Domain Name Services

Our small business domain name services include basically anything that can be done with a domain name or accomplished at a domain registrar. Some of the more common domain name services that clients typically request are:

Domain Name Registration

One of the first steps in getting a new web site set up for your business is selecting and registering a domain (www) name for your site. We do not charge for assisting you with new domain name registration or transfers of existing names.  Registering your own domain [www] name is simple and can be done online in a few minutes. This is how the process works:

Registering a Domain Name: A Three Step Process:

  1. Before you can register a domain name, it must be available. After all, many of the more popular names, perhaps even your own business name may be taken. We can help you choose an appropriate online name and check to see if it is available.
  2. Make sure that the name that you want to use is not a possible trademark infringement (see below).
  3. Register your domain name with a domain registrar. We utilize godaddy.com for our domain name registrations.

Before Registering: Is Your Domain Name a Trademark Infringement?

It is your responsibility as a the owner of a domain name to insure that your name doesn't represent a possible trademark infringement with another business. The best time to investigate this is before you buy the new domain! We suggest checking out this article: Is Your Domain Name A Trademark Infringement? and these frequently asked questions.

Was Your Domain Name Previously Owned and If So, Will That Hurt or Help You?

Most people purchase domain names thinking that, because a name is available, they must be the first owner. That may or may not be true. Domain names are "leased" for a minimum of one year. Once you fail to renew your lease, your name becomes available for purchase by anyone. In fact, an available domain name may already have been previously owned. Depending on what was ever done with the domain, its history could hurt or help you. The name may be banned in the search engines due to spam. Or the name may have had a highly popular website established on it with hundreds of incoming links, which might help your business! We suggest once again, doing some research using the Wayback Machine.

What happens after registering my new domain name?

If you utilize our web hosting, your domain name is typically repointed and [live] within 24 hours. We can put up a temporary contact page while your site is being developed so that you can start using your new web address on business cards, brochures and other marketing information.

Where Can I Search For (and Register) A New Domain Name?

Once you decide on a few possible domain (www) names for your business online, you need to search to see if any of them are available for lease (yes, I said lease, not purchase).

Domain names are "leased" for a year or multiple years at a time. If you cease paying the yearly domain registration fee, your domain name then becomes available for lease to someone else!

Typically this is done by simply searching (checking availability) somewhere like www.godaddy.com, www.networksolutions.com or www.register.com.

Once you determine that the domain name you want is available, you will need to "register" it. We have managed client domains at most of the popular registrars and have found GoDaddy to be the best all around in terms of price, control panel management features and great technical support. GoDaddy is considered the #1 registrar worldwide with more domains registered than any other registrar.

Learn More About Domain Names: Further Reading

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It's a good idea to use your established business name as your domain name, if it is available. If you're considering something else though, you can get some SEO benefit from choosing a name with your keywords in it, like we did!