When it comes to domain name registration, you'll never run short on choices. Domain registrars all differ in many respects, including their cost, features, customer service, and other factors. Yahoo Domains is one of the most popular registrars in the world because it offers many advantages and unique features.
Using Yahoo Domains, you can register as many names as you like. When it's time to add content, they will help you set up your site from scratch in simple and easy steps. There are site builders and tutorials available to walk you through the whole process of setting up a site, regardless of your previous knowledge of web design.
Not all registrars offer all domain extensions, such as .info., tv., .name, .fm, and others. Yahoo Domains offers all currently available domain extensions. While currently unregistered domain names can be registered for $9.95 annually, you can also register premium domain names at varying costs. Premium domains include domain names that are high value, and owned by a reseller who makes them available through brokers such as Yahoo.
Since Yahoo is one of the most established names on the Internet, and provides a number of unique and robust technologies to users, you can be confident that they can be a comprehensive, full service solution for your business needs - from domain registration to search engine marketing ad campaigns.
If you are looking for a reliable domain name registration service equipped with important, valuable features, and trusted customer service, Yahoo Domains is a perfect choice.
Benefits of Yahoo Domain Registration
If you're like many business owners, you want to get a web presence, but aren't entirely sure how the whole process works.
The first step is to find and register a domain name for your business. You may use Yahoo every day to search the Web, and fortunately, they've also made domain registration very simple. Yahoo Domains is popular among website owners all over the world because of the Internet giant's reliability and cost effectiveness. Yahoo also offers private registration, which allows you to hide your personal information from spammers and other malicious Web users who mine the domain registration (WHOIS) database for personal information.
When you register a domain name with Yahoo Domains, they also provide services to guide you through the process of building a standard website or an e-commerce site.
For important sites you don't want to leave to chance, Yahoo domain registration includes security measures to help prevent domain hijacking and other forms of abuse. You can also be assured that your private information will not be shared with third parties or individuals wanting to buy your registered domain name.
The domain name you choose is critical. It should be concise, memorable, and represent your business well. Unfortunately, many domain names are already registered by other site owners. In cases like this, Yahoo's domain registration process assists you in selecting an appropriate domain name for your site or business by suggesting available domain names based on slight variations of your initial request.
Even if you are on a limited budget, Yahoo domains are affordable, costing less than $20 per year for all top security and customer service features.
Affordability, security, reliability, and great support make Yahoo domains an excellent choice for small businesses and even non-commercial site owners.
The first step is to find and register a domain name for your business. You may use Yahoo every day to search the Web, and fortunately, they've also made domain registration very simple. Yahoo Domains is popular among website owners all over the world because of the Internet giant's reliability and cost effectiveness. Yahoo also offers private registration, which allows you to hide your personal information from spammers and other malicious Web users who mine the domain registration (WHOIS) database for personal information.
When you register a domain name with Yahoo Domains, they also provide services to guide you through the process of building a standard website or an e-commerce site.
For important sites you don't want to leave to chance, Yahoo domain registration includes security measures to help prevent domain hijacking and other forms of abuse. You can also be assured that your private information will not be shared with third parties or individuals wanting to buy your registered domain name.
The domain name you choose is critical. It should be concise, memorable, and represent your business well. Unfortunately, many domain names are already registered by other site owners. In cases like this, Yahoo's domain registration process assists you in selecting an appropriate domain name for your site or business by suggesting available domain names based on slight variations of your initial request.
Even if you are on a limited budget, Yahoo domains are affordable, costing less than $20 per year for all top security and customer service features.
Affordability, security, reliability, and great support make Yahoo domains an excellent choice for small businesses and even non-commercial site owners.
Why the Domain Yahoo is So Popular
The domain yahoo is one of the most popular in the world and it has become a market leader by providing the much needed access to many services for the customers. The first thing you can benefit from it is the establishment of an email ID which will go long way in launching you into a world where communication can happens with ease. You can open your communication links through the yahoo messenger and other benefits are having your own space for albums and have your file storage in which you can review them from any place. You can get a domain and begin the process of having your own web site.
Yahoo has therefore brought and continues to bring a world of difference by providing the free services. Through domain yahoo you will get to see all the products that provided and above the mentioned products are yahoo widgets, yahoo travel, yahoo tool bar, yahoo small business, yahoo shopping, yahoo search, yahoo real estate, yahoo photos, yahoo music, yahoo mobile, yahoo message board, yahoo local, yahoo groups, yahoo finance, yahoo bookmarks, yahoo autos, yahoo 360 and so many other products. Yahoo also provides another vital service pertaining to domains. Domain locking is the prevention of unauthorized transfers to another registrar. Domains that are registered through yahoo can access this service.
You can get access to so much more information through domain yahoo and some of the most common questions that are asked are on how to lock and unlock your domain and the effects of locking. People also want to know how to create a domain name and yahoo has all the information for you to read. Firstly, a good domain name according to yahoo should be clear and simple. People should not have trouble remembering it and, it should show the kind of business you do. Domain names are therefore very vital and to come up with a unique address, you need to spend some time and make sure you have the right name. Remember that domains should contain letters, numbers and hyphens.
You are advised to re angle your domain name if you find that it is already in use. It is also good to think of where you register the domain and make sure that it serves your purpose. At domain yahoo, you will find a private domain registration which will help you safeguard your personal information from the public. This is because many domain owners have their contact details exposed to the public because the information is required by the internet governing body. But, yahoo will make sure that before people access your information, you are first alerted by their business partner Melbourne IT. You will be overwhelmed by the possibilities yahoo has to offer. Take sometime and read about the domain and discover so much more, you will find a service you are looking for with ease. The name will continue to break new grounds as it becomes more and more popular to many customers.
Yahoo has therefore brought and continues to bring a world of difference by providing the free services. Through domain yahoo you will get to see all the products that provided and above the mentioned products are yahoo widgets, yahoo travel, yahoo tool bar, yahoo small business, yahoo shopping, yahoo search, yahoo real estate, yahoo photos, yahoo music, yahoo mobile, yahoo message board, yahoo local, yahoo groups, yahoo finance, yahoo bookmarks, yahoo autos, yahoo 360 and so many other products. Yahoo also provides another vital service pertaining to domains. Domain locking is the prevention of unauthorized transfers to another registrar. Domains that are registered through yahoo can access this service.
You can get access to so much more information through domain yahoo and some of the most common questions that are asked are on how to lock and unlock your domain and the effects of locking. People also want to know how to create a domain name and yahoo has all the information for you to read. Firstly, a good domain name according to yahoo should be clear and simple. People should not have trouble remembering it and, it should show the kind of business you do. Domain names are therefore very vital and to come up with a unique address, you need to spend some time and make sure you have the right name. Remember that domains should contain letters, numbers and hyphens.
You are advised to re angle your domain name if you find that it is already in use. It is also good to think of where you register the domain and make sure that it serves your purpose. At domain yahoo, you will find a private domain registration which will help you safeguard your personal information from the public. This is because many domain owners have their contact details exposed to the public because the information is required by the internet governing body. But, yahoo will make sure that before people access your information, you are first alerted by their business partner Melbourne IT. You will be overwhelmed by the possibilities yahoo has to offer. Take sometime and read about the domain and discover so much more, you will find a service you are looking for with ease. The name will continue to break new grounds as it becomes more and more popular to many customers.
A Look At The Domains Yahoo Provides
When you are thinking domains, you are thinking of a unique name the the world will come to appreciate from yahoo. A domain name is a marketing address that you use to announce yourself to the world. Yahoo is the domain name for the website and it comes with an extension .com which means commercial. There are other extensions and they include .net, .info, .us and so many others. A good domain name is vital because it will not only enhance your personal life but, it will reflect in business. Excellent domain names have brought several things to companies to enhance business. They have built undisputed credibility with the customers and clients have come to know that the domain name stands for something concrete.
Domains yahoo have helped in the progression of marketing products and as a result, more people have been drawn in because they have gotten curious. Domains yahoo have also helped to create and protect the business brands and competitors have recognized it as a formidable force. Consumers can benefit greatly from very good domain names because it will describe what they are all about. From domains yahoo, you will know exactly what it takes to create a good domain. There are therefore several tips you need to employ to achieve these great domain names. Firstly, a good domain name must reflect the nature of business that you do or have the topic that it is about on the foreground.
A good domain name should have simplicity. It should be clear and concise because there are many people who come up with unique names and they cannot even remember them let alone spell them. A good domain name should not have any symbols or spaces and it should only have hyphens, numbers or letters. Hyphens and abbreviations help if the first choice was not available for your use. Another thing that can help is rearranging the words to come up with another combination. The purpose of having a domain name is to have a website and you can have domains from yahoo. You need to search for domains yahoo and follow every step and instructions in order for you to start your own site.
If you are going to do this, it will be vital for you to know what is a private domain registration. When you have a domain name from yahoo, you will also give your contact details and domain name and you do not have to put the information for the public to see. You can conceal this information with yahoo private domain registration. You will learn more details on the site. Other things you will learn about domains yahoo include registering a new domain, domain forwarding, starter web page, sub domains, using an existing domain and so much more. Therefore, if you do not have an idea what it takes to establish a good site, this information is for you and there is so much to learn. Do not forget to have fun while learning, this is the only sure way to ensure you get everything in.
Domains yahoo have helped in the progression of marketing products and as a result, more people have been drawn in because they have gotten curious. Domains yahoo have also helped to create and protect the business brands and competitors have recognized it as a formidable force. Consumers can benefit greatly from very good domain names because it will describe what they are all about. From domains yahoo, you will know exactly what it takes to create a good domain. There are therefore several tips you need to employ to achieve these great domain names. Firstly, a good domain name must reflect the nature of business that you do or have the topic that it is about on the foreground.
A good domain name should have simplicity. It should be clear and concise because there are many people who come up with unique names and they cannot even remember them let alone spell them. A good domain name should not have any symbols or spaces and it should only have hyphens, numbers or letters. Hyphens and abbreviations help if the first choice was not available for your use. Another thing that can help is rearranging the words to come up with another combination. The purpose of having a domain name is to have a website and you can have domains from yahoo. You need to search for domains yahoo and follow every step and instructions in order for you to start your own site.
If you are going to do this, it will be vital for you to know what is a private domain registration. When you have a domain name from yahoo, you will also give your contact details and domain name and you do not have to put the information for the public to see. You can conceal this information with yahoo private domain registration. You will learn more details on the site. Other things you will learn about domains yahoo include registering a new domain, domain forwarding, starter web page, sub domains, using an existing domain and so much more. Therefore, if you do not have an idea what it takes to establish a good site, this information is for you and there is so much to learn. Do not forget to have fun while learning, this is the only sure way to ensure you get everything in.
How to Buy a Domain Name - Important Information
Choose a domain name that would catch your attention if you saw it anywhere. Choose something that would make you click on if for further information.
Whether you need a domain name for a business or just for a hobby website, it is very important to choose one that can work best for your cause. Most people spend very little time in choosing the right domain name. Investing a little extra time in this area can assist you to get more traffic to your website.
Choose a domain name that best describes the main theme of your website. For example: If you are in some form of business then choose something that would offer some kind of glimpse into your service or theme. Let's say you are in the furniture business. Choose something like bestvaluefurniture.com if you offer discount furniture. Choose something like classyhomefurnishings.com if you have expensive or quality furniture.
To get really good domains that are very reliable go to Yahoo Domains. Yahoo is very reliable & affordable. Yahoo is very easy to set up & use. I would definitely recommend them for the novice internet user. Go Daddy is another highly recommended domains seller. You can't go wrong with either choice.
You should pay no more than $9.95 per year %2B an additional cost for privatizing the domain name. It should cost you around $20 per year for a private domain (total). Privatizing is very important because it keeps your personal information private from spammers who look up domain owners in various Who is searches. They can get information on anything from where you live to your email address & phone number in un-privatized domains. It is definitely worth the extra 10 bucks per year.
You can also look up domains that have been abandoned by previous owners. These domains can be like gold because the past owners may have put in a great deal of effort in getting web traffic before they decided to pack in for what ever reason. These types of domains should only be considered if you already have an existing domain name. It is sometimes very time consuming & costly to pick up one of these. The price tag is usually a lot higher than a brand new domain name.
If you follow the steps above, you will be pumping in a lot of traffic in no time. Have as much fun with it as you can & try to keep it original.
Happy Hunting!
Whether you need a domain name for a business or just for a hobby website, it is very important to choose one that can work best for your cause. Most people spend very little time in choosing the right domain name. Investing a little extra time in this area can assist you to get more traffic to your website.
Choose a domain name that best describes the main theme of your website. For example: If you are in some form of business then choose something that would offer some kind of glimpse into your service or theme. Let's say you are in the furniture business. Choose something like bestvaluefurniture.com if you offer discount furniture. Choose something like classyhomefurnishings.com if you have expensive or quality furniture.
To get really good domains that are very reliable go to Yahoo Domains. Yahoo is very reliable & affordable. Yahoo is very easy to set up & use. I would definitely recommend them for the novice internet user. Go Daddy is another highly recommended domains seller. You can't go wrong with either choice.
You should pay no more than $9.95 per year %2B an additional cost for privatizing the domain name. It should cost you around $20 per year for a private domain (total). Privatizing is very important because it keeps your personal information private from spammers who look up domain owners in various Who is searches. They can get information on anything from where you live to your email address & phone number in un-privatized domains. It is definitely worth the extra 10 bucks per year.
You can also look up domains that have been abandoned by previous owners. These domains can be like gold because the past owners may have put in a great deal of effort in getting web traffic before they decided to pack in for what ever reason. These types of domains should only be considered if you already have an existing domain name. It is sometimes very time consuming & costly to pick up one of these. The price tag is usually a lot higher than a brand new domain name.
If you follow the steps above, you will be pumping in a lot of traffic in no time. Have as much fun with it as you can & try to keep it original.
Happy Hunting!
Domain Names 101.9 - Net Real Estate
Domain Names 101.1: What Is A Domain Name?
A domain name is simply another name for your website url, or website address. For example: "www.domainname101.ca". < This is a domain name. If you own a website, whatever your website is called, this is classified as your domain name. When people ask you, "what is the website address?", they could also say "what is the domain name?".
Domain Names 101.2: How To Buy A Domain Name?
There are many companies out there that offer great domain name registry services for a great price. If your paying somewhere between $20, to $30, to $40 per domain, you're getting ripped off. The average price you should be paying for registering a domain name is around $10-$15 per year, per domain.
Step 1) You must search for an available name to buy:
Here are a couple of companies I would recommend to anyone.
* www.godaddy.com - Always have great deals.
* www.domainsatcost.com / or .ca - Great support & reasonable prices.
* www.afternic.com - Buy & sell "used" domains.
* www.netfirms.ca - Well established registar company.
Once you visit these websites you will need to look for their "search function" in order to search to see if the domain name you want is available for purchase. Within some industries like the real estate industry, you might have to search for hours before you find a suitable domain name for your business. Try mixing up the name in different variations, for example:
In this example I will use "Domain Names" for my search
* myDomainName.com
* DomainNames.com
* Domain-Names.com
* findDomains.com
* searchDomainNames.com
* Domainworld.com
* Domainuniverse.com
* localDomains.com
As you can see, I've tried to mix up the words "Domain Names" as much as possible. In fact, there are many companies world wide that are deciding the name for their business by the availability of domain names. Sounds funny doesn't it? Just try searching for a domain name for "Web Design". You might be there for hours. It may take you a few weeks to find the right domain name for your business. Once you find it, buy it!
In the past, I used to recommend to my clients that they hold off on registering their business name before searching for a domain name. Domain names are valuable net-real-estate and shouldn't be taken lightly.
Things To Avoid When Searching For A Domain Name:
* 1) Avoid a lengthy domain: There's nothing worst when you see someone with a domain that is way too long like; www.this-is-my-domain-name-for-sale.com . Try asking your clients to type that one in!!! The smaller your domain is, the easier it is to remember, and the less of a chance you have of someone miss typing your domain when trying to visit your website.
* 2) Avoid dashes if possible: Dashes are fairly new to the domain world. Most people don't think about using dashes when typing a domain name for example; www.domain-name.com. If you do use a dash, make sure to keep it to 2 words only, no more.
* 3) Avoid domains where .com .ca .net and .biz are already taken: I made this mistake when I started out. I desperately wanted Smartads.info because smartads.com was taken. Over the years, I've had numerous people tell me that they couldn't find my company, or they didn't think I was in California. Many clients of mine were never able to remember that my domain was smartads.INFO. On top of that, I'm sure my efforts over the years have brought smartads.com a huge amount of traffic to their website from people searching online thinking it was my business they where visiting.
Domain Names 101.3: How Long Should I Buy My Domain For?
Most people register domain names for only 1 year. This is a big mistake for a couple of reasons:
1) The internet is full of scammers online who register a domain name for 1 year in order to spam, and scam as much as possible until moving onto another domain. At the same time, most companies rise and fall within 1 year. Because of this, Google and other top search engines look at this and weigh a domain name higher if the owner registers a domain name for more than 1 year. In fact, I recommend that you max out your domain name to a 10 year ownership if possible. This will tell search engines who are looking into it that you mean business, and that you're here to stay.
2) People all over the internet register their domains for 1 year and sometimes forget to renew their domain when the renewal is due. There are companies out there that have lost their domains from a service called "domain back-ordering" were an individual can order a back-order on a specific domain claiming ownership for that domain if it goes up for sale. This is a serious matter, I've lost 2 important domains because of this. Trust me, this is one mistake I will never make again. If you go on vacation, or don't pay attention, and you happen to miss the domain renewal date, someone might snatch your domain right from under your nose.
If your budget permits it, always try to max out the number of years you can buy your domain for. This way you'll ensure that you have that domain for a very long time.
Domain Names 101.4: What is A Domain Name Extension?
An extension is the 2, or 3 digits after your name for example; www.domainname.COM. For a long time .COM was the only extension a person, or business could use. Nowadays, there are many extensions meaning different things, let's take a look at the available extensions, and see what they stand for:
* .Com - Universal (Commercial)
* .Net - Network
* .Biz - Business
* .Org - Non-Profit
* .Info - Information
* .Tv - Television
* .Ws - Web Site
* .Coop - Business Cooperatives
* .Name - Personal Use
* .Pro - Professionals
* .museum - Museum (Sources of information)
* .travel - Travel Industry
* .Us - United States
* .Ca - Canada
* .Uk - United Kingdom
To view all the domain extensions for each COUNTRTY, go here for the master list:
http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/topleveldomains/countrycodeA-E.asp
These extensions are reserved, and cannot be bought for personal use:
* .Gov - Government
* .Edu - Education
* .Mil - Military
Domain Names 101.5: How To Protect Your Domain Name?
This topic is a very serious issue and should NOT be taken lightly. 100's of companies across the globe are being used, abused, and scammed. The reason for this is because the owner of the domain name is sometimes NOT the real owner. If you pay for a service from your web development company that includes; your website, your hosting service, and your domain name, take action right away and make sure that YOU own the domain name rights. Many web design companies out there are registering their client's domain names for them which can ultimately give them all rights and privileges to that domain name. When a web design company registers your domain for you, they can change the ownership to them, not you without you knowing about it. If you fail to pay for their services for any reason, they can then go back and take down your website, and control who uses the domain name. I've had so many calls asking for help with their domain name because their web design company won't change the ownership for them. If your in this situation, you have a couple of options:
* Give up now and start fresh
* If the domain is valuable, take them to court right away
* Contact www.tucows.com with proof of purchase
* Perform a "WHOIS" lookup on the domain name (Which tells you who owns the domain name)
o Go to www.whois.net and enter your domain name
o Save and print any information listed there
Also, try to avoid ANY company that you don't recognize either by mail, or by email that states that you need to re-register your domain name before it expires. Do not trust any organization you don't recognize. There are a number of companies that pool into the domain name data base in order to fish out suckers that might need to register their domains for another year very soon. I've gotten numerous direct mail stating that my domain is up for renewal, one of them even demanded $800 to renew my domain name. As you might know, I called this company and had a few words with them.
Prevention:
The number 1 preventative action you can take, is by holding control over your domain name. Make sure to register the domain name yourself, once you have all control yourself, then hire a web design company. Do NOT give them access to it unless you really trust them. If you do give them access to your domain manager in order to point your domain name to your hosting services, try to immediately change the password after the service is complete. NEVER give out your password for your domain manager to anyone unless you really have to.
I'll put it another way: Would you give the combination to your safe to anyone? This situation is exactly the same. Control over your domain name is sometimes as serious as controlling your business.
Domain Names 101.6: What Is A Sub-Domain?
Sub-domains are exactly that. http://sub.domainname.com. Sub-domains are typically used to separate a section of your content online to target a specific area. Sub domains are also used to store information that you want no one to see. Yahoo is a great example of using sub-domains. When you go to the "Canada" side of Yahoo, you're actually going to http://ca.yahoo.com/. "ca" for Canada .yahoo.com. This helps them to separate all information for their Canadian website.
Domain Names 101.7: How To Forward A Domain Name?
Domain name forwarding can be a useful tool to use. Again, I will use Yahoo for the best example of this. I just mentioned to you how Yahoo! uses a sub-domain "ca.yahoo.com" for the Canadian content side of their website. Most people don't know about going directly to ca.yahoo.com, most people associate Canada with the extension .CA. Yahoo uses this knowledge by registering www.Yahoo.CA and forwarding the domain name to > ca.yahoo.com. Try it out yourself, in your browser address bar, type in www.yahoo.ca and see where it takes you.
Sometimes you need to protect your name by registering different domain name extensions, if you don't want to build a website for each extension, and you don't want each extension to go to a blank page, simply forward your other domain names to your main website. Another method of forwarding is by registering domain names that have a small spelling mistake which people might make all the time. Spelling mistakes are common, people are ultimately human. I know of some companies that register domain names with their company name, but that have spelling mistakes in them. They then forward > these domains with spelling errors to their main website. This ensures that there's no loss of potential business.
Usually you can forward a domain name within your domain manager from the company you registered the domain name with.
Domain Names 101.8: How To Setup Your Domain Name?
This section above all has baffled a lot of people. Many of you might think that by registering a domain name, you can now show your website. This cannot be farther from the truth. Sure, you just registered a domain name, but your domain is like having an address without a house. In order to have the house, you need to have a "hosting service" in place. Without getting into what is a hosting service, I will tell you this; A hosting services is basically a "holding place" for your website files so that people can see your website online. Hosting is storage for your website. Your domain name needs to point to that storing place in order for the general public to view your website files.
If you don't have any hosting services in place, try searching for (depending on your needs):
* Small business hosting services
* Affordable hosting services
* Secure hosting services
* eCommerce hosting services
* Dedicated hosting services
Changing The DNS:
Once your hosting is setup, now you need to point your domain name to your hosting services(storage). We do this by changing the "DNS" Domain Name Servers that tell the internet were to look for your hosting service.
Step 1) You need to find out the "addresses" to your hosting service, they usually go like so: dns1.hostingservice.com, dns2.hostingservice.com. If you don't know where to find the DNS addresses, simply contact your hosting service for them. This is typically the #1 reason why your web design company needs access to your domain manager. They need to get in and update the DNS addresses in order to point your domain name to their hosting service. I highly recommend that you learn how to do it yourself in order to keep control over who uses your domain name.
Step 2) Within your domain name manager, you'll need to look for a link that should say; Change DNS, Update DNS, Manage Domain, etc. Once you find this area, simply type in, or paste the 2 DNS addresses within slot #1 and, slot #2. Click on the update, change, or submit button. That's it. Within 24-48 hours, your domain name should be pointed to your hosting service.
If you have any problems with this step, simply contact your hosting service provider, or contact your web design company in charge of your website.
Remember, if you give someone access to change the DNS for your domain name(s), make sure to change the password for your domain name manager right away to ensure security over your domain name(s).
Domain Names 101.9: How To Protect Your Company Name Online?
This step is not needed for all companies, but if you plan to do all of your business online, this may save your company name later on. Branding online is very important. If by chance you do become very popular, there are going to be individuals who are going to try to use your success for their own advantage. When I started out, "Smartads" wasn't a word that was really well known. Over the years, companies have been popping up with "Smartads Banners Ads", "Smartads This", and "Smartads That". They did this because I didn't secure all of the domain name extensions across the board.
If you're just starting out, and you're very serious about big business online, I recommend that you search for a domain name that has most extensions available, for example:
Make sure that these extensions are available...
* .com
* .whatever your country is (Ex. .CA for Canada, or .US for USA)
* .net
* .biz
* .org
* .info
* .name
If all of these extensions are available for your business name, make sure to buy them all!!! Use .com as your main website, and forward the other domains to .com. Trust me, this will help to protect your branding online by not allowing for Joe Shmo's to take your good name and use it for themselves. If you truly have a big budget, and your business has offices across the globe, make sure to buy all the domain names that you can, including every country extension your business operates in.
Some people online might advise you not to buy all of the above extensions, but I want you to think of this. Let's say years down the road your company launches a new amazing product or service, and you need to build a new website for it, you now have the ability to use one of your domain names to illustrate this new product or services and keep your company branding tight!
In Conclusion:
A domain name is your website address. You can buy domain names from domain register companies. Make sure to max out the amount of years you claim ownership for your domain name to 10 years. Avoid using lengthy domains, or too many dashes. Learn about the domain name extensions and see if they apply to you. Protect control over your domain to avoid loosing it later on. Use sub-domains to illustrate different content not related to your main content. Forward other domain names if needed until you want to use them. Setup your domain name by getting a hosting service to store your website files, and change the DNS info to point your domain to your hosting services. Protect your company branding by buying up all the extensions possible for your domain to prevent anyone from using them against you.
A domain name is simply another name for your website url, or website address. For example: "www.domainname101.ca". < This is a domain name. If you own a website, whatever your website is called, this is classified as your domain name. When people ask you, "what is the website address?", they could also say "what is the domain name?".
Domain Names 101.2: How To Buy A Domain Name?
There are many companies out there that offer great domain name registry services for a great price. If your paying somewhere between $20, to $30, to $40 per domain, you're getting ripped off. The average price you should be paying for registering a domain name is around $10-$15 per year, per domain.
Step 1) You must search for an available name to buy:
Here are a couple of companies I would recommend to anyone.
* www.godaddy.com - Always have great deals.
* www.domainsatcost.com / or .ca - Great support & reasonable prices.
* www.afternic.com - Buy & sell "used" domains.
* www.netfirms.ca - Well established registar company.
Once you visit these websites you will need to look for their "search function" in order to search to see if the domain name you want is available for purchase. Within some industries like the real estate industry, you might have to search for hours before you find a suitable domain name for your business. Try mixing up the name in different variations, for example:
In this example I will use "Domain Names" for my search
* myDomainName.com
* DomainNames.com
* Domain-Names.com
* findDomains.com
* searchDomainNames.com
* Domainworld.com
* Domainuniverse.com
* localDomains.com
As you can see, I've tried to mix up the words "Domain Names" as much as possible. In fact, there are many companies world wide that are deciding the name for their business by the availability of domain names. Sounds funny doesn't it? Just try searching for a domain name for "Web Design". You might be there for hours. It may take you a few weeks to find the right domain name for your business. Once you find it, buy it!
In the past, I used to recommend to my clients that they hold off on registering their business name before searching for a domain name. Domain names are valuable net-real-estate and shouldn't be taken lightly.
Things To Avoid When Searching For A Domain Name:
* 1) Avoid a lengthy domain: There's nothing worst when you see someone with a domain that is way too long like; www.this-is-my-domain-name-for-sale.com . Try asking your clients to type that one in!!! The smaller your domain is, the easier it is to remember, and the less of a chance you have of someone miss typing your domain when trying to visit your website.
* 2) Avoid dashes if possible: Dashes are fairly new to the domain world. Most people don't think about using dashes when typing a domain name for example; www.domain-name.com. If you do use a dash, make sure to keep it to 2 words only, no more.
* 3) Avoid domains where .com .ca .net and .biz are already taken: I made this mistake when I started out. I desperately wanted Smartads.info because smartads.com was taken. Over the years, I've had numerous people tell me that they couldn't find my company, or they didn't think I was in California. Many clients of mine were never able to remember that my domain was smartads.INFO. On top of that, I'm sure my efforts over the years have brought smartads.com a huge amount of traffic to their website from people searching online thinking it was my business they where visiting.
Domain Names 101.3: How Long Should I Buy My Domain For?
Most people register domain names for only 1 year. This is a big mistake for a couple of reasons:
1) The internet is full of scammers online who register a domain name for 1 year in order to spam, and scam as much as possible until moving onto another domain. At the same time, most companies rise and fall within 1 year. Because of this, Google and other top search engines look at this and weigh a domain name higher if the owner registers a domain name for more than 1 year. In fact, I recommend that you max out your domain name to a 10 year ownership if possible. This will tell search engines who are looking into it that you mean business, and that you're here to stay.
2) People all over the internet register their domains for 1 year and sometimes forget to renew their domain when the renewal is due. There are companies out there that have lost their domains from a service called "domain back-ordering" were an individual can order a back-order on a specific domain claiming ownership for that domain if it goes up for sale. This is a serious matter, I've lost 2 important domains because of this. Trust me, this is one mistake I will never make again. If you go on vacation, or don't pay attention, and you happen to miss the domain renewal date, someone might snatch your domain right from under your nose.
If your budget permits it, always try to max out the number of years you can buy your domain for. This way you'll ensure that you have that domain for a very long time.
Domain Names 101.4: What is A Domain Name Extension?
An extension is the 2, or 3 digits after your name for example; www.domainname.COM. For a long time .COM was the only extension a person, or business could use. Nowadays, there are many extensions meaning different things, let's take a look at the available extensions, and see what they stand for:
* .Com - Universal (Commercial)
* .Net - Network
* .Biz - Business
* .Org - Non-Profit
* .Info - Information
* .Tv - Television
* .Ws - Web Site
* .Coop - Business Cooperatives
* .Name - Personal Use
* .Pro - Professionals
* .museum - Museum (Sources of information)
* .travel - Travel Industry
* .Us - United States
* .Ca - Canada
* .Uk - United Kingdom
To view all the domain extensions for each COUNTRTY, go here for the master list:
http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/topleveldomains/countrycodeA-E.asp
These extensions are reserved, and cannot be bought for personal use:
* .Gov - Government
* .Edu - Education
* .Mil - Military
Domain Names 101.5: How To Protect Your Domain Name?
This topic is a very serious issue and should NOT be taken lightly. 100's of companies across the globe are being used, abused, and scammed. The reason for this is because the owner of the domain name is sometimes NOT the real owner. If you pay for a service from your web development company that includes; your website, your hosting service, and your domain name, take action right away and make sure that YOU own the domain name rights. Many web design companies out there are registering their client's domain names for them which can ultimately give them all rights and privileges to that domain name. When a web design company registers your domain for you, they can change the ownership to them, not you without you knowing about it. If you fail to pay for their services for any reason, they can then go back and take down your website, and control who uses the domain name. I've had so many calls asking for help with their domain name because their web design company won't change the ownership for them. If your in this situation, you have a couple of options:
* Give up now and start fresh
* If the domain is valuable, take them to court right away
* Contact www.tucows.com with proof of purchase
* Perform a "WHOIS" lookup on the domain name (Which tells you who owns the domain name)
o Go to www.whois.net and enter your domain name
o Save and print any information listed there
Also, try to avoid ANY company that you don't recognize either by mail, or by email that states that you need to re-register your domain name before it expires. Do not trust any organization you don't recognize. There are a number of companies that pool into the domain name data base in order to fish out suckers that might need to register their domains for another year very soon. I've gotten numerous direct mail stating that my domain is up for renewal, one of them even demanded $800 to renew my domain name. As you might know, I called this company and had a few words with them.
Prevention:
The number 1 preventative action you can take, is by holding control over your domain name. Make sure to register the domain name yourself, once you have all control yourself, then hire a web design company. Do NOT give them access to it unless you really trust them. If you do give them access to your domain manager in order to point your domain name to your hosting services, try to immediately change the password after the service is complete. NEVER give out your password for your domain manager to anyone unless you really have to.
I'll put it another way: Would you give the combination to your safe to anyone? This situation is exactly the same. Control over your domain name is sometimes as serious as controlling your business.
Domain Names 101.6: What Is A Sub-Domain?
Sub-domains are exactly that. http://sub.domainname.com. Sub-domains are typically used to separate a section of your content online to target a specific area. Sub domains are also used to store information that you want no one to see. Yahoo is a great example of using sub-domains. When you go to the "Canada" side of Yahoo, you're actually going to http://ca.yahoo.com/. "ca" for Canada .yahoo.com. This helps them to separate all information for their Canadian website.
Domain Names 101.7: How To Forward A Domain Name?
Domain name forwarding can be a useful tool to use. Again, I will use Yahoo for the best example of this. I just mentioned to you how Yahoo! uses a sub-domain "ca.yahoo.com" for the Canadian content side of their website. Most people don't know about going directly to ca.yahoo.com, most people associate Canada with the extension .CA. Yahoo uses this knowledge by registering www.Yahoo.CA and forwarding the domain name to > ca.yahoo.com. Try it out yourself, in your browser address bar, type in www.yahoo.ca and see where it takes you.
Sometimes you need to protect your name by registering different domain name extensions, if you don't want to build a website for each extension, and you don't want each extension to go to a blank page, simply forward your other domain names to your main website. Another method of forwarding is by registering domain names that have a small spelling mistake which people might make all the time. Spelling mistakes are common, people are ultimately human. I know of some companies that register domain names with their company name, but that have spelling mistakes in them. They then forward > these domains with spelling errors to their main website. This ensures that there's no loss of potential business.
Usually you can forward a domain name within your domain manager from the company you registered the domain name with.
Domain Names 101.8: How To Setup Your Domain Name?
This section above all has baffled a lot of people. Many of you might think that by registering a domain name, you can now show your website. This cannot be farther from the truth. Sure, you just registered a domain name, but your domain is like having an address without a house. In order to have the house, you need to have a "hosting service" in place. Without getting into what is a hosting service, I will tell you this; A hosting services is basically a "holding place" for your website files so that people can see your website online. Hosting is storage for your website. Your domain name needs to point to that storing place in order for the general public to view your website files.
If you don't have any hosting services in place, try searching for (depending on your needs):
* Small business hosting services
* Affordable hosting services
* Secure hosting services
* eCommerce hosting services
* Dedicated hosting services
Changing The DNS:
Once your hosting is setup, now you need to point your domain name to your hosting services(storage). We do this by changing the "DNS" Domain Name Servers that tell the internet were to look for your hosting service.
Step 1) You need to find out the "addresses" to your hosting service, they usually go like so: dns1.hostingservice.com, dns2.hostingservice.com. If you don't know where to find the DNS addresses, simply contact your hosting service for them. This is typically the #1 reason why your web design company needs access to your domain manager. They need to get in and update the DNS addresses in order to point your domain name to their hosting service. I highly recommend that you learn how to do it yourself in order to keep control over who uses your domain name.
Step 2) Within your domain name manager, you'll need to look for a link that should say; Change DNS, Update DNS, Manage Domain, etc. Once you find this area, simply type in, or paste the 2 DNS addresses within slot #1 and, slot #2. Click on the update, change, or submit button. That's it. Within 24-48 hours, your domain name should be pointed to your hosting service.
If you have any problems with this step, simply contact your hosting service provider, or contact your web design company in charge of your website.
Remember, if you give someone access to change the DNS for your domain name(s), make sure to change the password for your domain name manager right away to ensure security over your domain name(s).
Domain Names 101.9: How To Protect Your Company Name Online?
This step is not needed for all companies, but if you plan to do all of your business online, this may save your company name later on. Branding online is very important. If by chance you do become very popular, there are going to be individuals who are going to try to use your success for their own advantage. When I started out, "Smartads" wasn't a word that was really well known. Over the years, companies have been popping up with "Smartads Banners Ads", "Smartads This", and "Smartads That". They did this because I didn't secure all of the domain name extensions across the board.
If you're just starting out, and you're very serious about big business online, I recommend that you search for a domain name that has most extensions available, for example:
Make sure that these extensions are available...
* .com
* .whatever your country is (Ex. .CA for Canada, or .US for USA)
* .net
* .biz
* .org
* .info
* .name
If all of these extensions are available for your business name, make sure to buy them all!!! Use .com as your main website, and forward the other domains to .com. Trust me, this will help to protect your branding online by not allowing for Joe Shmo's to take your good name and use it for themselves. If you truly have a big budget, and your business has offices across the globe, make sure to buy all the domain names that you can, including every country extension your business operates in.
Some people online might advise you not to buy all of the above extensions, but I want you to think of this. Let's say years down the road your company launches a new amazing product or service, and you need to build a new website for it, you now have the ability to use one of your domain names to illustrate this new product or services and keep your company branding tight!
In Conclusion:
A domain name is your website address. You can buy domain names from domain register companies. Make sure to max out the amount of years you claim ownership for your domain name to 10 years. Avoid using lengthy domains, or too many dashes. Learn about the domain name extensions and see if they apply to you. Protect control over your domain to avoid loosing it later on. Use sub-domains to illustrate different content not related to your main content. Forward other domain names if needed until you want to use them. Setup your domain name by getting a hosting service to store your website files, and change the DNS info to point your domain to your hosting services. Protect your company branding by buying up all the extensions possible for your domain to prevent anyone from using them against you.
How To Choose A Good Domain Name
To start an online business you need to choose and register a good domain name,it is
easy giving a name you need to consider it is the vital step to build a nice income
online for you.The domain name must relate to your company's name ,it will do much more
easier people find your business.
You should avoid have a "free" domain name or one from your web hosting company
www.yourwebhost.com/your site) your domain name need to be clear and short that identifies
what your company sells or does, it will entice people surfing the web to visit your site
before somebody's else.
You should understand that taking a good domain name is entirely the description of your
company and you need to purchase it.
What a domain name can't include?
A domain name can have any combination of basic letters and numbers but not letters like "/" or
"&" between two and 67 characters long.
You need have your name short and memorable it is important to notice that your domain
name be easy to spell,remember and pronounce and type. If you want people take a glimpse of
your name to be able to remember it when they browse in front of the computer later.
Trying to name your domain with keywords if you can find a domain that contain a few
keywords that the public is searching for you will a step ahead of your competition. Search
engines consider words of heavy in a domain.
REGISTER AS FIRST OPTION ".COM"
The domains registering ".com" have the first option to people looking for a good domain
instead ".net" ".org" ".biz" ".pro" if you are using these domains instead ".com" you are
losing customers. Have the option registering other domains like ".net" and ".org" you can
own www.yourcompany.net ,www.yourcompany.org ,it is to prevent people stealing your
traffic or damage in your reputation puting some rude or offensive at ".net" ".org" if you
are planning do business in a specific local market like canada assign codes ".ca"canada
".australia" ".au" or france ".fr"
TOOLS FOR SEARCHING GOOD DOMAIN NAMES
There are several tools that you need help brainstorming ideas whois source (www.whois.sc)
It is a free tool let's you know and enter words shows domains which are using and which
are available, wordtracker.com it is a great and valuable tool which shows the popularity
of keywords what the people are looking for.
name boy's gen (www.nameboy.com/gen.php) you can use this random word generator (which uses
the rules in english to generate imaginery words)
www.searchmarketing.yahoo.com/rc/srch this is yahoo keyword selector tool o search valuable
keywords and see what domains you can register before you name it.
easy giving a name you need to consider it is the vital step to build a nice income
online for you.The domain name must relate to your company's name ,it will do much more
easier people find your business.
You should avoid have a "free" domain name or one from your web hosting company
www.yourwebhost.com/your site) your domain name need to be clear and short that identifies
what your company sells or does, it will entice people surfing the web to visit your site
before somebody's else.
You should understand that taking a good domain name is entirely the description of your
company and you need to purchase it.
What a domain name can't include?
A domain name can have any combination of basic letters and numbers but not letters like "/" or
"&" between two and 67 characters long.
You need have your name short and memorable it is important to notice that your domain
name be easy to spell,remember and pronounce and type. If you want people take a glimpse of
your name to be able to remember it when they browse in front of the computer later.
Trying to name your domain with keywords if you can find a domain that contain a few
keywords that the public is searching for you will a step ahead of your competition. Search
engines consider words of heavy in a domain.
REGISTER AS FIRST OPTION ".COM"
The domains registering ".com" have the first option to people looking for a good domain
instead ".net" ".org" ".biz" ".pro" if you are using these domains instead ".com" you are
losing customers. Have the option registering other domains like ".net" and ".org" you can
own www.yourcompany.net ,www.yourcompany.org ,it is to prevent people stealing your
traffic or damage in your reputation puting some rude or offensive at ".net" ".org" if you
are planning do business in a specific local market like canada assign codes ".ca"canada
".australia" ".au" or france ".fr"
TOOLS FOR SEARCHING GOOD DOMAIN NAMES
There are several tools that you need help brainstorming ideas whois source (www.whois.sc)
It is a free tool let's you know and enter words shows domains which are using and which
are available, wordtracker.com it is a great and valuable tool which shows the popularity
of keywords what the people are looking for.
name boy's gen (www.nameboy.com/gen.php) you can use this random word generator (which uses
the rules in english to generate imaginery words)
www.searchmarketing.yahoo.com/rc/srch this is yahoo keyword selector tool o search valuable
keywords and see what domains you can register before you name it.