Domain Names

Why is domain ownership crucial?

When your domain is bundled with hosting or managed by a third party, you risk losing control, access, and the ability to make timely changes. In today's fast-paced digital landscape, this can be detrimental to your business. 

Your domain name is the digital address of your business. It's how customers find you online, and it's a crucial part of your brand identity. Therefore, it's imperative that you, or someone within your company, maintain full control over your domain name. 

When your domain is tied to a hosting package or managed by a third-party company, you may face limitations and risk in control, access, and flexibility. This can hinder your ability to quickly adapt to changing SEO and social media trends, potentially impacting your business.

Here's why relying on third-party web companies to manage your domain can be detrimental:

Loss of Control:

1. • Sudden Changes: If you have a dispute with your web host, they could potentially suspend or even seize your domain.

   • Delayed Response: In case of technical issues or security threats, relying on a third party can slow down resolution times, impacting your website's availability and potentially harming your business.

   • Limited Customization: Third-party platforms might restrict your ability to customize your domain settings, such as DNS records or email configurations.

Future Flexibility:

• Switching Web Hosts: If you decide to switch web hosts, owning your domain simplifies the transition process. You can easily point your domain to a new hosting provider without any disruptions.

• Selling Your Business: A domain name is a valuable asset that can be transferred to a new owner during a business sale. Owning the domain ensures a smooth handover.

How Domain Name Ownership Works:

1. Yearly Lease: When you "buy" a domain name, you're actually leasing it for a year, you can lease multiple years. You have the right to use that name for that period.

2. Renewal: To keep using the domain name, you need to renew the lease each year. This ensures you continue to have the rights to that online address. 

3. Monitor Domain Expiration:

4. You Don't Own the Underlying Technology: While you have the right to use the domain name, you don't own the actual technology behind it. The underlying infrastructure is maintained by a domain registrar (I would use squarespace, but any like go daddy or host gator should do, ).

5. Even though you dont really own the domain, you or someone in your company should control the domain name, and have full admin access to it. Do not rely on other web companies to manage it for you. this is bad if you are a small business,

By taking control/ownership of your domain name, you ensure your business to thrive online, mitigating potential risks and ensuring long-term sustainability. 

Let me help you regain control of your online presence.

ICANN, or the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, is a nonprofit organization that plays a crucial role in maintaining the internet's infrastructure. Think of ICANN as the internet's steward, ensuring its smooth operation and growth. One of ICANN's key responsibilities is overseeing the Domain Name System (DNS). This system translates human-readable domain names (like .com, .net, .org) into machine-readable IP addresses, making it easier for you to access websites by typing their names instead of complex numbers. While ICANN doesn't directly register domain names, it accredits registrars like GoDaddy and Squarespace. These registrars handle the actual registration process, checking domain availability and setting up your domain name. 

A registrar is an organization that is accredited by ICANN to handle the registration of domain names. They act as intermediaries between ICANN and individuals or businesses who want to register a domain name. 

Here are some of the key functions of a registrar:

• Domain Name Registration: They allow you to register a desired domain name for a specific period.

• Domain Name Management: They provide tools to manage your domain name, including renewing it, updating DNS settings, and transferring it to another registrar.  

• DNS Hosting: Many registrars offer DNS hosting services, which help direct internet traffic to your website or other online resources.  

• Email Services: Some registrars provide email services associated with your domain name.  

• Website Building Tools: Some registrars offer website building tools to help you create a website without coding knowledge.  

When you choose a registrar, it's important to consider factors like price, reliability, customer support, and the additional services they offer. Also SEO Strategy

For example, a .com domain is often associated with commercial businesses, while a .org domain is more commonly used by non-profit organizations. Important for SEO

Endings like .com .org .net are top-level domains (TLDs). They indicate the general purpose or geographic origin of a website. Here are some of the most common TLDs:  

Generic TLDs (gTLDs):

• .com: Commercial organizations  

• .org: Organizations (often non-profit)  

• .net: Network service providers  

• .edu: Educational institutions  

• .gov: Government organizations  

• .mil: Military organizations  

Country Code TLDs (ccTLDs):

These are two-letter codes representing specific countries:

• .us: United States

• .uk: United Kingdom  

• .ca: Canada  

• .au: Australia  

• .de: Germany  

• .fr: France  

• .jp: Japan  

Other TLDs:

In recent years, many new TLDs have been introduced, such as:

• .biz: Business  

• .info: Information

• .tv: Television

• .co: Company  

The choice of TLD can influence a website's perceived credibility and target audience.

Use your real business name address and phone number, Do not use any Privacy Protection(this is a feature, that is not needed (and may cost extra, or given as a freebie for business on the domain information, aka WHOIS, with the ICANN registry, this is another SEO signal

Buy multiple years, as this is a SEO signal to google that you and your business means business for years to come

When picking your domain, keep SEO in mind, google reads and understands links and looks for keywords of a search in the url, for instance I chose indylawnmowing.com, I even named one my LLC businesses this(it helps with SEO), there are 3 keywords in that title, Indy(Indianapolis), Lawn and Mowing. so indylawnmowing.com/yardservices, wow that's a lot of nice keywords and will be handy with SEO campaigns 

Here are some tips to consider:

• Own It Loud and Proud: Include your real business name and phone number in your domain registration. This builds trust and helps potential customers find you easily.

• Privacy Protection is Optional: Consider if privacy protection is truly necessary. While it can shield your personal information, it might not be crucial for businesses that value transparency.

• Go Multi-Year: Locking in your domain for several years sends a positive signal to Google. It shows you're committed to your online presence for the long haul.

• Embrace Keywords, Strategically: While keywords in your domain can be helpful, prioritize readability and brand identity. Aim for one or two relevant keywords that naturally fit within your business name.