Tech Savvy 101 is a series of posts designed to help demystify some terminology so you can get your brain around what it really takes to start getting your tech savvy on.
Three critical ingredients go into creating a web page, web site or web presence. No matter where you are on the map… small business owner just starting out or big business generating hundreds of clicks per day, each part is essential and needs to be addressed or there can be no web *anything.*
Ingredient #1: Domain Name
URL. Web address. Domain name. Words we hear nearly every day. But what exactly are they and more importantly, why should you care?
URL stands for “Uniform Resource Locator” and it means the same thing as “Web address.” When you open a browser, like Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, and type an address into the address bar, your Web browser will connect to that address and display web pages created by the owner.
The domain name is a specific part of a web address–the part that (often) ends in .com or .org or .net.
Why should you care?
You can’t have a web page, web site or online business without a web address. When you open your web browser, you need an address to type in there so you can actually go somewhere. That’s just the very first part, one essential piece, of creating a web presence.
Choosing a domain name is important when creating your web presence. Why? Your domain name will represent a big part of who you are on the web (referred to as your Brand). It will serve as the very first touch point between you and your customers. If you choose your domain name well, your customers will know how to find you or your product a lot easier!
Blogger: The Less Scarifying Place To Begin
If you are just starting out getting your web stakes into the ground, I recommend Blogger because it’s free and easy to use. Blogger provides you a domain name (well technically a sub domain) for free so for today, you can stop worrying about how to buy your own domain name and who to buy it from, and get on with putting that cool thing you do out onto the web. Blogger will you give you a sub domain that looks like “http://mydomain.blogspot.com/”.
And if you already have a domain name or don’t really care for how Blogger’s sub domain looks, in a few simple steps, Blogger helps you take an existing domain you’ve purchased and apply it over the top of your Blogger sub domain so your place on the web can look more professional.
7 Tips For Selecting A Domain Name
Since Blogger makes it easy by taking away the how-to-buy-it part and the who-to-buy-it from part, the only part left for you to do is choose yours. Here are a few tips to consider:
- Keep your domain name short
- Make it memorable; easy to repeat & hard to misspell
- Relate it to your core business or business product
- Use search engine keyword(s), if possible
- .com is the very best choice, if available
- Register your personal name (domain names are cheap, so why not?)
- Avoid hyphenation, if possible
For more in depth information, SEOmoz has a great article.
These guidelines apply whether you are buying or just simply thinking about your Blogger sub domain. If you are in the market to snatch up some domain names, I recommend GoDaddy. And if you’re interested in learning how to use Blogger to build a website or blog for yourself or business, I can help!
The second essential ingredient for creating a web presence is this way.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Great post, Mynde. Love the start simple, tech hand-holding and immense value that you bring. ATTEND THE UPCOMING WORKSHOP! I have learned tons from Mynde. She’s brilliant, fun and she will indeed help you get your tech savy on in short order! It’s a great investment in you! Your rock on, Mynde!
Lee Miller´s last blog ..Expectation: An Hors D’oeuvre for Disappointment
[Reply]