How To´s

Think of your domain name as your Internet identity. If you want to have a web presence as an individual, a business or an organization, we recommend acquiring a domain. In technical terms, all computers that connect to the Internet have a unique IP (Internet Protocol) address consisting of 4 numbers separated by periods. Since humans don’t have the greatest memory for long strings of numbers, the domain name system was created to give each IP a name. A domain name is not only practical - it’s essential to any successful online presence. Domain names should be short, easy to remember and related to the content of your site. That way potential visitors are more likely to remember it and your site gets more traffic. Particularly for businesses, a domain name is crucial because most business is conducted online and to be successful you’ll need visibility. Luckily, it’s inexpensive and simple to purchase. We’ll t

Another reason for a business to register a domain name is to protect copyrights and trademarks, build creditability, increase brand awareness, and search engine positioning. 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 should I choose my domain name?

The key to a good domain name is simplicity and memorability. Use a catchy word or a phrase that’s easy to remember and that’s relevant to the content of your site. If it’s hard to spell or unrelated to your business, it’s likely that you’ll lose customers.

Another tip: the shorter the better. Anywhere between 5-20 characters is a good domain name length. If you choose something longer, you risk losing customers because they won’t remember the whole thing.

Remember: your domain name is your brand. Make sure that it’s a strength and not a weakness so that customers remember it, return to your site and recommend it to their friends.

How do I get a domain name?

Luckily, a domain is one of the most inexpensive parts of setting up a website - it’ll cost you about the same as lunch! There are two main pathways to getting a domain name: either register it yourself or get it registered through your web host.

If you’d rather do it yourself, you’ll need to choose a registrar that’s accredited to register domains through ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). If you do a quick search, you’ll find that there are hundreds of registrars, with an increasingly competitive market that has driven down the cost of domain names.

Or you can purchase a domain through your web host - most (but not all!) hosting companies offer domain registration through their own approved registrar. It’s nice to do all of your hosting tasks at one central location, and letting your hosting service take care of this process for you allows you to focus on other aspects of running your business or launching your website.