The term â??domainâ?? is probably the most known word in the world of internet. It is probably the most important word as well. Your domain is what differentiates your website from others.

Even though domains are widely accepted as one of the most important aspects of your internet presence, a lot of users still donâ??t know what exactly a domain is, or the different kinds of domains that are available and the significance of each type.

Let us first look at what a domain is. Firstly when you host your website with a web hosting service provider, your website is uploaded to the servers of your web hosting company and each server on the internet has its own address called as an IP address. A typical IP address looks something like this: 192.168.1.12. Now obviously remembering such numbers are quite hard and quite impractical as well. Also such numbers cannot be branded as well by website owners. Hence the need for a domain name arises. Your domain name is a easy to remember name referring to your company name or product or services you are selling or any other name you choose which you feel sounds right and can be developed as a brand.

The domain that you register points to the IP address of your server so instead of typing the confusing and complicated server IP address, one can simply type your domain name in their browsers to access your website.

Domain names are of course much more than mere names that make it easy to access your website. Choosing the correct domain name could mean make or break for your online venture. A domain name that is easy to remember, offers excellent branding opportunities, refers directly to your products and services or contains keywords that people generally use to search for similar products and services could make a whole world of difference on how successful you are on the internet.

Apart from your actual domain name, there are plenty of different extensions available. The most common and sought after extension is the .com extension. This is typical what anyone wanting to register a domain searches for first. But even if you donâ??t get your desired .com extension, you need not worry anymore since there are plenty of other choices available. Some of the other extensions besides .com are .net, .org, .edu, .info, .mobi, .biz, .tv, country specific extensions like .com.au if you are living in Australia etc.

Although each of the extensions have their own purposes, but nowadays doesnâ??t matter what your purpose is, if you want to register your domain and you donâ??t get your desired .com extension, you can easily register your domain with any of the other extensions without making any difference to potential users of your website.

Nevertheless lets take a look at some of the other extensions mentioned and the purpose for which they were originally meant for:

.net â?? This extension was meant for companies doing business on the net or internet service providers.

.net.au – The Australian version of the above.

.org â?? This extension is meant websites of non-profit organizations.

.org.au â?? The Australian version of the above.

.edu â?? As the name suggests, this extension is meant for educational institutes

.info â?? This extension is meant for websites that provide information about any particular topics.

.mobi â?? This is relatively a new extension and is meant for websites that want to be accessed via mobile devices such as your cell phone or PDA.

.biz â?? This extension is meant to denote that your website is a business website.

.tv â?? This is the country extension for Tuvalu but it is used mainly for those websites that are related to the media or specifically to television.

As mentioned before although each domain extension had its own purpose, you can go ahead and register them doesnâ??t matter what your goal is for your website. In fact most companies or even individuals prefer registering their domains on all the available extensions to help in branding and exclusivity for the main domain name. No matter what the extension you choose, you should always choose your main domain name carefully since it could make the biggest difference in success or failure of your online venture.

The term â??domainâ?? is probably the most known word in the world of internet. It is probably the most important word as well. Your domain is what differentiates your website from others.

Even though domains are widely accepted as one of the most important aspects of your internet presence, a lot of users still donâ??t know what exactly a domain is, or the different kinds of domains that are available and the significance of each type.

Let us first look at what a domain is. Firstly when you host your website with a web hosting service provider, your website is uploaded to the servers of your web hosting company and each server on the internet has its own address called as an IP address. A typical IP address looks something like this: 192.168.1.12. Now obviously remembering such numbers are quite hard and quite impractical as well. Also such numbers cannot be branded as well by website owners. Hence the need for a domain name arises. Your domain name is a easy to remember name referring to your company name or product or services you are selling or any other name you choose which you feel sounds right and can be developed as a brand.

The domain that you register points to the IP address of your server so instead of typing the confusing and complicated server IP address, one can simply type your domain name in their browsers to access your website.

Domain names are of course much more than mere names that make it easy to access your website. Choosing the correct domain name could mean make or break for your online venture. A domain name that is easy to remember, offers excellent branding opportunities, refers directly to your products and services or contains keywords that people generally use to search for similar products and services could make a whole world of difference on how successful you are on the internet.

Apart from your actual domain name, there are plenty of different extensions available. The most common and sought after extension is the .com extension. This is typical what anyone wanting to register a domain searches for first. But even if you donâ??t get your desired .com extension, you need not worry anymore since there are plenty of other choices available. Some of the other extensions besides .com are .net, .org, .edu, .info, .mobi, .biz, .tv, country specific extensions like .com.au if you are living in Australia etc.

Although each of the extensions have their own purposes, but nowadays doesnâ??t matter what your purpose is, if you want to register your domain and you donâ??t get your desired .com extension, you can easily register your domain with any of the other extensions without making any difference to potential users of your website.

Nevertheless lets take a look at some of the other extensions mentioned and the purpose for which they were originally meant for:

.net â?? This extension was meant for companies doing business on the net or internet service providers.

.net.au – The Australian version of the above.

.org â?? This extension is meant websites of non-profit organizations.

.org.au â?? The Australian version of the above.

.edu â?? As the name suggests, this extension is meant for educational institutes

.info â?? This extension is meant for websites that provide information about any particular topics.

.mobi â?? This is relatively a new extension and is meant for websites that want to be accessed via mobile devices such as your cell phone or PDA.

.biz â?? This extension is meant to denote that your website is a business website.

.tv â?? This is the country extension for Tuvalu but it is used mainly for those websites that are related to the media or specifically to television.

As mentioned before although each domain extension had its own purpose, you can go ahead and register them doesnâ??t matter what your goal is for your website. In fact most companies or even individuals prefer registering their domains on all the available extensions to help in branding and exclusivity for the main domain name. No matter what the extension you choose, you should always choose your main domain name carefully since it could make the biggest difference in success or failure of your online venture.

The term â??domainâ?? is probably the most known word in the world of internet. It is probably the most important word as well. Your domain is what differentiates your website from others.

Even though domains are widely accepted as one of the most important aspects of your internet presence, a lot of users still donâ??t know what exactly a domain is, or the different kinds of domains that are available and the significance of each type.

Let us first look at what a domain is. Firstly when you host your website with a web hosting service provider, your website is uploaded to the servers of your web hosting company and each server on the internet has its own address called as an IP address. A typical IP address looks something like this: 192.168.1.12. Now obviously remembering such numbers are quite hard and quite impractical as well. Also such numbers cannot be branded as well by website owners. Hence the need for a domain name arises. Your domain name is a easy to remember name referring to your company name or product or services you are selling or any other name you choose which you feel sounds right and can be developed as a brand.

The domain that you register points to the IP address of your server so instead of typing the confusing and complicated server IP address, one can simply type your domain name in their browsers to access your website.

Domain names are of course much more than mere names that make it easy to access your website. Choosing the correct domain name could mean make or break for your online venture. A domain name that is easy to remember, offers excellent branding opportunities, refers directly to your products and services or contains keywords that people generally use to search for similar products and services could make a whole world of difference on how successful you are on the internet.

Apart from your actual domain name, there are plenty of different extensions available. The most common and sought after extension is the .com extension. This is typical what anyone wanting to register a domain searches for first. But even if you donâ??t get your desired .com extension, you need not worry anymore since there are plenty of other choices available. Some of the other extensions besides .com are .net, .org, .edu, .info, .mobi, .biz, .tv, country specific extensions like .com.au if you are living in Australia etc.

Although each of the extensions have their own purposes, but nowadays doesnâ??t matter what your purpose is, if you want to register your domain and you donâ??t get your desired .com extension, you can easily register your domain with any of the other extensions without making any difference to potential users of your website.

Nevertheless lets take a look at some of the other extensions mentioned and the purpose for which they were originally meant for:

.net â?? This extension was meant for companies doing business on the net or internet service providers.

.net.au – The Australian version of the above.

.org â?? This extension is meant websites of non-profit organizations.

.org.au â?? The Australian version of the above.

.edu â?? As the name suggests, this extension is meant for educational institutes

.info â?? This extension is meant for websites that provide information about any particular topics.

.mobi â?? This is relatively a new extension and is meant for websites that want to be accessed via mobile devices such as your cell phone or PDA.

.biz â?? This extension is meant to denote that your website is a business website.

.tv â?? This is the country extension for Tuvalu but it is used mainly for those websites that are related to the media or specifically to television.

As mentioned before although each domain extension had its own purpose, you can go ahead and register them doesnâ??t matter what your goal is for your website. In fact most companies or even individuals prefer registering their domains on all the available extensions to help in branding and exclusivity for the main domain name. No matter what the extension you choose, you should always choose your main domain name carefully since it could make the biggest difference in success or failure of your online venture.

People take advantage of small business owners who leap into the online world without the knowledge to make proper choices. Registration of a www domain gives you a license for a set period of time, and must be renewed to retain control, so you do not own it. Don’t wait to be asked the next question “Do you control your website domain?” because twice in 2007 I designed custom websites for clients who lost control due to an uncooperative originating party who registered the domains in question.

In both cases the client paid for their domain. In the first instance the registrar simply registered the new domain in their company name, not the client’s. In the more recent situation, my client bought a business and the previous owner did not take action to transfer the registrant information. Each relationship deteriorated to the point where the clients felt compelled to register another domain, and fortunately the productivity of each business site was insignificant, so the downside of letting it go was minimal.

Each finally realized the risk of a hostile party pulling the plug on their website, and came to me for help. After lengthy discussions, and advice for attempting to regain control of their www domains, each entrusted me to register a new domain. The only recognized authority as the bona fide registrant of a domain is the administrative contact listed in the worldwide registry for a given www name. To be more specific, it is not the person shown, but the email address of the administrative contact in the registration who controls a domain.

It is not the billing contact. It is not the registrant. It is not the technical contact. All correspondence affecting control of a www domain must originate from the administrative contact email address listed in the registration files. Regardless of the person listed, whoever can reply to emails as the adminsitrative contact for that domain is the only recognized authority.

Small business owners are at risk whenever they buy a website domain, and the risks increase if you acquire a business that includes a website. If you buy an established business with a productive website you could lose significant revenue and good will depending on the previous owner. Most sellers will cooperate and transfers will go smoothly. In the rare case of deals being made and then a hostile relationship develops, the legal recourse may only exacerbate the financial loss.

Before we continue, consider the 3 things you need to get your new small business website online.

1. You must select and acquire a www domain name that is not already taken, and pay the registration fee.

2. You must find and pay in advance or month to month for hosting which is storage space for your pages.

3. You must have a website design whether it is purchased with a business, done in-house, or contracted.

Each of these involve services without a tangible product. There is nothing physical that you receive to put in a safety deposit box for secure storage. Domains, websites, and your site graphics are all digital and therefore more susceptible to problems controlling and protecting your rights. The exception would be having all files on a CD or DVD, yet the mechanics involved of having the files online and controlling their use means there is still untold risk involved for unwary small business owners.

Due diligence is critical in any new business venture. Some people registering domains on behalf of clients are looking for a residual income stream. If a small business owner does not ask, or know to ask, some registrars will intentionally keep their name as the administrative contact on domains they acquire on behalf of clients thinking they have them locked up as a customer indefinitely. In most cases it works unless that customer learns of more cost effective options, or in the worst scenario, their relationship becomes hostile. The real disasters are companies holding www domain names for clients, and then the registrar goes out of business and the administrative contacts become a non-existant email address.

That last one happened to one client who contacted me. It took more than one year of wasted time and frustration before they established control as the legitimate holder of the www domain, and during that year their site was offline.

In conclusion, you do not own your domain. You own the license. You must be wary and should get several opinions before you delegate the process of acquiring a www domain, and let it be known up front that you must be listed as the administrative contact for your website. Shop around to make sure the price per year for your domain is not excessive. Take the same approach to understand hosting. Finally, consider the website design and cost involved, and make sure you are comfortable with your choices before agreeing to proceed.