Domain Names & Registering A Domain

Choose the right domain name for your business from the beginning - a little thought and planning now will save you a few marketing headaches down the road.

website - choosing the best domain name Coming up with a domain name for your website can be quite simple, or a little more complicated. Most people believe the domain name should be the name of the company, however this might be your first mistake.

If your company name doesn't state what you do (service) or what you sell (product), or the solution you provide - then having your domain name as your company name is probably not the best choice -- unless of course you have tons of money to invest in marketing to make your company name a household word.

Considering your website is typically the face of your business, branding starts here, with your domain name being an integral part of the branding and if named correctly an important SEO (search engine optimization) aspect of your website.

Simply put:

Keep your domain name as short as possible
Include a keyword in the name (what you sell, offer)
Consider adding your target market if you sell to specific organizations or markets
.com sites are the most widely recognized and entered (country code .ca is a good alternative)
Consider the long-term - you may only sell widgets today, but are your future plans to sell widgets and thing-a-ma-jigs?

For a more in-depth look at choosing the best domain name, read our blog article How to Choose A Domain Name.

For information on our domain name research packages:

How To Register A Domain Name

Registering or buying your domain name is relatively easy if you know what to look for.

Never register your domain through a service offering it as part of a website package, app or service unless you know positively should you leave this service, you can transfer your domain to another registrar when you go. There is nothing worse than building a solid reputation with consistent traffic on a domain, only to lose that name because you want to move or upgrade your website.
Once you are set on your domain name, you know it is available, register and pay for the registration of the domain only. Do not purchase a hosting package, or anything else being offered until you have had a discussion with a web designer to know how your site is being built, whether hosting is included in their services etc. The web design company will advise you what is needed based on the services they are offering. If you are building your website yourself -- do your research before committing. Not all website systems are the same.
Decide on whether you will purchase the domain annually or choose a 2, 5 or 10 year option if offered - these usually come with discounts and piece of mind knowing your domain is locked in for the term.
Print your invoice, write down your user name and password and put it in a safe place. Storing it in the computer auto-fill is not recommended. Ask us about VAULT - a great encrypted password keeper. (If you loose access to the domain registrar, you will lose your domain eventually, as it is difficult to prove you own it without logging in to the site). Always complete the domain owner, technical member, billing person, and a secondary email address if offered. Often if you're new to business, you are registering the account with a generic email address from gmail, hotmail etc., because you have yet to establish a branded (domain-based email address). Years down the road, you may not have that hotmail email address any longer. Always keep this information current.
Understand that while you can move a domain name from one registrar to another, you cannot move it within the first 60 days of being registered.
Understand that if you let your domain name renewal lapse, you may not be able to get it back. (Some registrars have a 15 or 30 day grace period, where for a nominal fee, you can get it back). After that period however, your domain will go in to domain name never-never land, where it will remain unavailable for sometime, then be offered back to you for 100s or 1000s of $s. We purchased a domain in 2010, the client changed their mind about wanting that domain and now years later, (because I once owned it) it is offered to me to re-purchase it for $6500. Funny enough the strength of that domain name would be worth it to the right business.

Domain Name Registrars

There are literally 100s of companies that offer domain name registrations. For some, this is all they do, others also offer hosting, email addresses, even website builders. Choose a reputable registrar and one that allows DNS changes (you will need this to launch your website) without paying extra. Look for ease of use in the back-end as well. Some registrars have fairly complicated back-end systems, that confuses those not accustomed to working with domain names and the depth of settings and services surrounding the domain name. Below we have listed some of the popular registrars. Be sure to read everything to know what you are getting.

PRowl Domain Registration

Offers .com, .net, .org, .info, .name, .biz, .ws, .tv, .me, .cc TLDs . everything required for registering the domain, and hosting the website (add-on), managed domain services by PRowl Communications. Domain is registered with you as the owner, under our management.

Price includes domain privacy and multiple branded email addresses for your domain with webmail IMAP/POP or add to outlook or other email app.

$34.95

Learn More / Purchase

GoDaddy

Offers most popular TLDs including .ca, everything required for registering the domain, with add-ons for hosting, email, SSL, website builder, etc. GoDaddy is bad for upselling you into products/services you do not require, as well as changing the pricing structure upon renewal.

Prices vary as they almost always have a deal in place. Beware of free domains with website offers.

www.godaddy.com

Network Solutions

Offers popular TLDs plus add-ons for hosting, email, ecommerce, ssl certificates, cybersecurity , and more. It is the world's first domain provider. Great service, a little more technical to use in the backend.

Prices vary based on type of TLD.

www.networksolutions.com

Other domain resources:

Enom.com