would you feel comfortable about ordering goods offline from a company based at
Flat 4a, Dodgy Street, Cheaptown
or about sending an order online to an Email address of perkins23@localisp.com , where there is no way of finding any information about the company such as the postal address.
Contrast this to ordering from sales@VCRworld.com where you have the option of obtaining company details through their registered domain name (via http://www.internic.net/whois.html).
Think of the credibility it lends to your company to have a name based on the business: contrast this to a cheap sounding name possibly hosted on a free site.
3.3. Ease of use for your customer
A well chosen domain name will be shorter to enter into a browser and easier to say over the phone or appear on a business card. In addition a customer may guess that your site name is www.[yourcompany].com and reach it successfully.
3.4. Submission to search engines
Some search engines may not accept submissions from free (non-domain) sites
4. How to register a Domain Name
Domain names can be registered through many different companies (known as "registrars") - a listing of these companies is available at ICANN: http://www.icann.org
You can register for 1 to 10 years - prices can vary anywhere between $10 to $20 per year.
Most Web Hosting companies will handle the registration process for you, but make sure that you are properly listed as the owner of the domain when it is registered.
5. How to choose a Web Host
If you have a business site on the web then you should aim for nothing less than a professional hosting site providing 24 hours support, who will give you a domain name - not one which incorporates their own name.
Although a domain name will simplify your move to another provider if you are not happy, it is best to choose right the first time. Technical features apart here is a useful rule for choosing any company which provides a service: ensure that their level of support is first rate.
Do not tolerate automated messages with false promises to respond in 24 hours. Ignore what they claim to achieve and prove it for yourself. Send in questions and observe the quality and speed of response.
6. How to transfer to a domain site
If you are moving from a non-domain site to a domain site, typically with a new provider, you will not want to lose all the traffic currently visiting your old site.
Such traffic is coming from, for example
- Other sites linking to yours
- Existing articles or sales letters submitted to newsgroups or forums
- Existing ads at other web sites
First, you change the individual pages on your old site to point to the new site.
For example,
“We have now moved to another site. Click here to visit new site”.
You can find which sites are linking to you, if they are registered in a given search engine, by searching for “link:old address”. You will then need to make contact with these sites and inform them of the new name.
However it is likely that there will still be unidentified sources conveying visitors to your site. What you can do is to ask the visitor where he heard about your site prior to redirecting him. A free gift may provide the incentive which provides this information.
Ideally you should have counters to tell you how many times your old pages are being accessed. Once you feel that no more traffic is reaching your old site or that it does not justify the cost of maintaining it you can cancel the original site. A final tip - depending on your relationship with your old provider there is no need to announce your intention to move until you are ready.
Don't miss Harvey's FREE book Guru Magic: the Internet marketing book with a UNIQUE twist
And there's more great articles, ideas and tips at the SuperTips website http://www.supertips.com/
| DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware. |
More Domain Name Tips Articles
More By Developer Shed
 developerWorks - FREE Tools!
|
Achieving true agility is a never-ending effort. We will showcase how you can become agile incrementally, a few practices at the time.Which practices should any agile team strive to adopt? What additional practices should you consider based on your needs to scale? Adopting practices are however made much easier with the right tool support. What about if your tools adapt to your practices? We will take a look at how the Jazz technology can be leveraged to make your process change the behavior of your tools.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
This whitepaper presents the benefits of successfully introducing static analysis into your organization using IBM Rational Software Analyzer. Additionally, it identifies some common pitfalls that can hinder the effective use of static analysis tooling as well as presents 10 simple strategies designed to help you quickly realize the value of static analysis using Rational Software Analyzer.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Visit IBM developerWorks to download a free trial version of Lotus Quickr 8.0, which enables collaboration by transforming the way everyday business content such as documents, rich media, photos, and video can be shared. Lotus Quickr makes it faster and easier to share content of all types (not just documents) within virtual teams. It is designed to make it easier to collaborate across organizational boundaries, while continuing to work within the context of familiar desktop applications.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Download a free trial version of IBM Rational Developer for System z, software that can help you deliver core development capabilities; the power of Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE); and rapid application development support to diverse enterprise application development teams. With comprehensive development tools to help create, deploy and maintain traditional enterprise and composite applications, Rational Developer for System z enables developers with different technical backgrounds to easily participate in important technology projects.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Join us for this web seminar to learn how you can defend your web applications from attack. Learn about the 3 most common web application attacks, including how they occur and what can be done to prevent them. We’ll also discuss manual versus automated approaches for scanning and identifying web application vulnerabilities and how IBM Rational AppScan, an automated vulnerability scanner, can help you automate more of what you are doing manually today.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
IBM Enterprise Modernization solutions help organizations evolve core IT systems towards modern architectures and technologies—reducing the burden of maintenance and freeing up resources to develop new business requirements and capabilities. With the IBM Enterprise Modernization Sandbox for System z you can evaluate IBM Enterprise Modernization solutions focused on five key areas: Assets, Architectures, Skills, Processes and Infrastructures, and Investment. Each solution is based upon real customer experiences and offers a proven path to get you started with your modernization projects.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Rational Modeling Extension for Microsoft .NET enhances usability for code generation supporting a more intelligent refactoring. The latest enhancements enable organizations with Java and .NET systems and software development maintain architectural integrity across heterogeneous platforms.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Join the IBM Watchfire team for an informative discussion on techniques and best practices to proactively manage Web application security and how to effectively build application security testing into the software development lifecycle (SDLC). In this Software Delivery Platform webcast you will learn: How to better understand potential web application security vulnerabilities, best practices and how to effectively integrate application security testing into the software development lifecycle, the importance of detecting and removing software vulnerabilities during application development.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
In this webcast, IBM Rational will discuss the importance of Web application security and will share techniques and best practices to introduce application security testing into current QA processes including: understanding common security vulnerabilities and techniques to integrate security testing with defect tracking and remediation systems in an effort to safeguard sensitive online information.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
IBM Lotus Notes 8 provides a wide range of developers the ability to provide customized, integrated user interfaces via composite applications and via custom sidebar and toolbar plug-ins. This webcast provides you with tips and techniques to use with out-of-the-box capabilities of Lotus Notes 8, and survey how you can share useful components within your own company and within a larger community.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
All FREE IBM® developerWorks Tools!
|
