What in the World is a Domain?

10/29/08 by admin | Online Biz Know How, Recent Posts | 1 Comment »

Before you can get started, your business needs a name. Yah, your business already has a “name”, but you need to get your identity online with what we call a “domain name”.

The domain name is simply a unique name that identifies your website. It usually contains two parts: the first part being your “desired or company name” with that being separated by the general name or extension such as .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz or even .tv. Actually, there are quite a few you can choose from now, but my advice is to always try to get your desired name followed by a .com and I’ll explain why in a little bit.

The Domain Registrar

In order to get your own domain name, you must use a Domain Registrar to register it. Domain registrars are companies that have the authority to lease domain names to individuals or companies. The annual fees can range usually starting around $6.95 and up depending on the registrar themselves, your chosen extension and any additional features you may choose to include such as private registrations.

You can also choose to register your domain name for more than 1 year at a time. By doing this you’ll get discount or bulk pricing.

GoDaddy.com
Godaddy is the one I typically use. They offer great customer service and support as well as an easy backend account center.

Choosing Your Name

The key to choosing a domain name is to make it simple and as short as possible. You want it to be something that is easily remembered. Example, if your company name is XYZ Bottles Inc. You could try xyzbottlesinc.com or xyzbottles.com.

Your company name is your “Brand”, but sometimes it’s not an available domain name (someone else has already registered it) so you have a few options.

• You could hyphenate your name (xyz-bottles.com)
• You could try a different extension (xyzbottles.net, .org, etc)
• Or you could check the Whois database to see who owns the name currently and when it expires, then contact the owner to see if they are willing to sell that domain name. This can be a costly option as in-demand names can range into the thousands.

Remember, this is important to get right from the start because once you get your website up and start marketing, you don’t want to be worried about moving it to a new domain down the road.

Which Extension Should You Chose

As I said earlier, you want to try to get the .com extension if you can. The reason? Well, .com is the most popular and widely recognized extension there is. People searching for your site directly will tend to automatically add the .com mainly out of habit and could end up on someone else’s website (your competition perhaps!). So try every combination with the .com before moving on to another extension.

If you can afford to purchase more than one domain name, why not safeguard your domain by purchasing it in more than one such as xyzbottles.net, .org, .ca, etc then re-direct the other domains back to your primary website. This will mean that no matter what extension your customers type in, they will always end up on your website rather than someone else’s.

I’ll explain “How” to do this further on when we get into the hosting section, but it’s something to keep in mind when purchasing your domain name now.

Private Registrations

Private registrations will shield your personal information from prying eyes and cut down some of the spam you tend to receive. I personally will spend the extra to have this protection and have noticed a huge difference in my inbox since doing so.

When you purchase your domain name, you’ll be offered this service before the final payment is required.

What About Free Servers?

Many free servers or hosting services will offer you a domain name included with your hosting account. The name is usually a desired name under their own domain name such as http://desiredname.their_server.com or http://www.their_server.com/desiredname/. Not only will this hurt your credibility and professionalism in the eyes of potential customers, free hosting services also often impose a ton of pop-ups and advertisements which as you probably already know is an extreme annoyance.

Now-a-days you can find reliable hosting for a nominal monthly fee that will allow you not only the freedom to use your own domain name, but also the flexibility to add anything you like to your own server space. We’ll discuss hosting options shortly, but for now, you really should avoid these services if you can.

What Should You Do Now?

Head on over to GoDaddy.com and click on “Domains”.

You’ll see a box where you can enter your desired name and chose the extension, then click ok and it will tell you whether or not your domain name is available as well as offer other suggestions that may work for you.

Have fun and play around with the different names. But spend some serious time on this to make sure you get the domain name that best represents your company now and in the future.

Hopefully I’ve covered everything here, but if you still have questions, please ask away by replying to this post and I’ll do my best to help you out.

Toresa:)

Do I Need a Website for My Business?

10/04/08 by admin | Recent Posts | 13 Comments »

The face of business is changing rapidly and in order for your business to stay competitive, you really should consider a website of some sort.

It doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated. A simple website with even 5 basic pages offering information about your company, products and contact information can greatly improve your standing in the business community.

Today, more and more people are searching the internet for products or services rather than flipping through the yellow pages. They want more information, quickly and will base their decisions on what they find online. Many don’t want to have to call for information when other companies will provide them enough information online to make informative choices before choosing to become a customer.

Beyond the basic benefits a website can offer your business, it also provides a means of interacting with your potential customers allowing you to build a more personal relationship.

Offering your customers free, quality information about the industry, or your products and services, establishes yourself and your company as an expert which in turn builds that trust and confidence.

People are more likely to purchase from those they feel they know and trust. A website can easily help you build your own company up in the minds of potential customers and therefore, they will be more likely to use your services above your competitors.

Here’s a few ideas you can use to establish your company in the minds of your potential customers:

Quality, Informative Information…FREE

Whether you offer it in the form of articles or a gift for subscribing to your newsletter, giving your visitors great information that will teach them about your products is very powerful.

Email Newsletters

You can send out a newsletter via email at regular intervals that will not only keep your company in the forefront of their minds, but will also work towards building a relationship and make your potential customers see you as someone they know and trust.

You can easily add an email capture form on your site so visitors can sign up for your newsletter even if they don’t buy anything. This will allow you to keep in touch with them long after they’ve left your website.

And, don’t forget your current customers…they are great repeat customers! Keep them up-to-date and informed and you’ll be surprised how many will buy from you or use your services over and over again.

Save a Tree!

Do you have brochures, manuals or flyers? Do you spend a fortune having them printed? By creating them in pdf format, you could allow both current and potential customers to download this material to their own computers. This would save you money as well as provide a convenient way for your customers to access information instantly.

Automate your Business

If you have products you can ship out, your site could become an automated salesman. Orders, payments and shipping arrangements can all be done automatically so all you need to focus on is packaging and shipping your products out to the customers.

Customer Service is Key

How about customer service? You could offer live help or email support from your website that can allow visitors to ask pre-sale questions or receive help instantly and easily.

These are just a few of the ways you can utilize the online arena. You can take advantage of the many available resources the internet offers and you’ll see a huge difference in your business both offline and online.

The benefits of having your own website is vast, and your website designer should be able to help you choose not only the best platform for your site, but also offer solutions based on your business needs.