Buying
Domain Name
Why You Need A Domain Name
On the World Wide Web your domain name
is your own unique identity. No two parties can ever hold the same domain
name simultaneously; therefore your Internet identity is totally unique.
If you have a business site on the Internet your domain name is your own
online brand and in a sense you can use your domain name as your online
business card. With your own domain name your web site, and e-mail addresses
for example will have that professional look, being unique to your business.
Many people often miss the importance of having and then keeping their
domain name until they lose it. Once this happens they
soon realize that they have lost their whole online identity.
How does a domain name work? To understand
why you need a domain name you first need to know how a domain name works.
A domain name is an addressing construct,
used for finding and identifying computers on the Internet. Computers
use Internet Protocol (IP) Addresses, which are a series of numbers used
to identify each other on the Internet; however, many people find it hard
to remember IP Addresses. Because of this, domain names were developed
so that easily remembered names and phrases could be used to identify
entities in the Internet instead of using an IP Address.
For example, the domain name M6.net
identifies the company M6.net. When a user types the domain name M6.net
in their browser or sends an email to M6.net, the Domain Name System (DNS)
will translate the domain name into IP numbers. These are then used by
the Internet to connect the user to M6.net’s web
presence.
What should I use as a domain name?
You can use a word or phrase as a domain name. When thinking of a domain
name, think of catchy words or phrases that are easy to remember and that
will bring more traffic to your site. Try to use a domain name that is
relevant to your web site. If your web site is a business
site, it is a good idea to use the companies name as the domain name or
if your site is a personal site try to think of a domain name that is
related to the topic of your web site.
Also try to keep your domain name as
short as possible, around 5 to 20 characters is fine. The shorter the
domain name the easier it will be to remember.
One thing to keep in mind is assumed
spelling issues; if you think up a ‘clever’ domain name such
as 1luv4u.com – One Love For You (dating service), people may type
in oneloveforyou.com believing this is the domain name; or oneluv4u.com,
or 1love4you.com etc. This leads to brand problems. In this case the “oneloveforyou.com”
name would be best. Another unfortunate example: Flo Office Supplies –
flooffice.com?
How do I acquire a domain name? There
are two main ways you can get a domain name. You can either register your
domain name yourself or you can get your web host or ISP (Internet Service
Provider) to register it for you.
To register a domain name yourself
you will need to choose a Registrar. A Registrar is an ICANN accredited
domain registration company. There are hundreds of Registrars on the Internet
nowadays. The market is becoming increasingly competitive; which means
that you can purchase domains names for a low yearly fee.
Most web hosting companies will offer
domain registration services to their clients. When you register a domain
name through a web host they will register your domain name for you through
their own approved registrar. An advantage to having your web host register
your domain name for you is that, they have probably done this process
many times before; they have all the necessary information ready at hand.
This process will save you time and, as long as you give the ‘correct’
domain name desired, there will be no unfamiliar dealings with Registrars.
Why should I keep my domain name registered?
If you loose your domain name you can loose your whole online identity.
Because you can only register a domain
name for a year or so, you will need to make sure that you renew it before
the expiry date. Once your domain name expires you will no longer own
that domain name. Your Registrar will then own it and be able to sell
your domain name to the highest bidder. To make sure you don’t loose
your domain name you will need to make sure you renew your domain name
at least two weeks before it expires.
Also make sure that your information
is registered properly, especially if you didn’t register your domain
name yourself. Ensure that your information is displayed as the registrant,
administrative and billing contacts; most importantly make sure that the
email addresses for these contacts are ACTIVE. When you receive any information
about your domain name, such as renewals, price changes, etc… an
email will be sent to this email address. If you can’t receive any
mail from the email addresses listed under the domain names contact then
you are at risk of not receiving important notifications about your domain
names, which could result in loosing your domain name.
People often miss the importance of
having their own unique domain name for their web sites. A domain name
represents you, your company and your online presence; as does a ‘business
card’. If you don’t have your own domain name you won’t
be able to promote your own online identity and web site on the World
Wide Web.
Written by Candice Humbley http://m6.net
Fast, reliable and affordable Windows 2000 web farm hosting.
About the author:
M6.net is your No.1 provider of website web hosting on Windows 2000. The
lowest priced web hosting accounts with multiple websites and multiple
SQL Server databases per web account makes M6.net unbeatable value for
your web hosting needs - save $100's of per month.
|
Home
Website
Hosts
