What's
In A Domain Name?
What's In A Domain Name?
One of the decisions you have to make when setting
up a website is whether or not to get your own domain name.
The most frequent objection we hear about having a 'virtual domain'
is that it's an unnecessary expense. And yes, it does cost you a
little more money to get a domain name.
Your extra costs will be:
Registering a domain with InterNIC is $100.
If your ISP submits your registration forms you'll probably be
charged from $25 to $100 for their time and effort in setting up
the domain.
Some ISPs charge more money per month to host virtual domains.
In short, it could cost you an extra $200, plus possible higher
hosting fees, to get a domain name. Compare that to the total cost
of having a website created and marketing it, and that's a very
small additional expense.
What are the benefits?
As the Internet gains users, the professionalism of your website
become more important. Would you name your business "Susan's
subdivision of the Bob Company"? No. So why be www.somebody-else.com/~your-company?
In addition, if you want to advertise your website in brochures,
your letterhead, business cards, or other forms of advertising,
your website address needs to be easy to remember. A certain percentage
of your hit traffic will come through search engines and other links
where the user doesn't have to type anything, but if you want people
to be able to just sit down at their browser and go straight to
your website, a domain name makes the job easier for them.
It's possible that the domain name you want has already been registered
by someone else. Are you out of luck? No. In the near future, seven
new domain endings will be added to the now-familiar .com, .net,
and .org: '.store' for businesses offering goods, '.info' for information
services, '.nom' for individuals who want personal sites, '.firm'
for businesses or firms, '.web' for entities emphasizing the Web,
'.arts' for cultural groups and 'rec' for recreational or entertainment
activities.
About the Author By: Rachel Luxemburg
World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/
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