Establishing a business’s online presence

For any business, whether just starting out or well established, having a website is a must. One aspect of website design that can get overlooked is the domain name. Securing a great domain name is a vital step in establishing a business’s online presence. Registering a domain name is just the beginning. To make the most of it, there are several essential actions you should take. This blog will cover key aspects like privacy protection, auto renewal, tracking your registrar, updating DNS settings, and leveraging your domain name for marketing.

Enable Privacy Protection

When you register a domain name, your personal information, including things like your name, address, phone number, and email, are listed in the public WHOIS database. This makes your personal contact information available to anyone, including spammers and identity thieves. To protect your privacy, enable domain privacy protection. This service hides your personal information from the public database and instead displays the registrar’s contact details instead. Most domain registrars offer this service for a small additional fee, and it’s well worth the money to safeguard your personal data and cut down on your spam.

Set Up Auto Renewal

Domain names are typically registered on an annual basis. It’s crucial to keep your domain registration active to avoid losing the registration and allowing someone else to register it. To help with this, you can set up auto renewal with your domain registrar. Doing this will ensure that your domain name is automatically renewed before it expires. By doing this, you won’t accidentally let your domain lapse.

If your domain name registration does lapse, you’ll have 30 days to renew it. But after that 30 days, the domain name is fair market for anyone to register and use. That anyone could be a spammer, competitor, or anyone else that wants your coveted domain name.

Keep Track of Your Registrar

Knowing who your domain registrar is and how to access your account is essential. Over time, it’s easy to forget which company you registered your domain with, especially if you manage multiple domains or if the registration was handled by a third party. Keep a record of your domain registrar’s name, login credentials, and customer support contact information. This will make it easier to manage your domain, troubleshoot any issues, and make necessary updates.

At Full Scope Creative, we have seen it happen far too many times where a business registered their domain name with a registrar, only to forget the login. If you use a program like 1password.com, you should keep track of all that information in such a program. There have sadly been websites and businesses that we have worked with where we are not able to get access to their prior domain name, and our only option was to start a new domain name. 

Be Able to Update DNS Settings

The Domain Name System (DNS) translates your domain name into an IP address that computers use to locate your website. Properly configuring your DNS settings is crucial for ensuring that your domain points to your website or other online services. Familiarize yourself with your registrar’s DNS management tools and know how to update DNS records, such as A records, CNAME records, MX records, and TXT records. This knowledge will enable you to link your domain to your web hosting provider, set up email services, and implement other online tools.

Leverage Marketing Options with Your Domain

Your domain name is a powerful marketing tool that can help build your brand and drive traffic to your website. Here are a few ways to make the most of your domain name for marketing purposes:

• Custom Email Addresses: Create professional email addresses using your domain name (e.g., info@yourbusiness.com). This enhances your brand’s credibility and makes your communications look more professional.
• Branded Short Links: Use your domain to create branded short links for sharing content on social media. Services like Bitly allow you to customize your short links, making them more recognizable and trustworthy.
• Domain Forwarding: If you own multiple domain names or variations of your main domain, use domain forwarding to redirect traffic to your primary website. This captures users who may mistype your domain or use different extensions (e.g., .net, .org).
• Landing Pages: Create targeted landing pages using subdomains or specific URLs (e.g., sale.yourbusiness.com) for marketing campaigns. This helps track the effectiveness of your campaigns and provides a tailored experience for visitors.
• SEO Benefits: Ensure your domain name includes relevant keywords for better search engine optimization (SEO). A well-chosen domain can improve your website’s visibility in search engine results, attracting more organic traffic.

More than just registration

Managing a domain name involves more than just registration. By enabling privacy protection, setting up auto renewal, keeping track of your registrar, knowing how to update DNS settings, and leveraging marketing options, you can maximize the benefits of your domain name. These steps will help protect your investment, maintain control over your online presence, and enhance your brand’s visibility and credibility.

Take these important actions to ensure your domain name works effectively for your business, helping you build a strong and secure online presence.