An online presence is an integral part of any business, yet many people don't know where to start. I'm just getting started in a four-part webdev series of posts to help you create your first website beginning with domain registration, since this should always be your first step in the process. If you need help selecting a domain name, check out my tips on how to choose a domain name. I hope you have already decided on a name, checked availability, and are ready to register it, because this post will touch on some things everyone should know.
1. Finding a Registrar: If you've been using a registrar you trust, I recommend you stay with them. Email addresses change and passwords get lost, so keep all your domains under one account whenever possible. Wait until renewal time to transfer any domains to your preferred registrar. Always choose an established accredited registrar listed in the ICANN database.
2. Register it Yourself: Beware of "free domain registrations" as these could potentially turn into a domain name custody battle. When a web host registers your domain, they may list themselves as the registrant or administrative contact, which makes them the legal owner of the domain name. They could take your domain name hostage should you ever decide to switch hosts, so never let anyone else register your domain. You also risk losing the domain name if that small web hosting company goes out of business. If this happens, good luck getting your domain back. Trust me, I've seen this happen.
3. Eliminate the competition: There is no limitation to the number of names one person can register. If you can afford it, register multiple variations. Take the dot net (your name .net and .org), misspellings (Flickr vs Flicker), acronyms (tmc.com), and abbreviations. It's not uncommon for cybersquatters or scammers to setup web pages full of ads to take advantage of people who accidentally type in the wrong web address. The AP recently shed light on a new scam called "domain tasting," in which companies register domains to test how profitable they are in the first five days. If they make a small profit from ads served they keep them, if not they "return" them to the registrar pool. This creates problems and a shortage of domain names for the rest of us. Even Neiman Marcus ran into problems with Dotster, which was running an ad site at NeimuMarcus.com. Ironically, Dotster is an established registrar.
4. Lock it in: After all the work you've done, you want to make sure you have this domain for a very long time. Don't do the year-to-year registration, unless you're not sure where your site is going. Many people, including myself, have lost some great domains because we forgot to renew them. A lot happens in a year and if you're not careful you'll forget where it's registered or when it expires. This is why you must always update your contact information, especially your email address. These days most registrars have an auto-renew option which helps.
5. Save Money: There was a time when a yearly domain registration would cost more than $70 per year. This was all before domain registration was open to competitors. Now that registrars are a dime a dozen, prices have gone down dramatically. You can find registrars that will charge you anywhere from $2 to $10 per year. Read between the lines, especially when it comes to renewal rates.
6. Private Registration: There's been a recent increase of domain renewal offers from competitors arriving to mailboxes everywhere. Many come to the conclusion that registrars sold their personal information to others, but anyone who has done a search on a Whois database will see how easy it is to find a site owner's name, mailing addresses, and domain expiration dates through public DNS records. There are plenty of scripts available that will spider and extract this information for marketing firms. If you don't want all your personal details floating about in cyberspace, opt for a private registration which is available for an extra fee. However, I've seen more and more registrars offer this feature at no extra cost.
1. Finding a Registrar: If you've been using a registrar you trust, I recommend you stay with them. Email addresses change and passwords get lost, so keep all your domains under one account whenever possible. Wait until renewal time to transfer any domains to your preferred registrar. Always choose an established accredited registrar listed in the ICANN database.
2. Register it Yourself: Beware of "free domain registrations" as these could potentially turn into a domain name custody battle. When a web host registers your domain, they may list themselves as the registrant or administrative contact, which makes them the legal owner of the domain name. They could take your domain name hostage should you ever decide to switch hosts, so never let anyone else register your domain. You also risk losing the domain name if that small web hosting company goes out of business. If this happens, good luck getting your domain back. Trust me, I've seen this happen.
3. Eliminate the competition: There is no limitation to the number of names one person can register. If you can afford it, register multiple variations. Take the dot net (your name .net and .org), misspellings (Flickr vs Flicker), acronyms (tmc.com), and abbreviations. It's not uncommon for cybersquatters or scammers to setup web pages full of ads to take advantage of people who accidentally type in the wrong web address. The AP recently shed light on a new scam called "domain tasting," in which companies register domains to test how profitable they are in the first five days. If they make a small profit from ads served they keep them, if not they "return" them to the registrar pool. This creates problems and a shortage of domain names for the rest of us. Even Neiman Marcus ran into problems with Dotster, which was running an ad site at NeimuMarcus.com. Ironically, Dotster is an established registrar.
4. Lock it in: After all the work you've done, you want to make sure you have this domain for a very long time. Don't do the year-to-year registration, unless you're not sure where your site is going. Many people, including myself, have lost some great domains because we forgot to renew them. A lot happens in a year and if you're not careful you'll forget where it's registered or when it expires. This is why you must always update your contact information, especially your email address. These days most registrars have an auto-renew option which helps.
5. Save Money: There was a time when a yearly domain registration would cost more than $70 per year. This was all before domain registration was open to competitors. Now that registrars are a dime a dozen, prices have gone down dramatically. You can find registrars that will charge you anywhere from $2 to $10 per year. Read between the lines, especially when it comes to renewal rates.
6. Private Registration: There's been a recent increase of domain renewal offers from competitors arriving to mailboxes everywhere. Many come to the conclusion that registrars sold their personal information to others, but anyone who has done a search on a Whois database will see how easy it is to find a site owner's name, mailing addresses, and domain expiration dates through public DNS records. There are plenty of scripts available that will spider and extract this information for marketing firms. If you don't want all your personal details floating about in cyberspace, opt for a private registration which is available for an extra fee. However, I've seen more and more registrars offer this feature at no extra cost.
