Friday, December 4, 2020

Domain Name Basics

DOMAIN NAME BASICS

A domain name is a company's virtual real estate on the internet and it's best if it's memorable. This is one of the biggest decisions a small company or startup will face, particularly in regard to marketing and search engine optimization.  But your creativity may go unrewarded as finding a great or iconic name that's still available is getting impossibly hard.


It's so hard nowadays to find something viable, you just have to be willing to try for a while and also be willing to take a longer name if you want a .com.  By now, most .com names have been grabbed by businesses who came up with the idea earlier. The scarcity also stems from the presence of speculators, who register for domains hoping for a payday when an interested buyer comes along.


The most common top-level domains (TLDs) are .com, .net and .org. but plenty of companies still find other endings that suit their businesses. For instance, the recently shuttered Sidecar, a competitor to Lyft and Uber, had a perfectly fine domain in Side.cr. Unfortunately for the company, it failed for reasons other than its domain name.


Starting out


You can do a quick search using a Whois-like search engine such as DomainTools.  Also, you may want to check the Trademark Database Search System (TESS) before purchasing a domain name. It's a free and easy website operated by the US Patent and Trademark Office and it can save a lot of headaches to make sure no one else is already using the name.


After finding an available name, there's no shortage of potential registrars to choose. Does it matter which domain registrar you select? That depends. Sometimes there is a difference when it comes to service levels. Also, some providers have gone out of business, so it's worth examining their track record and their user ratings. Above all, you need to make sure that your domain will get renewed. As you can imagine, that's a very important consideration. So, yes, it does matter who you use, depending on your needs.


The cost of registering domains is inexpensive -- you can land a one-year registration with DomainsBuyDesign.com for $16.95 -- 


Each and every domain name comes with all you need to get online.


Domain Forwarding and Masking: Direct any domain name you own to your website. Anyone who types that domain name into their browser is taken directly to your website.

Domain Locking: Domain locking prevents accidental or intentional transfers of domain ownership and stops anyone from redirecting your nameservers.

Total DNS Control: Manage your domain nameserver (DNS) records and set your email, FTP, sub-domains and website location all from one control panel.

Change of Registration: Assign your domain name to someone else or change the contacts for your domain online anytime.

Status Alerts: Monitor the status of your domain and get instant alerts if there’s been a change.

Auto Renew Protection: No need to watch expiration dates to make sure you renew on time! Auto renew keeps your domains, hosting, website builders, and other products in your name and under your control.


The registration process isn't complicated. Applicants provide the domain name, an address to use for the domain registration and the name they want the domain to be registered under. They also need to supply an accompanying email address that will get added to the public Whois record.


Venturing beyond .com


Startups frequently select oddball names to avoid paying big fees to domain holders of .com names. That's why Digg chose an extra "g" and Flickr is missing an "e".


There are plenty of extensions now that can fit a business -- or a location, such as in all the .nyc names.  If you're considering any of the other new domain breeds -- such as .us, .biz or .info for example -- research whether there's a potential business penalty in not choosing a .com. If a business's web presence is really important and it matters how high you rank in Google, then make sure all those extensions are treated the same by the SEO gods.


Make sure to register similar names to your main one -- even including typos. Facebook fought hard against all the domain weisenheimers who registered names like Facebook and made a fortune monetizing the typo traffic that came their way. So if you're CoopRocks, Inc., you might want CoopRks.com or some other likely typo that's most important if web traffic is your goal. It's worth thinking about and not that expensive anymore.


There's no one best approach but as you get ready to select a domain name for your company, keep the following in mind:


Think hard about the name and how it might figure as a search term or key words someone might type in to find your site.

Find a way to connect your brand to the domain name. The more closely you can link the two, the better.

Short and simple sticks in people's minds. You want to make your online presence stand out and it'd be great to find a domain that readers can easily remember.


If you need any assistance selecting or setting up a domain name for your business or for you personally, We can help, Contact Us!  Just give us a call at (480) 624-2500 or toll-free 1-866-888-6305.




Friday, March 20, 2020

3 Ways to Build Your Fan Base on Facebook

How to Build Your Fan Base on Facebook

Facebook started out as a social network for connecting students at college and has grown into a network for  connecting everybody for anything. Many people have a personal profile on Facebook, and they use it to keep up with friends and family through photos and status updates. Over time, businesses have found it to be a great place to connect with prospects and customers.
You’ve most likely seen big companies like Starbucks and Best Buy advertise their Facebook page and maybe you have even “liked” some of these company pages. As a small business owner, you’ve probably thought that you don’t have the resources to have a Facebook page, but you really can’t afford not to be on Facebook.
In 2010, more than 1.5 million local businesses had active pages on Facebook and more than 20 million people became fans of pages each day.* It’s crucial to have your business on Facebook because that’s where people are talking about the businesses they use and recommending them. There’s not a lot of mystery to having a Company Page, but like anything else you do for your business, you have to be committed to it.
#1 Include Important Design Features on Your Page
Your page should quickly tell a visitor what your business is about with a photo, business name, your logo and a custom designed welcome page. Our Website Builder Plus will create your Facebook Company Page matched to your website and you can share content from your website right to your Facebook page.  With the Timeline design that Facebook rolled out in March to Facebook Company Pages, a strong photo, also known as a cover photo, is even more important. This image should be visually appealing and powerful, capturing the essence of your business.
Also with the new updates Facebook made, the personalized tabs on a Facebook Company Page are now turned into applications that are located below your cover photo. This area is the prime real estate where your customized pages will live and where you set your business apart to your visitors. Photos and Likes will always take up two of these application spots, and you can have a total of 12 applications personalized for your business.
The Timeline feature lays out your posts and conversations in a chronological order by month and year. If you have a status update that that you would like to feature, you can now “pin” it. By pinning a post, it will remain on the top of your Timeline for up to 7 days.
#2 Build Your Network
Just like with your personal page, you want people to connect with your Facebook Company Page. Once your page is developed and ready to be seen, start advertising it. There are lots of ways to do this:
  • Add "Like us on Facebook" to your invoices.
  • Create a small sign in-store reminding customers to "Like us on Facebook".
  • Add a link to your Facebook page to your email signature.
  • Link your website and Facebook page.You can also entice your customers or prospects to like your Company Page by offering an incentive such as a coupon, discount or free item.
#3 Engage with Your Customers
One of the values of a Facebook Company Page is that it offers you a channel to communicate with your customers. While it’s important for you to keep the content fresh with photos, events and new product postings, you don’t want the conversation to be one way. Talk with your customers and encourage them to post on your wall and to tag photos of themselves using your product or service. You have to enable these capabilities in your Facebook privacy settings.
You should also provide resources for your customers such as related blogs, links, or videos that they would be interested in based on their interest in your company. Interacting with your customers will create a closer relationship with them and keep them coming back to your page and your business. You may even get ideas for changing or improving your business as well.
A Company Page on Facebook is like most other things in life, you get out of it what you put into it. You can’t expect your customers to “like” your page and visit it frequently if you don’t maintain it. Once you get into the practice of making regular posts, you’ll find it easier to do and worth the small amount of time it takes to have this valuable communication channel with your customers.
If you need help setting up a professional Facebook Company Page for your business, We can help, Contact Us!  Just give us a call at 1-866-888-6305.


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