getconnectedtvshow asked:

Episode 17 – Segment 2 GetConnected host Mike Agerbo talks to Steve Andsten from Virtual Solutions about picking and registering a domain name, where to go and what the costs are for getting your business ready for the net.

Gossimer

RD asked:

I understand that the first step to create a web site is to have a name for the site. I have several names in my mind. But I do not know where to register the names. I have been told that the registered domain names can be a gold mine, by selling the domain names. But who is the authority which registers the domain names? How much it costs to register a domain name?

Gossimer

If you’re in business, one of the most important things to you may be your ability to establish an internet presence. Operating some type of functional web site for your business helps your customers find you, can present additional marketing opportunities through e-commerce, and offers advertising opportunities that you can not get elsewhere. Companies that do not have a web site lose business to companies that do all the time.

Of course the real key to your web site is the internet domain registration. Everybody wants mybusiness.com – the problem is that domain names are unique and can be taken by anyone. If you don’t register your desired domain name right away, someone else could take it. The fact is that internet domain registration can turn into a sneaky competitive game. In many cases business owners have gone to register a domain name and found that it had been registered years before they every started the company by some group that is in the business of registering domains and then turning around and selling them for exorbitant rates.

A humorous story came from the 2005 municipal election in North Las Vegas, Nevada when one candidate realized that the incumbent mayor had not registered an internet domain name. The incumbent registered the mayor’s name dot com and as many variants of it that he could come up with, literally stealing the Mayor’s plans for a web site out from under him. The tactic didn’t win him the election, but the candidate managed to annoy the mayor quite a bit and still owns the internet domain registration names to this day.

The key to avoiding these sorts of problems lies in early registration of your desired domain name. If you find the one that you want (or a close variant of it), register it immediately. Even if you’re not prepared to set up a web site yet or won’t be for several years, register the domain right away anyway.

Registering a domain name before being ready to set up its web site will require the domain name being transferred to the servers of your desired host when you are ready to establish the site. Transferring the domain name once you have selected a web host is a very simple process, but does require you to establish the change with both the registration company and the new host. The new host will provide you with the server information that you, in turn, will need to provide to the company with whom you originally registered the domain. There may be a short waiting period (typically 24 to 72 hours) while both servers get the information updated. Once that process is complete, you’ll have your domain safely residing on your host’s servers and your site (as long as it’s been built) will be ready to go.

The internet domain registration and transfer for your business web site is a simple process and can be completed through automated online systems in most cases. Clearly the most important part of this process is the registration of the domain name and this should always be done as soon as possible, even if it is going to be years before you’re ready to get the actual web site up and running

When business sites are being planned, the business owner will try to get the most value from the services that are available for their business. This is especially true if the business is going to be operated online through a website address that the business owner obtained through the domain registration process. Most business owners are pleasantly surprised to get more than a domain name when they register.

Some of the little extras that come with domain registration are available through other means and these domain name sources will cost the business owner a monthly expense that is unnecessary. For the low price of a domain registration though the business owner has the opportunity to shave operating costs by using extras such as email capabilities offered through some domain registrants. The free email addresses could help the owner create an internet presence that seems very established.

The email addresses will also serve as alternate addresses for customers to use when they want to correspond with the business directly. The customer will be able to remember the email address because it will typically be the name that a business owner chooses and lists as the customer service department on his business website. The customer does not ever see that it is an internet address that is tied to a domain registrant and is considered to be one of the little extras that they choose to use to grow their domain registration business.

Most business people think that the domain registration process is complicated. In all actuality, registering a domain name is a very simple process and is one business expense that is very affordable. For a monthly contract fee, this business extra will give the business owner control over the domain name that they want to use for their business and the contract will ensure that they can operate under that domain name for a specific period of time.

The business owner will not have to wait very long to find out if the domain name that they want to use is available. The domain registrant uses specific software that connects to the final authority for domain name registration. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers will do a database check for the requested domain name and if that site relays back that the domain name is available, then the business owner simply has to register it in their name.

Other registrants might offer little extras like internet chat capabilities that allow business owners to install virtual assistants on their site. Any question a customer has about products or policies on a business website can be answered quickly and efficiently and will most likely entice the customer into transacting some level of business on the site. These little extras are provided at no charge to the owner of the business which makes operating a business less costly each month.

itting around wondering what domain name to register for your business? Having a website is essential for all businesses in this modern day and age. Websites are not just for online businesses. They are for brick and mortar businesses too. Many entrepreneurs are starting to discovery that many print and conventional methods of advertising doesn’t yield good results anymore. That is because people (your customers) are spending more and more time on the Internet. Even senior citizens are learning how to use the Internet to source for products.

With that established firmly as a fact, the next step to take is to get an online presence immediately. As a business owner, you need to put your offers in front of your target prospects, and you need to do so using the Internet. The problem is, many traditional small business owners still don’t know much about the setting up a website. Well, the first thing they need to know is this – registering a domain name.

A domain name for a website is like the brand name for your company. For brick and mortar stores, people have to remember where your store is in order to visit your store. On the Internet, all they need to do is to remember your URL. Therefore, it makes sense to register a domain name that is easy to remember. To come up with a suitable domain name, you need to be creative.

First, brainstorm for a list of possible domain names that you would like to register. Don’t worry about availability at this point. You can always do a check later on. The goal here is to get some good ideas that you can work with. Here are some suggestions. You can choose keywords that your target visitors are likely to use. For instance, if you are selling pillows, you can choose a domain name like “pillowspecialist” as your domain name. Or you can choose something that is short and easy to remember.

Your domain name doesn’t have to consist of words that make sense. Sometimes, words that sound weird are better choices because they are easier to remember (think Google and Yahoo). They are also more likely to be available when you go ahead with the registration.

Once you have a good list of domain names in hand, simply head on to a domain registrar to register for your domain names. You begin by making a search for the domain names on your list. If no one has registered for the domain, you can claim it immediately by registering for it. If a search comes up with negative results, just enter a new domain name to search engine. Some websites offer domain names suggestions as well. Browse through the suggestions to see if you are interested in them.

For better pricing, always register your domain names in bulk. For instance, if you have a few good ideas, don’t just register for one domain name. Register for all the good names. Domain names are like real estate in the virtual world. You need to stake your claim on your assets. If possible, register for all top level domains (i.e. .com, .net, .org, and .info) so that others cannot use the same name as you.

There are many ways that the domain registration process creates an affordable route to business endeavors. The business owner will find the domain registration process to be a very affordable and effective method of advertising a new business, especially when the domain name contains the business name and a hierarchy that is equally complimentary.

Many domain registrants will advertise the rates that they will charge on a domain registration website. These charges will be strictly for the domain registration process and will not include any type of web hosting. The fees that are charged for registering a domain name create a route of equality because they are the same for a person or a business.

These low prices are normally under $10 and create an affordable route for businesses to use to bring customers to the business that they are building on the internet. The internet is a big place and without the domain registration process, there would be no way for customers to find a specific business. Customers feel that they are dealing with a very large business on the internet when the business chooses a stylish name that is connected to a website that reflects quality and value.

The domain name registration is a great buy for new business owners. The low cost of domain name ownership gives new business owners the sense of security it needs to open its doors on a day to day basis with the same business name. They can do this because the domain registration gives them a contract to transact business using that website address for a period not to exceed one year.

Some domain registrants put limits on how long a domain name can be used by a place of business just because the domain name actually belongs to them and is only being rented by a new business for a period up to a year. There are certain domain name registrants who have guidelines that new business owners must follow explicitly or risk losing the right to operate under the domain name that they registered. It is rare to find a business that is willing to operate that way.

These are difficult obstacles for many new business owners to face but those guidelines should not be considered as the only choice in registering a domain name. Other domain registrants do not have any reasons to place limits on the domain registration process because they have simply agreed to register people who need a domain name for their company and will advertise only for that purpose.

Most domain hosting sites will charge very little to host a site on a month to month basis if the domain name registration process has been completed. Any hosting site will do and all the prices that are charged for hosting the site should be explained in detail before any contract is signed. This creates an affordable way for people to do business on the internet and the ability to form business relationships that will help a business to grow and prosper.

One would think that registering a domain is the first step when setting up your website. This is not quite true. Hopefully you had done your research first to identify your niche keywords, in other words, the primary key terms that people are looking for in relation to your business.

Your domain name should reflect what your site or your business is about. It should be descriptive and easy to remember. If you can register your domain name by using your best niche keyword you will also score a few points in trying to get your site high up in the search engine rankings.

Just note, however, that while this was especially true a couple of years ago, the prevalence of garbage made-for-adsense type of sites to try and register a domain name with keywords in have led to this factor being overused and abused. Search engines are wising up to the fact that a domain name like www.red-widgets-blue-widgets-purple-widgets-cheap-widgets.com might not really be a real business and you should therefore be careful not to STUFF your domain name with keywords.

Here are some tips to choosing a good domain name:

1) If your company has a distinctive name that you use in your marketing campaigns, and if your company is well known among your customers it is best to try and register your company name as your domain name. For example, it will be better for Standard Bank to register standardbank.co.za as opposed to bankingservices.co.za. Branding yourself as a company that provides a specific service is very important.

2) But if your company does not have such a strongly branded presence in the market, or if you are offering a product or service that you specifically want to market through the internet without even HAVING a company, then a descriptive name might be a better option (e.g. www.health-products.co.za)

3) Hyphens are easier to read in print, are easier to ‘understand’ by the search engines (remember that a key linking strategy is to have text links contain your targeted keywords. If your domain name is legible to search engines and it is used to link to your site, you score some points since your keywords are already contained in your domain name), and gives you more choice. The negatives about hyphens are that they are difficult for people to hear! You will probably have difficulty in spelling out your domain name over the phone or in conversation when it contains hyphens.

It is also true to say that a name without the hyphens are also seen as being more professional (often the hyphenated name is seen as being a bit johnny-come-lately as well as spammy due to the reasons mentioned above). Search engines are also getting more and more proficient in understanding text that are embedded within domain names (even without the hyphens) and using a hyphenated site purely so that the search engines can understand them is probably not necessary these days.

4) But a good piece of advice is that when you register a domain name is to register as many variants (with hyphens as well as without hyphens) and as many domain extensions (.com, .net, .info, .biz) as you can afford. Registering domain names are really not that expensive and you will be protecting the investment into your company and your website brand. Remember that there are unscrupulous domain squatters (typo squatters) out there that will register variants of your domain name to either try and sell it back to you at a high cost, or to try and capture some of your traffic.

5) It is extremely difficult to come up with a good .com domain name these days. Most good domain names have been taken already. Here is a good resource page that contains a list of language tools that you can use to try and mix and match words or portions of words to come up with a good domain name. http://marcusvorwaller.com/blog/archives/2005/08/09/how-to-find-a-great-domain-name/

6) If you are located in a country other than the United States, always try and register your domain name with your local Top Level Domain extension (e.g. .co.uk, .co.za) since the local version of Google will give preference to names with extensions matching your own country.

7) Always try and register your domain with an independent registrar and NOT with your hosting provider. If you ever want to move your website to another hosting provider, it will just be easier to do it if your domain name registrar is also not your hosting provider. You might find it more difficult to get your website away from a bad hosting provider if they have control over your domain name as well.

Registering a domain name is the preliminary step when you set up your website. Your domain name should expose what your position or your company is about. It should be expressive and simple to keep in mind.

If you can register your domain name by using your greatest niche keyword you will also attain a few points in trying to find your site high up in the search engine rankings. Look for engines who advice you that domain name like www.blue-widgets-purple-widgets-cheap-widgets.com may be not in fact be a valid production and you should therefore be careful not to material your domain name with keywords.

Here is some information to choosing a premium domain name:

1) If your company is famous among your clients it is best to register your business name as your domain name.

2) If you are offering a product or service that you particularly want to market throughout the internet without even HAVING a company, then an explanatory name might be a better option.

3) Hyphens are easier to study and recognize by the search engines. The only negatives about hyphens are that they are complicated for people to hear! You will possibly have difficulty in spelling out your domain name over the phone or in discussion when it contains hyphens. It is also right to say that a name not including the hyphens are also seen as being more practiced.

4) While register a domain name you should register as many alternatives as possible (with hyphens as well as without hyphens) with extensions such as (.com, .net, .info, .biz). Registering domain names are actually not that expensive and you will be defensive the speculation into your company and your website product

5) If you are placed in a country other than the United States, for all time try and register your domain name with your home Top Level Domain conservatory (e.g..co.uk, .co.za) ever since the local adaptation of Google will give favorite to names with extension same your own country.

7) Always try and register your domain with an independent registrar and NOT with your hosting supplier. If you ever desire to move your website to one more hosting provider, it will now be easier to do it if your domain name registrar is also not your hosting provider. You may get it more difficult to get your website left from a shocking hosting provider if they have managed above your domain name as well.

What would be the best website to use for domain name registration?
Any tips at all?
What was your experience like?
I will be registering a domain name within the month.

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