Domain Names Are Important!
What is a domain name?
A Domain Name is the "address" where people will find you, like "AmcePlumbing.com". Try to get a domain name to match your business/website name, and if you are a local business, you may want to include your location like "AcmePlumbingToronto.com".
What is DNS?
All websites have a numerical address like 167.114.208.131 but few people want to remember long strings of numbers, so the Domain Name System (DNS) was invented. It matches the numerical address to the domain name.
What is a URL?"
A domain name always has two or more parts separated by dots, and typically consists of some form of a business name, and a suffix. Another name for the "address" is URL (Universal Resource Locator) – pronounced "Earl".
What's the difference between http and https?"
All domain names start with http:// or https://
"http" stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol which is the basis of communication for the worldwide web.
"https" indicates that the website is secured with an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Certificate. It will show a closed padlock.
What is an SSL Certificate?
An SSL Certificate ensures that information to and from your website is encoded. If you are taking people's email addresses, usernames and passwords, or other sensitive information, then you should invest in an SSL Certificate. If you have an e-commerce website then you definitely need it. It will also give you a very slight boost in your ratings with Google. <br ><br />Without an SSL certificate web browsers will show your website as "Not Secure".
Why do some websites have www and others don't?"
"www" (World Wide Web) used to be part of all URL’s but it is no longer needed.
What suffix should I use for my domain?"
Suffixes are the part of the Domain Name after the "dot" like .com, .ca, org, .net, .edu, .info and so on.
.com stands for a commercial site, .org is for organizations, .edu is for learning institutions, .net is for network, and so on.
.com is the default suffix that will come to the top of the Search Engines, so it is preferred over the others.
But, if your business is limited to Canada, then your best option is .ca - only available to businesses in Canada.
NOTE: Canadians are four times more likely to choose a .ca domain name when doing a search.
So when choosing a domain name, try to choose one that is the same as your website name, or something shorter, since the longer the name, the more chance of typos, and try to get the .ca or .com suffix.
Domain Names Summary
- Your domain name should represent your business (product or service) and include your main keyword and brand name. Example: acmeplumbing.com is better than acmeservices.com
- If your preferred domain name is taken, then you can add a keyword before or after it, to make it unique. Example: acmeplumbingtoronto.com
- If your business is strictly local, you may want to add your location as in the example above so that it gets picked up in a search. i.e. if someone searches for "plumbing Toronto" you will have a better chance of ranking high in the results.
- Make sure that your domain name is easy to pronounce, spell, and is as short as possible. It should be easy to remember for potential clients who might see your advertising in passing.
- Make sure your domain name can be easily pronounced and spelled. Don’t use hyphens or numbers in your domain name.
- If you have a business, use the .com extension, or .ca if you are located in Canada.
- Take advantage of online domain name generators like Lean Domain Search or Bust A Name. These free tools will help you come up with clever domain name ideas that are unique and still available.
- When you find YOUR domain name, act quickly before someone else gets it.
Domain names cannot be bought. You must pay a "registrar" for exclusive rights to use the domain name on the web. Domain names renew yearly. One domain name is included in your hosting fee with BEST WEBSITES.
Choosing the Domain Name for your business could mean the difference between ranking high in a Search, and not being found at all, so choose your domain name carefully. Include your product or service (main keywords), and if you are local, include your location. Think about what keywords people will search for.
We will suggest available domain names, facilitate the purchase of your domain name, configure it to work with your website, and will renew it for you as it comes due.