Do I need a Domain Name?
A new business is rarely going to skip out on a domain name these days. A website and Internet presence have become a cost of doing business. However, a small operation or a blogger might decide that they can use other options for their Internet site and skip the domain registration process.
The free options available from social networking sites, blogging hubs, and even Google provide a way to create some web pages or even a blog site within an existing domain. Many of these options are tempting as the hosting provider touts that you will become a part of their network and provided some free advertising and access to their community.
Your Content, Your Name
The problem with these sites is that you still are using their name and brand. You are building a company or content, so you need to be the visible owner of the results. You may not be able to get your specific business or personal name as a domain, but a little creativity can put your stamp on a name. A domain name that you own will protect you from the success of others. Google is not going away anytime soon. However, mergers and acquisitions can impact site names and confuse your readers and customers. Domains names can be inexpensive, and it is worth owning a name for your Internet presence.
A Domain Name is not Limiting
A domain does not stop you from using these other options. It is a matter of a few steps to point a domain name to an existing page. However, visitors can now enter your name in the browser address bar to find your content rather than some other provider. Owning your name also gives you the option of linking content from multiple providers under your domain name.
This is an important part search engines finding your content. When you own your name, you also own the ability to register and customize search engine results related to that name. It is easy to map a domain name to anything on the Internet. It is little more than a label. However, that label is something worth owning. Would you want someone else to be able to change your phone number whenever they wanted to?
Limitless Options
The addition of secondary domain names including biz, tv, me, and others allow for even familiar names to be used by more people. You may not be able to get “yourname.com,” but “yourname.info” could be a useful alternative. Also, these secondary names are less expensive to own. You can use sites like namecheap.com to get domain names for a dollar each in the first year. These sites offer a good way to get started at a low cost.
The dot-com names are still the most valuable and expensive names. Expensive does not mean they are out of reach for you. Dot-com names can be registered for under ten dollars in the first year. Short names of three to five letters are almost all swallowed up. However, longer names are still available. You might need your first and last name to find one available (I have robbroadhead.com for example), but that allows you to personalize your content. Long names are less of a headache these days since name shortening services like bit.ly provide a shortened version of your domain name. A name shortener is a great option for tweets and other limited length communications.
Start Today
The further reading section below offers links to quick tutorials for registering and configuring your domain name. Register your name today before all the good ones are taken.
Further Reading
Check out our articles on registering and configuring your domain name.
If you are looking for a low-cost name, you can get some ideas here.
Domain Registration Buyer’s Guide: How to Always Get the Most Recent 99 Cent Domain
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