Your
Domain Name is as important as business names
Your Domain Name is as important as business names
They let people easily access you on the internet and brand your
emails to your business. You need to own and protect your domain
name in the same way you would your business or company name.
These days, your domain name is as important as your business name.
It is your identity or address within the online community using
the Internet. The speed at which the internet came into being left
people confused and perplexed about what domain names were, if they
should own one or many, how they should use these domain names and
the fundamental question of how much they should pay for the domain
names. Let’s rip back some of the myths and look at domain
names today.
In the real world, our business has a “real address”.
I could come and see you at your business address whether you are
a home based business, own a shop or lease an office space. There
is a physical address that you are working from.
Likewise to have a successful business, you have a phone number
– a set of numbers that people can find you at. Any time they
use that series of numbers they will be able to call your number
and if you are in, communicate with you.
Your domain name is the online address that people can use find
to find you on the internet. When they type in that address, your
information, in other words your website, is located there. They
can look up that address and see you. In the same way that every
physical address and every phone number must be totally unique,
your web address or domain name must be unique. There can only be
one of each. If there were two every one would be confused.
It is very important that you own your domain name. Think of it
like a business name. You seek application to register the business
name and every two years you need to renew that name – in
other words pay some more money to keep using that name. Your domain
name is identical. For Australian domain names every two years you
will need to pay to continue to use that name for another two years.
Once you have paid for the domain, you can then list what “computer
address” you want it directed to. Think of phone numbers –
they go no where until the telephone exchange sets it up in their
registry that number “xxxxxxxxx” will connect to your
phone at location “y” location.
Your domain name is the same – it goes nowhere until listed
within the central registry and told where to connect to. This connection
process in phones and websites is similar – someone is making
sure they connect the address and the location together. The company
helping you with your website should help you to make sure that
your domain address “points” or directs people to your
website.
Can this address be changed? Yes it can in the same way that my
phone number can be changed. For example, when I recently moved
office locations, I contacted my local Telco Company, (Telstra),
and told them that I was moving and that I wanted my phone number
to connect to my new address. They organised in their central registry
for the number to now point to a new phone location.
The same is true for your domain address – if you choose
to move where your website is located, you can tell the central
registry that your new address is at “z” and they will
send people looking for your website to that a location to find
you. It is quite convenient when you think about it and very similar
to what happens in all of our other business functions.
One last point that is essential that you understand. Owning your
own domain name gives you the opportunity to use your very own email
address advertising your company name. Many people start using a
name that advertises the ISP (Internet Service Provider) that they
use, for example I might have billsmith@optusnet.com.au or jennyreid@domainking.com.au.
With your own domain address you can now have your name followed
by your company name. For example my domain is www.solutionsmanagement.com.au
so my email address is lbrighton@solutionsmanagement.com.au.
I not only advertise my company web address but when we change
ISP’s which we have yearly as their rates fall, we do not
have to change all the email addresses that all our contacts use
– we simply have them redirected on the central domain registry.
It is quick, simple and save heaps of money on new business cards
and lost business through people not knowing our email addresses.
Owning your domain name is essential – it is part of business
today. You need to keep it paid for every two years and point it
to a good website so that you can enjoy the increased amount of
business happening online today.
Lea-Anne Brighton is one of Australia's leading Internet Marketing
Experts. Her company, SolutionsManagement.com.au has built over
400 websites with full Content Management Systems (CMS)and many
with secure "real time" e-commerce facilities.
Solutions Management has specialised in building websites that
have produced strong sales results. Natasha from Surprise Box enjoyed
a 400% increase in online sales (from 1-2 sales per month to 1-2
sales per day), with an overall increase to her business of over
70%.
In 2004 Brighton formed the International Web Marketing Institute
which holds the patent application on their Search Engine Optimisation
methodology. It is blue print that small business owners can use
to dramatically increase online sales through strong Search Engine
Optimization, (SEO). IWMI.com.au helped Jane from PartyKids.com.au
to triple her website visitors and double her monthly sales within
2 months.
About the Author Lea-Anne is also the
President of the Micro and Home Business Network ( mbn.com.au
), in Australia. NFP with 20,000 home and small business asociates.
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