A
domain name is an inexpensive
business essential.
Here are the reasons.
Here's
a couple of basic things
to consider when choosing
one:
Apply
the "Radio Rule".
Ideally, someone
should be able to hear
your domain name on the
radio and be able to go
straight to your website.
Lets say you heard that
there was a sale at "carz4u.com.pk".
Where would you go to
find their website?
carsforyou.com.pk or
cars-for-you.com.pk
or cars4you.com.pk
or carsforu.com.pk,
etc.
Maybe
you'd find it eventually.
More likely, you'd just
give up - and their "cute"
domain name has just lost
them another potential
client.
Keep
It Short. Even though
www.JacksonAndAssociatesInsuranceBrokersNorthSydney.com.pk
may reflect the name of
your business, it would
be a pain in the neck
for everyone who has to
type it into a browser,
or send you email messages.
Keep
the name to a manageable
length. Normally, the
shorter and more memorable
the better.
Which name would you
be more likely to remember?
www.InternetBusinessAdvisor.com
or 100host.com?
There's good names still
out there - www.NameBoy.com
is a domain name "thesaurus"
that will give you some
ideas for domain names
for your business.
(And
by the way, websites and
email addresses are NOT
case sensitive - So
you can use capital letters
wherever you like to make
your names clearer.)
.com
and .com.pk - The Main
Choices.
For
the majority of pakistani
businesses, your best
choice is either an American
based .com name,
or an Pakistani based
.com.pk name. For
maximum protection, it's
a good idea to get both
if possible.
Here
are some factors to consider.
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| Cheap.
Prices vary a lot.
100host.com charges
950Rs. / $14.00per
year.* plus web hosting.
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Since
deregulation, prices
have fallen.
MelbourneIT charges
$140 for 2 years.
You can get the
same from 100host.com
for 2000 Rs. / $35.
(Transfer your name
to us, and renew
at a lower price
when your current
registration expires.)
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| No
Restrictions.
Anyone, anywhere can
register as many names
as they like as long
as the name is available. |
Restricted
to businesses registered
in Pakistan. You can
now have as many names
as you like, as long
as they are related
to your business. |
| Almost
every word in the
dictionary has been
"dot-commed"
so it's harder to
get the name you want.
|
More
likely to get the
name you want. |
| Internationally
recognised: .com
is the "Standard"
internet extension.
Good if you are trading
outside Pakistan. |
Shows
that you are a business
that is formally registered
in Pakistan. This
can give you increased
credibility with Pakistani
clients. |
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It has recently been
determined in the
US courts that any
legal actions relating
to the use of .com
domain names come
under the jurisdiction
of the state of Virginia,
USA and that any actions
will be decided by
the courts there.
This apparently means
that if you have a
domain name, a business
located in the US
can take it from you
under certain circumstances.
See http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/26957.html |
Once
you register this
name, it's yours for
good t unless you
don't pay the renewals. |
Is
The Name I Want Available?
You
can only register a domain
name if someone else has
not already got it.
You
can easily find out if
a name is available by
going to our secure
online order form,
and typing in the name
you wish to register.
If it is available, you
can immediately apply
to register it.(100host
domain name pricing)
WARNING:
There is time lag in the
registration system. Don't
assume that the domain
name is yours until you
have verification of acceptance
from the domain registrar.
Domain
Name Choices - Do you
REALLY need to register
everything?
There
are many domain name choices
available to you, and
there are no shortage
of companies telling you
that you need to buy up
all of them to "protect
your business".
Each
country can apply to have
their own naming scheme,
and they can impose their
own rules on price, availability
and distribution method.
For example, the .tv
domain name was assigned
to the South Pacific nation
of Tuvalu, who has entered
into an arrangement with
an American company to
promote and sell these
names.
From
time to time, you will
probably receive email
and letters urging you
to "protect your
domain name" by registering
a whole range of alternative
extensions, such as .biz,
.info, .tv, .cc, .name,
.us
In
our opinion, this is a
waste of money for the
majority of businesses,
unless you have a valuable
brand or trademark to
protect. For most businesses,
registration of the .com
or .com.pk names is sufficient.
If
you can get them both,
we suggest that you do
this. They can be connected
to the same website.
Domain
Name registration strategies
Registering
additional domain names
may be justified if you
have a significant investment
in branding your business,
and want to protect yourself
against loss of traffic
and embarrassment.
Embarrassment?
You bet.
In
1994, the president of
the Unites States opened
an internet site at www.whitehouse.gov.
It's unfortunate that
he didn't also own www.whitehouse.com,
which is now connected
to an adult site.
If
your business has a high
profile, it would be smart
to register alternative
domains, and get them
connected to your main
website.
For
a similar reason, we recommend
that you purchase both
the .com and .com.pk version
of your names if possible,
so that you can avoid
the situation where www.yourdomain.com.pk
goes to your business
website, and www.yourdomain.com
is a porn site. (As is
the case for one of our
clients)
You
may also consider registering
other domain names, and
the "sucks"
version of your own domain
name if you are concerned
about the actions of activists
or competitors.
For
example, assume that you
are a large company who
has internationally promoted
your new product product
with a .com.pk name, but
have not obtained any
other name. Here's how
it could be compromised.
1.
A competitor registers
.com and .net
and .info which
is connected to a competing
product. There's not a
lot you could do about
it. Recall the example
above, where even the
US government has not
been able to do anything
about the .com version
of the whitehouse site
despite numerous attempts.
2.
Someone takes a dislike
to your product, and registers
yournamesucks.com. Then
they put up a website
with content that is embarrassing
to your company. This
is VERY common, and many
businesses register their
domain name with "sucks"
on the end to avoid
In
cases like this, it may
be worthwile considering
the registration of alternative
names as a protective
measure.
Ownership
of Domain Names
You
never really "own"
a domain name. What you
buy is the right to use
it for as long as you
keep paying the fees,
subject to the rules set
down by the registration
authority.
The
administrative contact
for a domain name is regarded
by the registrar as the
"owner" of the
domain.
Don't
let your web developer,
ISP, hosting company,
or anyone else register
themselves as the administrator
for your domain name.
This is similar to registering
the title deeds of your
house in the name of the
real estate agent who
sold it to you.
A
good way of finding out
complete details about
the registration details
for any domain name is
to go to www.domainwhitepages.com
and typing in the domain
name you want to check.
It
is in your interests that
you are registered as
the admin contact, and
that your email address
is current.
The
person who is listed as
the admin contact can
sell the domain name to
someone else, and you
can lose control of it.
There are several cases
in the USA where developers
have sold domain names
belonging to their clients
after the websites had
become very successful.
Other
Website Registration Issues
Before
registering a domain name,
you should also check
Business name and Trademark
registries to minimise
the risk of being accused
of being a "squatter".
A
squatter is someone with
no real claim on a domain
name, who registers that
name in the hope of selling
it to a business owner
or trademark holder. Large
companies and celebrities
are quite active in pursuing
actual and perceived infringements.
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