Why Owning a Domain Name is Critical for Small Businesses

In 2023, it’s vital that small businesses have a web presence. The internet is the first place that potential customers will go when researching a product or service, and if you’re not online, you’re missing out.

This doesn’t have to be a full-scale e-commerce operation. Any presence is better than none, and one of the most powerful options out there is actually one of the cheapest: to buy a domain name for your business.

A strong domain name is fundamental to building a strong online brand, and even if you’re not planning on having your website, buying a domain name allows you to:

If you think it’s complicated to buy a domain name, think again! It’s actually a straightforward process, and we’re going to walk you through it right now.

What Is a Domain Name?

A domain name is the address of your website; it’s what users type into their web browser to view your site. For example, you’re reading this on spikenow.com – that’s our domain! It’s the internet equivalent of your house address or your cell phone number in that people can use it to find you and get in touch.

Getting a little techier, a domain name is a human-readable stand-in for a server’s IP (Internet Protocol) address, which is a unique numerical code given to all devices connected to the web, including the servers that host all your favorite websites. An IP address will look something like this: 157.240.215.32

That’s no fun to type into a browser.

So instead, domain names are attached to IP addresses via the Domain Name System – a giant unified database. This offers a far more user-friendly way for people to navigate the internet.

It’s important to note that a domain name is not the same as a website. A domain just directs traffic to whichever IP address is listed in the database, which is often a website.

Domain names are broken up into parts:

When Top-Level domain names were first introduced back in 1984, there were only seven: gov, edu, com, mil, org, and net. Now, however, there are hundreds to choose from depending on your location, business and needs. These are what’s called Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD), and include addresses like .biz or .art, for businesses and creatives, respectively.

However, many small businesses will still use .com or a Country-Code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD), which are two-letter domains created for countries or territories, such as .us (United States) and .uk (United Kingdom). These hold a level of respect and legitimacy that other, lesser-known TLDs might not.

What’s more, sometimes domains aren’t used for their intended purposes. For example, .io is the country code for the British Indian Ocean Territory but is far more frequently used by startups, tech firms, and browser games.

The Benefits of Owning A Domain Name

Owning a domain name can have many benefits for your small business at very little cost. A strong domain name used in the right way can:

What’s more, owning the domain name for your business today gives you the room to grow and flourish in the future, while not having it can lead to all kinds of problems. Dropbox famously had to sue the owner of Dropbox.com and pay $300,000 for the domain after the person who owned it refused to sell and started serving up ads for their competitors!

How to Buy a Domain Name

Buying a domain name for your small business is easy using a few simple steps. First, think about what your domain name should be. Normally, it will be the name of your small business. That said, there are some best practices when selecting a domain, including:

From there, check if the domain is available to buy. If your business name is unique, you should be able to buy a domain name of your choice. However, more common names may prove challenging. If it’s not available, it’s probably best to go back to step one.

Next, you need to choose a domain registrar. These are companies that manage internet domain names. There are plenty out there, such as NameCheap, GoDaddy, Google Domains, DreamHost and more. The biggest difference between these registrars will be price and user experience, so shop around to see which one gives the best rate. Most domain registrars will offer introductory discounts, so read the fine print. Also look at the length of the contract; while some hosts offer discounts for multi-year signups, it makes it harder to switch if you don’t like their user interface or customer service.

It’s also worth checking what extras the domain hosts offer, since some will throw in website builders, cheap website hosting or even free business email with certain packages.

The exact process of buying a domain will differ for each registrar, but it will generally follow a few steps:

Regardless of the length of contract, domain hosts should offer the option to auto-renew. This is really important as forgetting to renew means other people or companies can register the domain! Think you’ll always remember? Even Google forgot once…

Creating A Strong Online Brand

Buying a domain name is an important part of building a strong online brand. It is often the most identifiable part of your online presence, reflecting who you are and what you do in a handful of letters. Once you are familiar with how to buy a domain name, you might even find yourself purchasing several to broaden your online footprint or act as touchpoints for different market segments.

Once you have your domain, a good next step is actually building a website. However you build it – whether that’s using an online web builder or a freelance developer – make sure that it’s in line with your brand. That means thinking about the visuals, colors, user experience, and everything else that a customer might see or do while using your site.

Once set up, you can share your domain on your social platform and business listings (like Google). This gives more authority to your small business and helps direct traffic to your new website.

In addition to building a website, one of the most important things you can do with your newly-acquired domain name is set up a business email. This is an email account (or accounts) that use your domain name rather than a generic one. For example, instead of yourname@gmail.com, you would use yourname@yourcompany.com. This, like your domain more generally, adds a layer of professionalism and trust to your small business, among many other benefits.

Welcome to Your Domain

As a small business, you need a web presence to attract potential customers, establish credibility and build your brand. Buying a domain name is a cheap and powerful option that allows you to create professional email addresses, direct clients to/from social channels, and build a bigger online footprint in the future.

To buy a domain name, think about what would fit your business and brand before selecting a registrar, checking the domain’s availability, choosing a TLD, selecting the length of the contract, and turning on auto-renewal. A solid online brand starts with a strong domain name, so go out and find yours today.