Three Things You Need to Know About Domain Name Management
Your domain name or URL is what you type in your web browser to find your website. Think of it as your piece of cyber real estate. Owning your own domain name is similar to owning a home because there is some maintenance you need to do after purchasing your domain. Ready to build your website but haven’t bought your domain name yet? Unsure about choosing a name? In this post, you’ll learn all about domain name management and links to resources that show you step-by-step how to manage your domain through iPage.
Choose a domain name wisely
If you are launching a new site, it’s ideal to have your own domain name, because it makes it easy for people to find your site online. If you are a business, your domain name is a part of your brand, so choose wisely. If you are using WordPress to build your site, you must choose a web hosting provider. iPage makes it easy to purchase web hosting and a domain name all in one place, and you can get your own professional domain name free for one year with any hosting plan!
When selecting a domain name, you must choose a name that’s not taken. If you buy your new domain name through iPage, we’ll search for you. Beyond deciding what url address you want to use for your website, you must also select a domain extension. The most common domain extension for years has been .com. Now, with so many websites online with the .com extension, you might find the domain name you want is already owned by someone else. That’s OK because several new domain name extensions have become available like .group, .club, .site, .design, opening up the possibilities of domain names you can choose. iPage offers 318 domain extensions and will be releasing more in the future.
Buying a domain through iPage is very simple. After you setup your iPage account, iPage’s site walks you through the process step-by-step. Click here to access the instructions.
Why buy multiple domains?
People or businesses sometimes purchase multiple domain names besides the domain they use for their site. Usually, it’s to protect their brand by owning other names associated with their business.
Three issues commonly happen with domain names:
- Domain squatting, or cybersquatting, is when someone purchases a domain name, then sells it back to you for a for a price. This scam started when the internet was new and happened to several major companies like Panasonic, Fry’s Electronics, Hertz, and Avon. Back in 2015, right before politician Rand Paul announced his run for presidency, he paid $100,000 to squatters to buy the domain, randpaul.com.
- An established, legitimate business already owns the URL domain for years.
- Someone purchases a misspelled version of your domain name to direct traffic to their own site. For example, your domain is rightbrain.com and they purchase rightbrian.com as this is a common misspelling.
Whether accidental or intentional, you don’t want someone else with a domain name that is very similar to your own. Purchasing multiple domain names is an inexpensive way to protect your online brand identity. iPage makes it easy for you to add another domain name to your iPage account. Learn how to add another domain.
Don’t forget to renew!
Recently a well-known email marketing technology provider encountered a major glitch in its business when all of its domain names expired. The entire site shut down for a few hours, and customers couldn’t log in. The company must now work toward rebuilding their customers’ confidence in the platform.
The lesson here is, after purchasing your domain, you will not own it forever, so it is crucial you renew it before it expires. The minimum registered period is typically one year, but you can register for up to ten years at a time. It is essential to keep your domain active, so someone else doesn’t steal it. iPage makes it easy to manage your domain registration with its domain automatic renewal service when it gets time to renew. For instructions on domain name renewal with iPage, click here.
Now you are armed with the knowledge you need for successful domain management. Taking the time to carefully select your domain name and purchasing other similar domain names is time and money well spent on your website’s future. Managing domain renewal will keep your brand safe and customers happy for years to come.
Feature image: Pixabay
About the Author
Susie Yuill is a freelance copywriter and marketing strategy consultant, specializing in creating product marketing strategy & content that helps technology companies grow product sales and engagement. To learn more about Susie, visit her website at www.stellartechmarketing.co