Here are some tips and guidelines on how to select and register a domain name.
Domain Name
will take about 5 minutes to read…..
A domain name is typically your web address. It’s what people would type into their internet browser to land on your website.
Some well-known domain registration companies are:
Domain.com
BlueHost
HostGator
DreamHost
GoDaddy
Crazy Domains
Cheaper Domains
Name Cheap
Here are some tips on getting your web address / domain name right:
- Try and make this as relevant as you can to your business or brand name
- Try and make it as simple as you can
- Avoid spelling or grammar difficulties – for example, words like success and business are commonly misspelt, or two words together like chicken noodle could leave the person wondering if they need to add the extra “N” to form ‘chickennoodle’ as opposed to ‘chickenoodle’.
- Avoid using words that can be spelt different ways (for example, goodbuy.com can be easily mistaken for goodbye.com)
- Use as few words as possible (2 to 3 maximum)
- If you don’t have a particular brand name or well-known company name, then using keywords relevant to your product will help users identify you immediately. This will also assist in lesser disputed transactions where the buyer doesn’t recognise the transaction appearing on their statement.
For example, if your company name is ‘Global Estates’ and you produce and sell coffee beans, you would look at finding a domain name that people would immediately understand the product, such as ‘thecoffeebean’– because coffee is what they are looking for. Even using part company part product would be ok – in this instance ‘coffeebeanestates”. Just be mindful, as mentioned above, that you should ideally use simple, short, easy spelt words. - Steer clear of someone else’s brand name or trademark to avoid infringement penalties and suspensions.
- Once you have thought of a domain name, it would be good to register a business name that matches. As mentioned in my previous pages about exit strategies, you need always to look ahead and prepare for this from the very beginning.
Depending on who your target audience would be, you would ideally take this into consideration when registering a suitable domain name.
If your target audience is Australia, it would be advisable to register a ‘.com.au’ extension. That’s not to say you should not register “.com” if it is available. In fact, I registered all possible combinations and extensions, to ensure I had full control over the name I intended to trade with, and my domain names.
Registering a domain name:
Registering a domain name is a simple process. You need to be aware of some criteria, (which I mention below) but the process is easy to get through.
If you hire a webmaster or an IT Team, it may be beneficial to do it through them. Otherwise, you could head over to a few sites as listed above and get this done yourself.
It is advisable to run a search on the company’s reviews you wish to register your domain through.
You are not only registering a domain name with these companies, but you are also setting up emails and mailboxes. If something goes wrong, you want to know that someone is there to assist. I will take service over price any day – especially in such critical services to my business.
Registration Criteria
The .au extension / namespace / domain
To obtain a “.au” namespace there are certain criteria that must be met. Let’s look at the following:
com.au & net.au– is generally available to commercial entities. Companies and businesses who have an ‘ABN’ (Australian Business Number) or an ‘ACN’ (Australian Company Number).
org.au – is available to non-profit organisations and charities
asn.au – is available to sporting clubs, political parties and incorporated associations
id.au – is available to individuals who are Australian citizens or residents.
.au direct has launched March 2022 and is available to anyone with a connection to Australia.
Further to these, there are closed named spaces and state and territory namespaces, which are not open to the public. For example, a gov.au namespace is only available to government bodies (federal, local, state etc.)
It’s important to know that you may also bump into further scrutiny when trying to register a .au namespace. For example, trying to register an ‘id.au’ should ideally match your name or a name you are known by. You should be able to provide evidence of this.
Registering a ‘com.au’ or ‘net.au’ must be a name that is associated with your business. For example, if your company is Global Estates and you register ‘thecoffebean.com.au’ – you should ideally be able to provide proof that there is a direct link between your company and this domain name. Your company is selling coffee beans in this instance, so the connection is obvious.
Further to this, all domains that end in .au are made available to the public, including your details.
There are advantages of owning a .au domain name as it immediately lets the user know that you are in Australia, you are regulated and that you are generally legitimate. Your .au domain name is a sign of trust. Furthermore, if you target an Australian audience having a .au domain is essential to relevant traffic that comes to your website and may also help your google ranking.
The same thing would generally apply if you are in the United Kingdom, for example, and you registered your domain name ending in .co.uk
Suppose you want to avoid this process and are not particularly worried about owning a .au domain name. In that case, you can go and register yourself a .com domain or other popular domains out there. Some of these include:
- .com
- .net
- .org
- .info
- .biz
Once you have completed the task of registering your domain name the next logical step would be to build your website and search for a hosting company.
These form part of the steps in going online and having a digital presence. I cannot stress the importance of being part of the online world and this is an integral part of your business planning. Running a successful business has many elements attached to it and this is just one of them.
