Attention business owners! A domain registration is a precious thing. It's your business identity as well as a way for customers to find and interact with you.

Each domain name is a one-of-a-kind property, just like real estate. It is not a simple commodity. It must be protected at all costs.

The whole concept of domain names is a bit mysterious to most people, but here's an analogy that might make it easier to understand.

What if the phone company offered to issue you a name that would correlate to your existing phone number? So instead of having to look up the phone number, people would simply punch in your area code and name.

But what if you didn't have a unique name? Well, it wouldn't matter as long as you were the only one with that name in your area code. Still, mixups would be common and annoying.

This is what happened with toll-free numbers. Calls for 1-866-###-WORD often go to 1-800-###-WORD instead.

In the online world, instead of area codes, there are extensions after each name: .net, .org, .info, .biz, to name the most common (there are dozens, most of which are country-specific).


Here are some of the things every domain owner or wannabe needs to know.

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Registration:

A domain registration is (or should be) separate from web hosting.

Think of the domain as a motorhome traveling the information highway... just as in the real world, if you don't park it at a real address no one will be able to find you. Especially the mail carrier!

There are some registrars who provide hosting, but it's generally not a good idea. Especially if the domain comes free!

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Name selection:

Check for all possible variations of the name before you register it, to make sure a similar name isn't being used for an unsavory purpose. One way is to do a search on GoDaddy.com. The next screen will show which names are taken, and allow you to view the registration information. This will show you who it belongs to, when it was first registered, and when it will expire. Note each already-taken name and see if there's a website by typing the domain name in your address bar. You could even Google it to see if there are negative comments posted about the site.

You want a .com -- dot com -- like 1-800 for toll-free, it's the gold standard and probably always will be. Don't settle for a .net or something else because the name you want is taken. If you feel you absolutely must have that domain, then carefully research the current websites online under the same name with a different extension. Unfortunately, if it's really important to preserve as a brand name, you'll need to also register all the other extensions.

Watch out for potential mixups and never make assumptions! Years ago my mother decided she wanted to surprise her techie daughter by registering her own domain name. She originally wanted Aunt[name].com but it was taken, so she chose Auntie[name].com instead. Unfortunately Aunt[name].com belonged to a porn site, a fact she was quickly alerted to when her friends and family kept winding up at the wrong site.

If your chosen domain name is plural (ends with "s"), consider buying the singular as well. Ditto for potential misspellings.

Steer clear of hyphens to separate words in your domain name. They aren't necessary, and if you don't register the unhyphenated version as well and redirect it, you'll undoubtedly lose visitors who didn't "hear" the hyphen(s) when told the domain name verbally, or simply forget to type it in.

Whenever writing your domain name on correspondence, you can (and should) capitalize each letter of each important word in your domain. I'm always seeing commercials with the domain name in all lower-case, and I think it's because most people are unsure whether domain addresses are case-sensitive. They aren't, because your browser will automatically convert them. (However, the part after the domain name **is** sometimes case-sensitive, depending on the type of web server it's hosted on.)

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Renewals:

Keep your contact information up to date, or you could lose your domain name if someone challenges your registration as invalid. (It's happened! Look up "FamilyAlbum.com vs. GoDaddy" on a search engine. Most important is a valid email address. It's usually the only way you'll receive renewal notices. If you use the email account assigned by your Internet Service Provider (e.g. Comcast) and they overzealously filter spam, or you later change ISPs, you could miss the renewal notice.

Best practice is to use a dedicated email account. No, not a freebie like Hotmail or Gmail; set up a mailbox on another domain you own, preferably one on an entirely different renewal schedule. Don't be too quick to delete spam; some registrars (e.g. GoDaddy) will send advertisements as well as renewal notices.

Unfortunately spammers can also get ahold of your email address, as it's a matter of public record. But with GoDaddy at least, you can have one that's public as well as one that's private.

Be sure to write your renewal dates on your calender.

Also, consider what will happen if you suddenly die or become incapacitated. Write up a contingency plan with full instructions on how to keep your domain(s) registered, and give it to multiple people. Do it now!

Keep your automatic domain payment information up to date as well. If your credit card expires the domain won't automatically renew.

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Ownership:

If the domain name represents a business, that's the name and address that should be listed as Registrant. Be careful whom you list as Administrative Contact. This person will receive the renewal notice and also has the power to transfer the domain to a new registrar.

NEVER accept a free domain name when you buy, say, web design or hosting services, unless you know for sure that your company name will be listed as Registrant ****and**** your name as Administrative Contact. Otherwise you'll never really own the domain, and no matter how much time you invest in building your website, the true owner can pull the plug when you want to move it at some later date.

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Alerts:

Set up a "comprehensive" Google alert for your domain name so you can be apprised whenever it comes up in the virtual world.

Also set an alert for the domain without the extension. If someone else is using your brand name, you'll want to take swift action to avoid losing trademark rights.

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Domains for Sale

DomainNamesmith.com contact info:
Lorelle Smith
Box 1193
McCleary WA 98557

Call 206-350-1444