What you must know about your website’s domain name 
Your Company’s website has an Internet address. That address is called the domain name and is an important part of your business. It should be treated as a marketing asset as important as your phone number, email address or physical location. It deserves administrative and protective consideration.
- Domain names are purchased through registrars. Registrars use a registration process to keep track of the millions of domain name owners. They charge an annual fee for this service.
- Every domain is registered with designated contacts which can become obsolete over time. They may have been purchased by former employees, for example, or the business may have changed location. It is crucial to make sure that the contact information is correct. Only authorized and registered contacts can make updates and changes. If notices go to an unmonitored email, you may lose access to the domain.
- A quick search at http://whois.net will reveal your registrar, the expiration date, the administrative and technical contacts and where your website (the DNS servers) is hosted.
- Your contact information is open to the general public. Anyone can go to WhoIs.net and see your contact information. For this reason most registrars offer private registration to keep your contact information private. Remember that Spam purveyors crawl the Internet looking for public email addresses, while Telemarketers do the same for phone numbers.
- Domain names have expiration dates – you register for a chosen period of years. Although most registrars send out alerts, it is possible for an unmonitored name to expire, leaving the business with no website or email. These functions are based on the domain name.
- Once a domain expires it is very difficult (or impossible) to reclaim. It can be legitimately snatched resold at an exorbitant profit either to your competition or to the original owner.
Perhaps you haven’t got a website!
What good is domain name information if you haven’t got a website to name? Alliant can help you move forward in this significant marketing venture. We provide our web design resources to bring your company an introductory web presence you’ll be proud of. If you have any questions related to your domain name or website, give Alliant Web Services a call. Call (626) 461-1300.
