8 June 2010
It's all in the name.

Domain Names used to be the thing of big corporates and global companies, but how times have changed.

Not only has the cost and process of registering domains changed over the past 12 or so years, but so has the reliance on them.

Many small businesses now have their own domain name for both their web site and their email address.

Nowadays you really wouldn't be expected to be taken seriously if your web site address was printed on your stationery or the side of your van as www.mywebhost.com/fredsbuckets but believe it or not you still see this. The reason - that business hasn't got a domain name.

This (imaginary) business should have registered their domain, so that their web address would be www.fredsbuckets.com and their email address could be something like sales@fredsbuckets.com instead of fred123@myips.co.uk - so un-professional!

Having a web site or email service and not registering a domain name is a bit like opening a shop with no shop front.

Whenever you speak to a web design company, you should always enquire about getting your domain name reistered, and not just the .co.uk or the .com - if possible get both, and if your business name has any variables i.e. Freds Buckets Limited look at getting fredsbuckets.co.uk and freds-buckets.co.uk - it's all to do with protecting your brand and name on the internet, which we discuss in another article.