.: What You Need to Get a Web Site - Step 1: Choosing a Domain Name
.: What is a domain name?
Computers use numeric IP addresses (e.g. 192.168. 0.1) to indicate where in the world and on a specific computer certain resources are. A domain name is the people-friendly web address of your site - www.yoursite.co.nz.
- The .co.nz part of the domain name denotes that this is a general purpose or commercial site. This is the alternative formatting of ".com" for New Zealand based organisations. Other countries also have their own formatting and country suffix - .com.au = Australia, .co.uk = United Kingdom, .co.de = Germany, etc.
Other uses besides commercial are also denoted by suffixes such as:- .net - alternative to .com with more focus on general purpose, sometimes used to indicated a network provider or ISP
- .org - miscellaneous or non-profit organisations
- .edu, .ac, .school - educational organisations
- The yoursite part of the domain name defines the organisation or entity. Subdomain levels can also be used - such as sales.yoursite.co.nz.
.: Why do I need a domain name?
As explained above, a domain name offers a much easier
way for your site's address to be remembered than an IP address. You need a unique name that people can associate with you and your site. Which looks tidier and more professional to you?
www.freehostingservicewithads.com/stuff/subdir/subsubdir/yoursite
or
www.yoursite.co.nz
The Benefits of Customised Email Accounts
The email addresses provided by free services such as Hotmail and Yahoo or those that come with your home internet connection account from ISPs such as Xtra or Ihug are primarily intended for personal use. You will be taken more seriously if you separate your professional email from your personal. In fact, some online businesses won't take orders from people using free email service addresses because they're used so frequently for fraud.
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Naming a site after its domain name is important, for the simple reason that when people think of your website, they'll think of it by name. If your name is also your URL, they'll automatically know where to go. |  |
.: How do I choose and get a good one?
Choosing a good domain name may take a little time, but isn't
too difficult. Your primary goal should be to come up with
a name that is memorable, ties in with your site and business, and is available!
When people want "your
site", "yoursite.co.nz" is a great domain name
to have. Today, when people automatically turn to the web
for information, it pays to have a domain name that reflects
your site or business.
If you're just setting up your business, consider looking
for a great domain name and naming your business accordingly.
.: Is domain name length important?
Domain names can be of any length up to 67 characters. You don't have to settle for an obscure domain name like nbhdbg.co.nz when what you mean is NorthlandsBestHomeDeliveredBakedGoods.co.nz. That said, there are differing schools of thought about whether a long or short domain name is better. Some argue that shorter domain names are easier to remember, easier to type and less susceptible to mistakes. Others argue that a longer domain name is usually easier on the human memory. As a general guideline, you're probably best to go for the shorter name if its a meaningful one, but choose the longer name if it's easier to remember. However, avoid extremely long domain names!
.: Is hyphenation in a domain name a bad thing?
Hyphenation is, in general, a bad thing in a domain name. You can guarantee that a huge percentage of people looking for your-site.co.nz will leave out the hyphen and wander over to the competing site yoursite.co.nz. While it can help you to get a reasonable looking domain name, it's just not worth including a hyphen in your domain name.
.: .com, .co.nz, .org, .net, etc?
If your target market is local you may well be better off registering youridealname.yourcountryextension (here in New Zealand, that would be yoursite.co.nz) - your target audience then knows your site is local. Consider registering youridealname.net also - you'll kick yourself when a competitor does. We also recommend getting youridealname.com as well if you can.
.: How much will it cost?
If you don't have a domain name we can recommend some options and register and maintain it for you. The annual registration fees are:
.nz - $45
.com - $55
Our complete list of domain and hosting prices are available here »
.: Which types of domain name can I register?
Anything you like really. As mentioned above, if you are a local business whose primary market is NZ-based we recommend a domain name ending in .co.nz, however there are a wide range of possibilities. Other country suffixes may provide interesting alternatives - for example the island nation of Tuvalu is marketing its country suffix to those involved in the television industry - yourwebsite.tv. Other alternatives include:
| .com (general and business use) .info .net (alternative to .com) .org (intended for non-profit organisations) .biz .name .com.au (Australian alternative to .com) .net.au .org.au |
.ac.nz (academic NZ) .co.nz (NZ alternative to .com) .net.nz .org.nz .school.nz .co.uk |
What you need to get a web site: Step 2 - Select a hosting package »
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In our 75+ years of serving Northland we've come across plenty of time saving tips that are just too good to keep to ourselves. |
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