As the importance of the Internet for business and creatives continues to grow, so grows the need to utilize smart strategies for both selecting and maintaining your domain names. Here are ten tips we’ve learned that you might find useful in protecting what we refer to as “Internet real estate”:
1. Shop Around For Your Domain Name Registrar: In the old days, Network Solutions, Inc. (“NSI”) had a virtual lock on the process of registering domain names. That’s because NSI was the only official Domain Name Registrar. That’s no longer the case and lots of competitors have popped up; as a result the cost of registering a domain name has dropped. Shop around. We like GODADDY.COM where you can register a domain name for as little as about $11 a year per domain name. Ask around and see which Registrar your friends and colleagues like.
2. Make sure your business name and trademarks are registered: Registering your domain name is NOT the same as registering your company name or product name as a trademark, so registering your company/product name(s) as trademarks is very important too. Trademarks can be registered with the State you operate in, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (“PTO”) and internationally. The process of registering a trademark could be the subject of a full-length article, but the following link to the PTO website is a good place to get some basic info: http://www.uspto.gov/main/trademarks.htm
3. Use Letters, Numbers & Dashes Only: Domain names can be composed of letters, numbers, and dashes only; spaces and symbols such as # or $ are not allowed. Domain names are not case sensitive.
4. Avoid Someone Else’s Name: Using someone else’s company name or trademark – or something very close to it – for your domain name can subject you to legal liability, even if you register the domain name before they do. Thus registering a domain name like amazongroceries.com isn’t a good idea.
5. .COM, NET, ORG, BIZ, INFO?: Which domain name extension – (.com, .net, .org, .biz, .info and now many others) – should you register? Generally the .com extension is used by businesses, .net is for “networks” and .org is used by non-profit organizations. But with the number of .com domain names growing exponentially, it’s getting harder and harder to find an available .com domain name. That’s where other extensions like .info, .biz and perhaps most importantly – .mobi – can come in. The trick is to pick the best domain name and match it with the extension that makes the most sense for your business.
6. One is Not Enough: It’s not enough to just own one domain name that’s built around your company name or product. Instead, we recommend occupying Internet “real estate” by registering 10 – 20 versions of your company/product name and having them all point to your main website. This package of domain names can include the .com, .biz, and .info versions of your domain name, along with hyphenated, misspelled, and plural versions. Since each domain name only costs about $11 per year to register, you can register 20 versions of your domain name for a lot less money than it will cost if an unscrupulous competitor takes one of the other versions and tries to siphon off your business.
7. Schedule renewal reminders: Most businesses register their domain names for periods of one year at a time, although you can register them for longer periods of time. Whatever length of time you choose – and even though most of the good Domain Name Registrars will send you renewal reminders, calendar some reminders to yourself regarding your renewal deadlines. There is nothing worse than inadvertently losing your domain name and having a competitor swipe it from you.
8. Add more domain names as your business changes: Adding to your collection of domain names and increasing your Internet real estate is an ongoing process. As your business grows and changes, add to your list of domain names. It builds your domain name portfolio and that can be very helpful when it comes time to sell your business or obtain a business loan. Internet domain names are assets, just like furniture, inventory, trademarks, and cash in the bank.
9. Register Potential Domain Names as Soon as You Search Them: If you have an idea for a new domain name and you search it, register it right away if it’s available. Why? Because a clever breed of thief known as “Frontrunners” watch for domain names as they are being searched and register them if you don’t so that you’ll have to buy it from the Frontrunner if you later decide you want it. Good Domain Name Registrars like godaddy.com will let you cancel a domain name registration and issue a refund if you cancel with a certain period of time (usually 3 – 5 days). Thus registering a domain name when you search it is a relatively inexpensive way of protecting your Internet real estate. Check your Registrar’s rules for its cancellation and refund policies before you start reserving domain names.
10. Make Sure YOU Own Your Domain Name: A lot of people and businesses entrust registering their domain names to an employee or outside contractor such as a website designer, IT consultant, etc. Make absolutely sure your domain names are registered in your company’s name – not theirs. If you are using your own employees to register domain names for you, make sure you make it clear to them up front that the domain names are to be registered in the company name and periodically double-check to make sure they are following the rules. If you are using an outsider such as a web designer or IT consultant, also make sure ahead of time they understand the rules AND put it in your written contract with them.