Don’t be a domain cheapskate!

Why cheap domain names are NOT a bargain.

A domain name is a Web site address like WeSellWidgets.com. And, here’s why you want to be sure your company’s domain name remains in good standing.

A domain name works like a phone number. When a customer dials your phone number, the phone company works their magic and routes that call to a specific phone. Same with your domain name: when someone types your domain name like WeSellWidgets.com into their Web browser, the Internet works its magic and displays that web site on the specific computer that requested it. If the domain name expires, it’s like your phone being disconnected. People who call will be told it’s out of service, which sounds like you’re out of business. So, they’ll go somewhere else for their widgets.

[caption id="attachment_32" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Are your customers finding you online?"][/caption]

Think how inconvenient it would be if your phone number changed. Many companies we work with have had the same phone number for 30 or 40 years and their customers have it memorized. If you’re like most businesses, you will do everything possible to hang onto that phone number, even when you change locations or phone companies.

As you become more dependent on using the Internet for communication with customers, colleagues and vendors, your domain name has gradually become more crucial to helping them find you easily. It’s even more important if your email address contains your domain: ralph@WeSellWidgets.com or info@WeSellWidgets.com.

Registrars of ill repute

A couple of years back, there was a domain registrar that became pretty famous pretty fast selling domain names cheap. Thousands of companies took advantage of the “excellent” prices and registered their domain names there. Then, one day, the registrar was gone. Poof! Thousands of companies’ web sites went offline. People can’t get to your web site if the domain name information is unavailable. Like your phone, it’s disconnected. Those that depend upon their sites for revenue were losing thousands of dollars a day. . . and all because they saved ten or twenty bucks a year in registration. If you’re going the cheap route on anything in your business, don't do it with your domain name!