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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 lose 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.
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