A
domain name is what you type in your web browser to get to a particular site,
such as, http://www.digitaldomainz.com. It
is also used for your email address, such as, you@yourname.com. Anyone can get
their own domain name, and it can be used for personal or business purposes.
Technological advancements have made registering domain names more affordable
then ever.
10 Good
reasons!
Why
would anyone in his right mind want to spend money on a domain name? Here are
10 good reasons to do so, and fast.
1.
Identity.
Your
email address can be "you@yourname.com". When you own a domain, you
can have an unlimited amount of email addresses. These can be used by family,
friends, employees, or anyone you wish to give an email address to. Can you
think of a few people you could give an email address to?
2.
Stability.
Changing your ISP,
(internet service provider - the company that you dial to in order to
connect to the internet), no longer requires you to change your
stationery, business cards or whatever printed material you have, and more
importantly your email address will stay EXACTLY the same FOREVER.
3.
Relocation.
Since
the Internet is accessible world wide, so is your domain. This means that
no matter where you move to in the world, your domain name is still valid and
will not change. Hence your internet business does not stop, and you
will not have any email disruptions.
4. Professionalism.
Having
your own domain name is more professional and is becoming a standard for
businesses. To get to your web site your customers only have to
type in www.yourname.com. You will have a unique address that no one
else can use.
5. Identification
Your web
site address will be shorter and it will be something you have chosen that
should be identified with your company and what you do. Here's an example:
Let's say Bill Gates needs a place to put the Microsoft web site. He
could go to his ISP and ask them to host it for him in there in their domain
(most ISPs offer free webspace) in which case his web site address would be
http://home.mweb.co.za/m/mi/microsoft/home.html or he could opt to have
his own domain in which case his web site address will be
microsoft.com. I guess we all know which one he chose.
6. Securing your name.
Even if
you are ready to build a web site, you can register your domain name now,
before someone else registers it. You can then use the email facilities without
having a website at all. You can have your web site point to another web
site.
7.
Credibility.
Since
image is very important to many businesses, it is generally considered that
having your own domain name adds credibility and a feel of stability to your
company, and shows that you are serious about your online business.
8.
Level the playing field.
Unlike
the real world, on the World Wide Web there is no such thing
as "prime location" in which to set up a business. No
matter how small you are, a good domain name can put your business
on equal footing with large companies like Microsoft or Mweb. That's the
wonder of the Web: nobody knows if your site is run by a large team out of
elegant offices, or by one person in the corner of the bedroom.
Frankly, a business website without a domain name screams "small time
operator!"
9.
Search engine submission/ranking.
Is your current URL http://yourname.anothercompany.com
This type of domain name is known as a sub-domain or host. Looks ok right?
It's got your name in the domain name itself, so what could the problem be?
Well, some people might believe that your company is a division of
anothercompany.com, but the main problem is that search engines punish
these types of domains. Renowned search engine expert Sumantra Roy
of 1stSearchRanking.com explains: "The reason that search engines
don't like the free sub-domains is that people spam the engines by using
these sub-domains. In order to prevent this, the search engines often ignore
these free sub-domains. For instance, until a few months ago, whenever someone
submitted a sub-domain belonging to Hypermart, AltaVista used to give the
infamous message saying that too many URLs had been submitted from that site
and refused to accept it. Presently, when someone submits a Hypermart
sub-domain, AltaVista says that the URL has been accepted. However, although it
says that the site has been accepted, in reality, it doesn't spider the
sub-domain." So by using this type of domain name, you are effectively
ruining your chances of getting good search engine placements.
10.
Autoresponders.
Communicating
and conducting business on the Internet, should be as easy and simple as
possible. If you receive repeated request for the same information, you can
automate the process using autoresponders if you own the domain. Just set up
the rules for the autoresponder (I'll help you do it and show you how), allocate an email address for it, and away
you go. For example, if anyone is interested in your price list they can just
send a blank email to pricelist@yourdomain.com and will
automatically be sent your price list, without you doing anything.
Bonus Tip!
There is an internet term called
"gateways" or "doors". These terms describe the act of registering
a few domain names that all point to the
same website. The advantage is simple. When you submit your domain names
to the search engines, you will be listed multiple times! One entry for every
domain name. Can you see how this can help you?. For example: lets
assume you sell gold chains in your website, and you have set up
(registered) 4 domain names for this website. When a potential buyer searches
for "gold chains" in the search engine you have listed with, he will
get (normally) 10 results. If you have only one domain, and appear only once in
the search engine results, your chances of being visited are only 1 out of 10
or 10%. However, if you are listed 4 times, what are your chances now? Get it?
Further info
If
you have any questions relating to this article, or issues arising out of this
information, don't hesitate to contact me at amir@digitaldomainz.com.
This
article courtesy of Amir Sachs
and Blue Sky Internet Online
Visit
out websites: www.digitalHOST.co.za,
www.DigitalDomainz.com, www.Y.co.za
