Don't Risk Losing Your Business Domain Name! Or-WHOIS My Registrar?

I Can't Remember Where I Purchased My Domain Name!

It wasn't until my third client had called asking how to regain control of her domain name that I realized that it was a common problem for small business webmasters to forget where they had registered their domains. WHOIS my registrar? Why didn't I get an email about renewal? Why did my site stop working today?

People rarely realize how important it is to keep their domain registrar notified of changes to their email address and and other contact information. The registrar will send renewal notifications to the email address last on file. For most domain owners, the only time they think about contacting a registrar is the day they reserve their domain name. If they move to a new city and get a new internet service provider, it doesn't occur to them that the old email address will change and that meeans that the registrar can no longer contact them through the previous address, or phone or fax as each of them change and we rarely notify the controller of our domain of those changes.

Sometimes the first indication a business owner will have that there is a problem is the day their web site stops working. If they failed to notify their domain registrar of changed email address, they may never have received their domain renewal notice. Since many registrars honor a 30 day "redemption period" allowing expired domains to be redeemed, it may be possible to save the registration within 30 days following expiration by contacting registrars during 30 day domain redemption periods.

The following URL leads to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (AKA ICANN) discussing the grace period and redemption period rules it enforces.

http://www.icann.org/bucharest/redemption-topic.htm

So how does a domain owner find out who their registrar is if they've forgotten? Simple WHOIS inquiries will tell you everything the registrar knows about your domain. Public WHOIS records show the owner's contact email, street address, phone and fax numbers. But that's not all, it also shows the current registrar, DNS servers, the creation and expiration dates of the domain name. Here is how to check your WHOIS data. Type the following into your browser address bar:

http://www.dnsstuff.com/tools/whois.ch?ip=google.com

Replace google.com with your domain name and click go. If you don't, you'll see the following contact information:

Administrative Contact:

DNS Admin (NIC-14290820) Google Inc.

1600 Amphitheatre Parkway

Mountain View CA 94043

US

*********@google.com

+1.6506234000

Fax- +1.6506188571

You'll also see the domain servers, which usually includes the host name like so:

Domain servers in listed order:

NS3.GOOGLE.COM

NS4.GOOGLE.COM

NS1.GOOGLE.COM

NS2.GOOGLE.COM

This normally shows only two servers (Google is bigger than you.)

So now that you are armed with WHOIS data, you can see:

1. Who the registrar is. (Hence WHOIS)
2. Who the Domain Administrative, technical contacts are.
3. Owner names, addresses, emails, phone and fax numbers.
4. Domain creation, expiration and "last updated" dates.
5. Domain servers and backup servers.

What do you do if your domain name shows expired and it has stopped working? Do that WHOIS search and contact the listed registrar at their customer support number. They'll ask you to prove who you are by verifying some registration details. If you can't remember access passwords to log in to domain management consoles, they'll often accept faxed copies of your photo ID or a some standard identification proof and reset your username and password to give you access again.

Forgetting to notify your registrar is not the only way to lose control of your domain. There are hundreds of stories of unethical hosting companies, webmasters and even spouses (since divorced) holding domain names in the name of a small business because the domain owner was not web savvy and didn't understand how important that domain name signup day was. Keep your registrar name, your log in username, password and domain management URL permanently recorded somewhere with your most important business papers. Don't allow anyone to register your domain name for you if they don't put YOUR name, email address and phone numbers in "Administrative Contact" position during registration.

Some business owners confuse their web host with their internet service provider and further confuse both with the domain registrar. Since many ISP's offer web space, or hosting, and also provide domain registration through their initial signup package, it's not easy to separate the three distinctly different entities. You needn't host with your internet service provider and they're (almost) never your domain registrar. Keep them separate and completely apart in your mind.

1. Internet service provider. (AT&T, Verizon, SBC Global.)
2. Web hosting provider. (Pair Networks, Verio web hosts.)
3. Domain Registrar. (GoDaddy, Register.com Yahoo Domains.)

When a client recently moved her hosting, she asked me how to make that happen and had no idea how important the details were. We first established a new hosting account, then determined new domain name servers, uploaded her web files. we made sure that account was live with the new web host, then contacted the domain REGISTRAR to change to the new domain servers in a domain management console.

This same client had nearly told her old web host to close her account before we found out that the registrar had her old, previous email address as "Administrative contact" email for her domain name. It took two days to straighten that out and make corrections. Her site would have been down for two days if she had shut down her old hosting account as she had planned before speaking with me. She had a new hosting account set up, but failed to realize the importance of the registrar change to DNS server records in the moving scenario.

We then notified the previous host of the change, only AFTER the domain was resolving to the new host so that when the site was turned off at the old host, it was already working at the new host.

Don't be caught by surprise! You can protect your domain name by registering it for the maximum time of ten years and extend it every year to that final, tenth year, rather than waiting for it to near expiration. This will prevent you losing control of the name, but shouldn't mean you can forget your registrar login details or renewal date. How likely is it that you will move, or at least change internet service providers within that ten years? Be sure to keep your registrar apprised of new email, street address, phone numbers at all times! Especially that all important Administrative contact email. "WHOIS" your domain registrar? Do you have domain name management console login details? Have you extended your registration to ten years? Your business is worth careful domain name management.

Why Populate Domain Names with Keywords

A proper domain name is essential to guiding traffic to your website. If your domain name seems entirely unrelated to the topic of your site, then it probably doesn’t draw the customer base that you desire. However, adding keywords to your domain name can be a driving force for search engines to top a list with your site for inquirers. Your position on the list of sites found based on a keyword search could be impacted severely by a domain name that does not incorporate the correct information.

Stay On Topic

The way to begin is to make sure that your website stays on topic. In other words, if you decide to sell nail polish, don’t get involved in pages and pages of information on nail files. Staying on topic will help you pick out the true keywords that will draw people to your website successfully. If you trick yourself into believing that “nail files” is an important keyword for your site, then you are misguiding potential visitors of your site. Staying on subject keeps every other step simpler.

Narrow the Field

While your site may have several relevant keywords with which to populate the domain name, you’ll want to narrow down the subject severely. You don’t want a domain name that goes on for miles because people can’t remember it. If you are selling nail care products, don’t try to include every product in the domain name. Try to consolidate. Either use the one or two most prominent products in the name or find a way to state your topic in general. Use “nail care” or “fingernails” in your domain name to suggest all products. Or, if you are focused on specialized grooming products for the nails, use “nail grooming”.

Be Unique but Simple

A domain name populated with keywords doesn’t have to be fancy. It simply needs to get the point of the website across in a somewhat unique way. If you are publishing a site about various grooming techniques or types of manicures for nails, you could use something cute like “fingernail tips”. If you are providing a service, you should include the location of your business, especially if the service is to be local and not an internet provision. If you live in Florida, you don’t want someone calling from Oregon expecting service the next day.

It is good practice to review other domain names regarding the same topic as you intend to include on your website so that you can get an idea of how others have attracted attention in the past, as well as what domain names are already taken so you can stay away from those and any others that are too similar. Start by searching the keyword or keywords with which you’d like to populate your domain name; this will return several sites that have already accomplished this. One of these sites may give you the best idea for your own site, and you’ll be ready to get started.

Choosing a Domain Name for Your Website

One of the first steps in building your website is choosing a domain name. There are several important things to consider when deciding on a domain name for your website.

Following are a few tips to keep in mind when selecting a new domain name:

If possible, opt for a domain name that is easily recognizable and describes your business. This will be helpful when you promote your site.

Keep your domain name as short, simple and easy to remember as possible. The shorter it is, the easier it will be to remember. Although a good number of the short and simple .com domains are likely already taken, you may have the option to purchase a domain with a different extension, like .net or .us.

Your domain name can be 2-63 characters long (excluding the extension), and can contain the characters a-z, 0-9 and '-' (dash). However, domain names cannot begin or end with '-' (dash).

If your first choice is not available, try to utilize synonyms, rearrange the words, add dashes, or use abbreviations or acronyms to find an alternative.

You now have several options to choose from for extensions as well. Following is some information about some of the extensions you can choose from:

.com denotes the word "commercial," and it is an unrestricted global domain name extension. Many businesses prefer a .com domain name because it is a highly recognized symbol for having a business presence on the Internet. However, the number of available .com domain names is shrinking as more and more businesses go online.

.net represents the word "network," and is an unrestricted global domain name extension most commonly used by Internet service providers, Web-hosting companies, or other businesses that are directly involved in the infrastructure of the Internet. Additionally, some businesses choose domain names with a .net extension for their intranet web sites.

.org represents the word "organization," and is an unrestricted global domain name extension that is primarily used for non-commercial sites. However, many commercial entities register the .org extensions corresponding to their .com domain names in order to protect their brands.

.biz is a restricted-use global domain name extension used for business web sites. As a relatively new type of domain, .biz offers a company the opportunity to get the domain name it really wants and enhance its presence on the Web with a domain name that means business.

.info is an unrestricted domain name extension that creates an opportunity to reach a worldwide audience with information about your business and ideas. .info is growing in popularity, but still has many great names available.

.us is a restricted-use country code that may be used by any individual or organization with residence in the United States or its territories, including foreign organizations that do business in the US.

What about .TV, .WS, .FM and .CC?

Although often marketed as such, .TV does not mean television and .WS does not mean web-site or world-site. .TV is the country code extension for Tuvalu a small island country located in the Western Pacific Ocean with a population of approximately 11,000 that gained independence from the UK in 1978. .WS is the country code extension for Samoa. Samoa, also in the Pacific, gained independence from New Zealand in 1962 and has a population of around 180,000.

.FM masquerades as the TLD (top level domain) for radio stations, but is actually the country code for Federated States of Micronesia. .CC is the Internet country code TLD for Cocos (Keeling) Islands, an Australian territory, but has been promoted for international registration as "the next .com".

A Dirty Little Secret Of Getting Your Domain Name Through A Hosting Company

If you're new and scouring the 'Net for a place to register your desired domain name, you'll likely come across websites charging anywhere from $35 a year to as low as $1.99 a year. More often than not, you'll choose the lower-priced one because it's cheaper.

There are literally hundreds of places where you can register your domain name with. There are so many around it's enough to make your head spin.

But as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. And to whom you're registering and managing your domain name with is no exception.

What many people who wish to "put up a website" don't know is they might have little control or "say" (or even none at all) over managing the domain name they registered. While it's a reality many people don't know and probably don't care about this, what they don't know can and might hurt them.

Whatever their reasons and business models, many hosting providers will give you a limited degree of control and access to the domain name and your website hosting. However, they can retain full control and even ownership of the domain name itself.

It's well and good if you're having a relatively good experience with your hosting company for your website hosting and domain name needs. But if you're not happy with them and decide to cancel and transfer, then that's where the unwanted headaches might occur.

Nowadays you virtually agree to your hosting provider's terms the moment you sign up with them. Depending on the circumstances and the terms, they can deny you access to your domain name and even prevent you from transferring it to another provider of your choice.

If that happens, it can potentially cost time, money and effort to try to regain the domain name. And you don't have any assurance whatsoever you'll be successful in getting it back.

When browing through your potential list of domain providers, don't be afraid to ask any and all questions you have regarding how they handle domain name issues. Their answer to your questions can help shape your decision as to whom to take your chances with.

Registering Your Domain Name

Registering your domain name is one of the most important steps to bringing your business online. This is the name that customers will remember you by

Choose a name that is:

* Available

* Easy to remember

* Easy to spell

* Conveys the nature of your business

How to pick a name:

1) Use the Thesaurus on Webster.com to find words that match your business model

2) Look up the domain possibilities by using the name spinner on www.whois.sc to see if the domain is available

3) After you have a list of possibilities, put the list aside for a couple of days. After a day or two, try to remember one of the possibilities. If you can’t remember any of them, your customers will have the same problem. If that is the case, Go back to step one.

Register the domain yourself. Do not have a web developer or anyone else do this for you. If you allow someone else to register your domain name, you run the risk of that person putting your domain name in their name. This means the domain name is their legal property, not yours.

To register the domain name, we recommend using either www.networksolutions.com, or http://www.g2apex.com/Domains.html

Beware of companies that charge a very low price for domain registration. Most of these companies have hidden fees or restrictions associated with the domain name, so pay very close attention to the contract before purchasing from one of these companies.

How to Choose Domain Names for Your Website

How do you expect to be found by people who don't know the name of your business? There are three categories of domain names to be chosen in order to make your domain name work for your website. I'll explain each category and why you need one from each of them.

We'll start with the old standby: your business name. YourBusinessName.com is great for printing on business cards and letterhead, vehicle signage and banners. This is the one that people will use IF THEY HAVE IT IN FRONT OF THEM. However, most people get stuck on using only this domain name. I'll tell you why this is such a bad idea: most business cards get thrown away - why do you think they're so cheap? Letters and invoices get filed. Your business domain name just won't be in front of the people you want it to be when you need it to be.

Dot net or dot com? For the name of your business usually it doesn't matter unless it's a well-known brand. Remember, this is the one people will have in front of them when they go online. You could even try one of the lesser used extensions like .info, .us, .biz or .tv if it works with your business name.

Next is the most basic, yet underused type of domain name - "Your Name". I don't mean your business name, I mean YOUR name. A good reason to get YourName.com is to prevent someone else from using it. Even if your name doesn't mean anything to anyone yet, we're certainly hoping it will eventually as you gain attention. If you write and submit articles, press releases, contribute to blog posts or forums, you most likely sign your name not your business name. See, already you're gaining notoriety.

Belong to a networking group or Chamber of Commerce? As you get involved in those organizations, people may not remember your business name (because you don't use it to introduce yourself, do you?), but will likely remember your name. They may not always have your business card available, but will remember working with you. They may just do a search for your name to see what pops up. If your business or articles are among the search results, you've just accomplished the goal of this domain name.

If you give seminars or participate in other speaking engagements, your name is stickier than your business name. Are you in real estate? Your name is on every yard sign you set out, not the name of your business. There are many other industries where that will apply as well.

So what if someone already has YourName.com? Then find a domain name that contains your name and add a word or phrase onto it that is pertinent to what you do. Jane Smith has a cooking utensil web site called Cooking Stuff Online, so she could use janesmithcooking.com. Hyphenated domains work too: janesmith-cooking.com. This one should be a dot com if at all possible because that's what people try first when searching almost anything.

The third type of domain is the keyword domain, and is undoubtedly the most important. Search engines give weight to a web site called frenchloprabbitpets.com that is about, and sells, French Lop Rabbits because the keyphrases for the web site are contained in the domain name. Most web directories will list links by category and allow you to search for a type of business, such as Pets. The goal here is to be found in searches of your keyphrase, type of business and product or service. The obvious thing to not do with keyword domains is try to use them for something they are not: sausages.com won't do you any good if you site is not about sausages!

I recommend getting all three types of domain names to cover your bases. In the competitive world that is online marketing and search, you want every advantage you can get.

How My Internet Business Improved When I Got My Own Domain Name

Many people seeking to start internet business often ask themselves, "Why should I get my own domain name when there are plenty of free web hosting services around?" Or they might say, "I have joined an affiliate program, and they provided me a great looking website. What do I need my own domain name for?"

I'm not going to knock free hosting, because that's how I got started in internet marketing. The sites I created with free hosting services made money for me, and many are several years old and still making money for me. However, there are several benefits that I learned about when I got my own domain names.

1. The sites were neater and less distracting. A free hosting service will normally support its operations, at least in part, by putting banners on a site or by having popups, or both. Not only does this detract from the general appearance of the site, but it may cause visitors to your website to leave quickly and it may disguise your internet business in the sea of advertising which surrounds it. When I got my own domain name, all the clutter disappeared and my internet business became the only focus of the site.

2. I was able to improve the visibility of my internet business to the internet surfer when I got my own domain name. This actually improves visibility in more than one way.

First, I was able to pick domain names that reflected the thrust or intent of my internet business. For example, if a surfer is looking for travel agencies in New York City, the URL’s newyorkcitytravelagency.xxx or nycitytravel.xxx are more likely to catch the eye than iwouldreallyliketogetyourtravelbusiness.xxx.

Second, many successful internet businesses have used a ploy of catching the surfer's eye with a funny or slightly unusual name that sticks even though it doesn't exactly express the message. Don't believe me? How about PayPal.com, eBay.com, Google.com, or even NoDiet4Me.com?

3. I was able to improve my search engine visibility, ranking, and results when I got my own domain name. Not only was having a domain name that reflected my internet business area of interest valuable insofar as the human surfer's eye was concerned, but it could improve my search engine ranking as well. This is invaluable, because a properly selected domain name can both reflect the interest of the human while better meeting the requirements of the search engine.

Just for an example, if my internet business is selling free web hosting, having the domain webhosting.xxx may be good, but freewebhosting.xxx is going to be even better. If someone is seeking free web hosting, freewebhosting.xxx is probably going to catch their eye because it is exactly what they are looking for. Also, if they search for "free web hosting", there is a chance that if I have done a good job of optimizing my website, the search engine they use will add my domain name into the factors it considers while fulfilling the request and will show my domain name first.

4. I was better able to market affiliate programs when I got my own domain name. When I started out in internet marketing all I knew how to do was join affiliate programs. If you have ever seen the links provided by many of these affiliate programs, you probably were appalled and wondered how anyone could ever use one of THOSE links to attract attention. They are full of question marks and strange codes, and they tend to be excessively long and often don't say anything about the business that is being promoted.

Once I got my own domain names, I was able to redirect visitors to the affiliate site while using a perfectly sensible sounding, and looking, domain name. I was able to put recognizable and rational sounding domain names on business cards, which would have been impossible with the affiliate link. I was also able to design information sites under my own domain name which carried links to the affiliate site.

NOTE: Many affiliate links have other problems than just being ugly or unwieldy. If you have an affiliate link that looks like bobsbarbecue.xxx/?affiliate=joan or bobsbarbecue.xxx/afid=1234, some search engines will only recognize the root domain, that is, bobsbarbecue.xxx, and ignore everything else.

Many affiliate pages don't actually have anything of interest to a search engine, such as titles, Meta tags, or content. This gets into another area, website design and search engine optimization, and that's outside the scope of this article. However, having your own domain, even a free one, can allow you to more effectively promote the affiliate program you have joined.

Finally, most affiliate pages look exactly alike, so you have no way to stand out from the crowd even if the page is fantastically designed and optimized to the max. However, if I get my own domain name, I can either redirect to the affiliate page, but use my own title and meta tags (and even content), or I can create a page of my own which leads visitors to the affiliate page through anchor text and other linking or lead building techniques. (Which are ALSO subjects of interest in their own right).

5. Once I got my own domain name, I was able to begin branding myself and some of my internet business sites and interests. Since I write articles like this all the time which carry links to various internet businesses with which I am involved, I have been able to create a brand name of sorts and have been able to interlink these sites, interests, and articles, thus creating a more visible internet image.