Why register a domain
1) Your current URL is "http://members.alo.com/yourcompany/"
Have you got a URL like http://www.members.aol.com/yourcompany/? Kind of long isn't it. Wouldn't http://www.yourname.com look a lot more impressive on your business card and more memorable too? Of course it would.
Using a service known as URL redirection, people can type a short domain name into their browser and arrive at your current web site! So you can advertise your short domain name everywhere without having to move your web site or web space.
And just how will you know if your ISP or web host supports this feature? Simple really, they all do. This technique works for every web host, web service provider & ISP on the planet, and is easy to set-up.
So if you currently have a site with AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo, Geocities, Tripod, FreeServers, Bizland, FreeMerchant, TalkCity etc. and you are fed up with your long URL, it's time to get yourself a domain name.
Have you got a URL like http://www.members.aol.com/yourcompany/? Kind of long isn't it. Wouldn't http://www.yourname.com look a lot more impressive on your business card and more memorable too? Of course it would.
Using a service known as URL redirection, people can type a short domain name into their browser and arrive at your current web site! So you can advertise your short domain name everywhere without having to move your web site or web space.
And just how will you know if your ISP or web host supports this feature? Simple really, they all do. This technique works for every web host, web service provider & ISP on the planet, and is easy to set-up.
So if you currently have a site with AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo, Geocities, Tripod, FreeServers, Bizland, FreeMerchant, TalkCity etc. and you are fed up with your long URL, it's time to get yourself a domain name.
2) If You Don't, Someone Else Will
Domain names are being registered at a ferocious rate. You might have thought of a great name today, but there's a good chance it will have gone tomorrow. Even company names aren't safe. You might think your company .com will not be reserved by anyone else, but can you be sure? Companies all round the globe are competing for the best domain names, .coms in particular. Not to mention parties registering company names for "resale" purposes.
And reserving names for future use is no problem. Domain names can be are "parked", which means they are set up for current or future use, and there is no time limit on how long you can wait before developing a site using the name.
Domain names are being registered at a ferocious rate. You might have thought of a great name today, but there's a good chance it will have gone tomorrow. Even company names aren't safe. You might think your company .com will not be reserved by anyone else, but can you be sure? Companies all round the globe are competing for the best domain names, .coms in particular. Not to mention parties registering company names for "resale" purposes.
And reserving names for future use is no problem. Domain names can be are "parked", which means they are set up for current or future use, and there is no time limit on how long you can wait before developing a site using the name.
3) Current URL is "http://yourname.smallstep.com/"
This type of domain name is known as a "sub-domain", "host", or "third level domain name". Looks ok right? It's got your name in the domain name itself, so what could the problem be? Well, it's longer than it could be, and some people might believe that your company is a division of smallstep.com, but the main problem is that search engines penalize these types of domains. One of the search engine expert explains:
This type of domain name is known as a "sub-domain", "host", or "third level domain name". Looks ok right? It's got your name in the domain name itself, so what could the problem be? Well, it's longer than it could be, and some people might believe that your company is a division of smallstep.com, but the main problem is that search engines penalize these types of domains. One of the search engine expert 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.
So by using this type of domain name, you are effectively ruining your chances of getting good search engine placements.
4) Alternative Site Spelling
Do you run a business that sells internationally? If so, be very careful that people around the world spell your products the same way you do. The classic example is Jewelry (US) vs. Jewellery (UK).
5) Get Listed in Yahoo!
Ever wondered why your site isn't listed in Yahoo? It's not in their help files, but it is well known that Yahoo no longer lists commercials sites that use sub-domains, such as http://yourname.smallstep.com, or sub-directories, such as http://www.smallstep.com/yourdir/. To have a realistic chance of getting listed in Yahoo, you must use a proper domain name.
Do you run a business that sells internationally? If so, be very careful that people around the world spell your products the same way you do. The classic example is Jewelry (US) vs. Jewellery (UK).
5) Get Listed in Yahoo!
Ever wondered why your site isn't listed in Yahoo? It's not in their help files, but it is well known that Yahoo no longer lists commercials sites that use sub-domains, such as http://yourname.smallstep.com, or sub-directories, such as http://www.smallstep.com/yourdir/. To have a realistic chance of getting listed in Yahoo, you must use a proper domain name.
6) Secure Your Family Name
If you have a reasonably common family name, chances are someone else will have already snapped up the .com version, but perhaps the .net or .org version is available? If so, snap it up immediately, and secure a place on the Internet for generations to come.
Otherwise try adding "family" as a second word to your domain name e.g. smithfamily.com.
If you have a reasonably common family name, chances are someone else will have already snapped up the .com version, but perhaps the .net or .org version is available? If so, snap it up immediately, and secure a place on the Internet for generations to come.
Otherwise try adding "family" as a second word to your domain name e.g. smithfamily.com.
7) Use Your Domain as a Custom Email Address
Wouldn't it be great if people could email you at name@yourname.com? Well they can. It's called email forwarding and allows people to address mails to your new domain name, and they are forwarded near instantly to your "real" e-mail address at your ISP.
Wouldn't it be great if people could email you at name@yourname.com? Well they can. It's called email forwarding and allows people to address mails to your new domain name, and they are forwarded near instantly to your "real" e-mail address at your ISP.
8) Improve Your Search Engine Positioning
There was a time when search engines paid no attention to site's domain names when deciding which ones to display first. But for many search engines, this is no longer the case. For instance, if your site is all about growing vegetables, using the name GrowingVegetables.com or Growing-Vegetables.com will help boost your site's rating in several search engines.
There was a time when search engines paid no attention to site's domain names when deciding which ones to display first. But for many search engines, this is no longer the case. For instance, if your site is all about growing vegetables, using the name GrowingVegetables.com or Growing-Vegetables.com will help boost your site's rating in several search engines.
9) Protect Your Business Namespace
If you already own the .com version of a domain name, you should think seriously about completing the set, and registering the .net and .org versions as well. This is especially true if you are in business. If you don't get these names, a competitor will, and this could have serious implications.
Having two businesses on the web sharing the same domain name becomes very confusing for customers, because they just don't expect it. Microsoft.com and Microsoft.net are part of the same company, right? And if a competitor gets the .net version of your name, and can get a high search engine ranking, they could easily be benefiting from your good name to drive customers to their site.
If you already own the .com version of a domain name, you should think seriously about completing the set, and registering the .net and .org versions as well. This is especially true if you are in business. If you don't get these names, a competitor will, and this could have serious implications.
Having two businesses on the web sharing the same domain name becomes very confusing for customers, because they just don't expect it. Microsoft.com and Microsoft.net are part of the same company, right? And if a competitor gets the .net version of your name, and can get a high search engine ranking, they could easily be benefiting from your good name to drive customers to their site.
10) Invest for the Future
Registering domain names for the future, whether for investment purposes or real future use is a perfectly legal activity, as long as it does not involve "cybersquatting" i.e. registering names which infringe on the intellectual rights of current companies.
Registering domain names for the future, whether for investment purposes or real future use is a perfectly legal activity, as long as it does not involve "cybersquatting" i.e. registering names which infringe on the intellectual rights of current companies.
