There’s no place like your digital home
When it comes to owning a business, running a brand, or promoting yourself (and your work) online, choosing a good domain name is one of the most important decisions you’ll make.
Attempting to begin the process – or even figuring out what “domain” even means – can feel daunting, especially if you don’t consider yourself tech-savvy.
We’re here to help!
Home sweet home
A domain is a set of words used to access a website. It sits inside the bar at the top of your browser and is usually sandwiched between “www.” and some form of “.com.”
If your website is your online home, then your domain would be your street address.
The internet runs on IP addresses. Every device that’s ever been able to access the internet has one. The problem is that every IP address is an ugly set of numbers that no one will ever remember. Domains were born to create a user-friendly way to understand these numbers. Now, instead of a giant list of numbers, you can just type in “dougsmells.com,” and it will take you where you want to go.
Your domain name is just a presentable way of telling the Internet to go look for your digital house.
Your internet identity
A good domain name is short, easy to remember, and describes you or your business. If you have an idea for a brand, a business or even are toying with starting one someday, it’s a smart move to secure a domain name. They’re usually inexpensive – usually no more than $20 a year – and you can just park it, or own the domain name without creating a website until you’re ready.
You also can buy it and never even create a website. Take someone like Jeremy Greene Eche.
The New York City trademark lawyer bought the domain “HarrisWalz.com” in 2020 for $9. In August, Jeremy sold that same domain to Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign for $15,000, hours after Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate in the 2024 election.
Let Jeremy be a lesson – if you think your idea is worth more than $20 (or $9, in his case!) get the domain.
Sometimes, it works the other way and the perfect domain name might be taken. If you’re not a presidential campaign and can’t afford the $15,000 (or surely more) price tag, your best option is to find a different name that still gets the point across. For instance, if your business is called “Scranton Hats,” try something like coolscrantonhats.com or hatsinscranton.com. You can also buy different variants of the domain, like scrantonhats.net or .us.
You don’t have to spend a billion dollars to get a domain name you think is cool because there’s probably a slightly more specific version that will get you to the same thing.
Social media is not a substitute.
Many businesses use at least one form of social media to connect with their customers. It’s good for business, but you also should have a domain and website as it reinforces the brand and gives you a home base. If your customers or other business owners see your emails coming from an address with a domain name (doug@dougsmells.com), it looks more legit!
Also, in an age where platforms may potentially get sold and renamed (hi, X) or get banned completely (uh-oh, TikTok!), it’s always a good form of backup to ensure you still have a solid website presence.
Once you own it, don’t neglect it.
Securing a domain that fits should have an equally as personalized website. Both deserve continuous love. This means, renewing your domain name when it’s time (aka making sure the credit card on file doesn’t expire – we’ve seen this happen a lot!) and updating your website with fresh content every once in a while.
Your domain, which then houses your website, is the one place on the internet where you have full editorial control over your message, your look and your brand. It gives you a place to constantly reinforce who you are and what you do.
