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All about domains
Everything you need to know about domains, how they work, how to choose the perfect one for you, all the way to registration!
What Is A Domain Name?
A domain is essentially your “address”, your clients need to enter your domain name in a web browser in order to “find you” and your website. But more than just access your website, your domain name will essentially be your business’ name and your brand as a whole.
A domain consists of 2 things, the domain name (altimex services) and the domain name extension (.com). When you purchase a domain these are the 2 things you will have to choose depending on your needs and their availability.
Choose your domain name
How Do Domains Work?
In order to reach a website, you would need to type its domain name in the browser and you will be automatically directed. But how does that work? Well, every domain name is connected to its unique IP address and every website is connected to that IP address as well. So, instead of typing the website’s IP address all the time, you just use a domain name which is much easier to remember. Coming back to the address analogy, the domain name is the address and the IP address is the actual house we’re trying to reach, once we reach that house we can access the website.
When you go to register a domain (which we will talk about later) you will register with a DNS( Domain Name System) which connects your domain to its respective IP address – the same as the website. So, when you go to type in the domain name in your browser the DNS will search through all the registered IP addresses and find the one that matches your domain name and website.
What Do You Need A Domain Name For?
The first use of a domain name is to create a website, without a domain you cannot have a reachable website, unless you plan on your clients remembering that IP address!
But more than your website, your domain name will become your unique identity on the internet. Registering your domain name is a marketing move that will increase your brand awareness online, build your credibility, reputation and have your presence in search engines.
Your domain name should be your business’ name or a variation because you will use it with everything that relates to your business: your business email address (Read this article: Professional Business Email Address ), your website, your logo, your social media handles and many more… It is the first step in creating a business because you will need it on your journey to build your brand.
How To Choose The Perfect Domain Name
Now that you know what a domain name is and how can you choose a perfect domain name that will not only fit your business but also benefit it. Here are some tips when you are choosing that name:
MAKE IT BRANDABLE: A brandable domain name is unique and catchy that people will remember instead of something generic that has been used multiple times and won’t stand out. For example: Itservices.com,techconsulting.com stands out less than Altimex.com. To make it brandable you can either create a new word or look for unique words that go with your business.
SHORT IS ALWAYS BETTER: Keep your domain name short, most of the web pages with heavy traffic are 16 to 14 characters long. A shorter name will be easier for people to remember and also easier for you to communicate to potential customers orally.
SIMPLICITY: You need a domain name that is simple for anybody to pronounce and to spell, you wouldn’t want your clients struggling to type your website and maybe end up on a different one. Avoid things like numbers and hyphens as they are easily forgettable and make it harder to share to people.
Always remember that you want your domain name to be shareable easily, whether it is by word of mouth or even by text messages, emails etc..
THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE: Pick something that you like now and that you will still like but will also still fit you and your business in the future. If you plan on extending your business to offer different services for example, aim for a broader name that isn’t set on a specific service.
AVAILABILITY: After you know what you want your name to be, or at least have a few ideas you can check if they are available for you to register and not already taken.
Here are some websites where you can search for your future domain name’s availability :
Bluehost: https://www.bluehost.com/domains
Webnames.ca: https://www.webnames.ca
Google Domains: https://domains.google/intl/en_ca/
We also recommend searching that name on popular social media platforms to see if it is taken because using the same social media handle as your domain is the best option.
How To Register Your Domain Name
This will be the easiest step to finalize your domain. Once you have found a domain name and an extension that is available and suits your needs all is left to do is to buy it! A lot of platforms that offer Domain names are web hosting platforms, so if you are planning to create a website or already have one you could purchase a domain name within that same platform, some web hosting platforms even offer a free domain name if you are hosting your website with them. Here is an example of a web hosting that offers domains (with a fee):
Different Types Of Extensions
When looking for your future domain name’s availability you will come across many offers for the same domain name, but with different extensions. Here are some of the best you might want to choose from:
TPL- TOP LEVEL DOMAINS
Those are the ones at the top of the internet’s domain system. The most popular include .com, .net, .org and .edu.
ccTLD – COUNTRY CODE TOP LEVEL DOMAINS
Those just use 2 letters and represent an international country. They are vastly used as well: ca, us, fr. Good for companies based in a specific country.
gTLD – GENERIC TOP LEVEL DOMAINS
Those are used for specific purposes, such as .edu for education and don’t have to based in a country. You also don’t have to match any specific criteria unlike the others.
FREE DOMAINS
You can come across free domains on website building platforms. However, they will come in the format of yourdomainname, theirdomain name and then the extension. With Squarespace for example, it might look like this : altimexservices.squarespace.com
While these are offered for free they are not ideal for a long term business or company.
We recommend buying your own as it looks way more professional. Also recommended is choosing one of the extensions above that match your needs, for most websites opt for a Top Level Domain, if you’re local then opt for a Country Code and if you are sure of your niche opt for the Generic ones.
Do you need Canadian hosted datacenters ?
Several Canadian web hosting companies offer great services.
Since they have data centres all over Canada, website speed and uptime are excellent . They are WebHosting, HostPapa, SiteGround, Hostinger, HostGator, …
Nowadays, a CDN ( Content Delivery Network) helps by creating a cache all over the world to show the one closed to the customer’s location so appart from specific requirements, you can choose based on some other criteria than the location.
Web Hosting : A Powerful Canadian web hosting
Shared Canadian Hosting (other locations available)
Cloud Servers
Get everything you need to be successful online, including hosting, email
HostPapa : A Powerful web hosting to get your business online
Shared Canadian Hosting (other locations available)
Get everything you need to be successful online, including hosting, email
American hosted datacenters
Web Hosting Hub : A Small Business Hosting
- Shared Hosting (several American locations)
- Includes all of the essential tools and features needed to accommodate starting a new website or existing medium-size blogs, personal websites, or business websites
Click on the picture to access the website, it offers both web hosting and domains.
BlueHost : Hosting that works as hard as you do
Bluehost is one of the largest website hosting providers and powers millions of websites.
- Shared Hosting
- VPS (Virtual Private Server) Hosting
- CDNs (Content Delivery Network) to make accessing your site in the world quick and efficient.
- Includes all of the essential tools and features needed to accommodate starting a new website or existing medium-size blogs, personal websites, or business websites
Click on the picture to access the website, it offers both web hosting and domains.
Whenever you purchase a domain name make sure you read the contract carefully as to understand what you are really getting. Many platforms reserve the right to take your domain away if you are participating in illegal or unacceptable activities. Some contracts even include the platform’s right to delete your domain without your consent so pay attention.
Now we wait… After everything is done and paid for it will take about 48hours or less for your domain name to be online and ready to use!
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT STEP TO BUILDING YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE!
For the next step learn how to create your business email address using your domain name at: Professional Email Address