Why you Need a Domain Name

On the World
Wide Web your domain name is your own unique identity. No two parties can ever
hold the same domain name simultaneously; therefore your Internet identity is
totally unique. If you have a business site on the Internet your domain name is
your own online brand and in a sense you can use your domain name as your online
business card. With your own domain name your web site, and e-mail addresses for
example will have that professional look, being unique to your business. Many
people often miss the importance of having and then keeping their domain name
until they lose it. Once this happens they soon realize that they have lost
their whole online identity. How does a domain name work?

To understand
why you need a domain name you first need to know how a domain name works.

A domain name is
an addressing construct, used for finding and identifying computers on the
Internet. Computers use Internet Protocol (IP) Addresses, which are a series of
numbers used to identify each other on the Internet; however, many people find
it hard to remember IP Addresses. Because of this, domain names were developed
so that easily remembered names and phrases could be used to identify entities
in the Internet instead of using an IP Address.

For example, the
domain name M6.net identifies the company M6.net. When a user types the domain
name M6.net in their browser or sends an email to M6.net, the Domain Name System
(DNS) will translate the domain name into IP numbers. These are then used by the
Internet to connect the user to M6.net's web presence.

What should
I use as a domain name?

You can use a
word or phrase as a domain name. When thinking of a domain name, think of catchy
words or phrases that are easy to remember and that will bring more traffic to
your site. Try to use a domain name that is relevant to your web site. If your
web site is a business site, it is a good idea to use the companies name as the
domain name or if your site is a personal site try to think of a domain name
that is related to the topic of your web site.

Also try to keep
your domain name as short as possible, around 5 to 20 characters is fine. The
shorter the domain name the easier it will be to remember.

One thing to
keep in mind is assumed spelling issues; if you think up a 'clever' domain name
such as 1luv4u.com, One Love For You (dating service), people may type in
oneloveforyou.com believing this is the domain name; or oneluv4u.com, or
1love4you.com etc. This leads to brand problems. In this case the 'oneloveforyou.com'
name would be best. Another unfortunate example: Flo Office Supplies ?
flooffice.com?

How do I
acquire a domain name?

There are two
main ways you can get a domain name. You can either register your domain name
yourself or you can get your web host or ISP (Internet Service Provider) to
register it for you.

To register a
domain name yourself you will need to choose a Registrar. A Registrar is an
ICANN accredited domain registration company. There are hundreds of Registrars
on the Internet nowadays. The market is becoming increasingly competitive; which
means that you can purchase domains names for a low yearly fee.

Most web hosting
companies will offer domain registration services to their clients. When you
register a domain name through a web host they will register your domain name
for you through their own approved registrar. An advantage to having your web
host register your domain name for you is that, they have probably done this
process many times before; they have all the necessary information ready at
hand. This process will save you time and, as long as you give the ?correct?
domain name desired, there will be no unfamiliar dealings with Registrars.


Why should
I keep my domain name registered?

If you loose
your domain name you can loose your whole online identity.

Because you can
only register a domain name for a year or so, you will need to make sure that
you renew it before the expiry date. Once your domain name expires you will no
longer own that domain name. Your Registrar will then own it and be able to sell
your domain name to the highest bidder. To make sure you don't lose your domain
name you will need to make sure you renew your domain name at least two weeks
before it expires.

Also make sure
that your information is registered properly, especially if you didn’t register
your domain name yourself. Ensure that your information is displayed as the
registrant, administrative and billing contacts; most importantly make sure that
the email addresses for these contacts are ACTIVE. When you receive any
information about your domain name, such as renewals, price changes, etc? an
email will be sent to this email address. If you can’t receive any mail from the
email addresses listed under the domain names contact then you are at risk of
not receiving important notifications about your domain names, which could
result in loosing your domain name.

People often
miss the importance of having their own unique domain name for their web sites.
A domain name represents you, your company and your online presence; as does a
?business card?. If you don’t have your own domain name you won’t be able to
promote your own online identity and web site on the World Wide Web.

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