To survive and thrive online, ensure you get a good address

A domain name gives your business credibility and increases your visibility in your field. PHOTO | FILE

What you need to know:

  • One must have a domain name to be online. What’s a domain name anyway? It is a web address consisting of a website name and a domain extension.

Humans desire to make a positive impact on our lives, our communities, and the world by implementing ideas that we hope can bring forth successful products or services.

Having a fabulous idea or product is one part of the calculus. The other equally important part of the equation is to spread the word about your products in a way that helps cement your brand in the public’s mind.

For this to happen, presence on the website is essential.

One must have a domain name to be online. What’s a domain name anyway? It is a web address consisting of a website name and a domain extension.

For example, Google’s domain name is google.com. A domain can be made up of words or letters and numbers — what you use is up to you.

A domain name helps people find you online and see what you do. It’s simply your online address, the same way you have a home address.

No two domain names can be the same, so make sure you find a unique one.

Spend some time thinking about the name because you will be stuck with it for a long time. Once it goes live on your website, it’s not easily changeable. So, get it right the first time.

A domain name gives your business credibility and increases your visibility in your field. It can also be used to showcase your work or promote your brand. It’s as good as your brand name and logo.

Choose a domain name people will remember, that can be easily branded, and that will easily roll off their tongue. Stay away from long or overly specific domain names as well.

Do not use hyphens in your domain name or words that contain double letters or easy to confuse, as these are often misspelt.

Register a domain name that gives a clue about your business. You want a name that can help funnel traffic to your site and make it easy for people to type on their web browser. Test out the ideas with friends first as they may see things differently.

If you want to build your online presence around your name, you can create a domain made up of your first and last names. When someone types your first and last name into Google, they’re more likely to see your website.

Further, you can configure your email on your domain name. Let’s say your name is Wambugu and your domain name is Samwambugu.com; your email can [email protected] or [email protected]. How cool is that!

Domain names encompass a lot more than what we have described here. To get it right, you may need to hire an expert Online presence is crucial for online success. Your website is your online home. Make it count.