Effective Internet Business

What’s in a name? Quite a bit if it’s the name of your website. And, even if you don’t have a website, a domain name is an important part of doing effective Internet business. A domain name lends credibility to your online business, makes your online presence portable, promotes your brand, and increases your chances of being found on the net.

Work Local, Think Global

I was discussing this topic with my driver, Joe, enroute to the airport just before the holidays. Joe, like many drivers, runs his own business and is pretty savvy on most things entrepreneurial; but, when it comes to the Internet, Joe admits that he doesn’t have much of a clue.

I’ve been trying to persuade Joe to get himself a domain name for some time now. The roots of our discussion go back several trips when I was asked to extend my stay in Mexico City. I travel extensively and my schedule frequently changes. Ideally, I’d like to email Joe when my plans change. That way, I avoid all the trouble with timezone differences and having to read out detailed itineraries over long-distance phone lines.

One Pink Lady

Now Joe doesn’t have his own website and has yet to register a domain name, so ends up giving out his daughters email address to his clients. I have a few problems with this. Firstly, it’s hit and miss whether Joe receives my emails - they’re just not that important to his daughter; secondly, I’m uncomfortable sending email to ‘pinklady@joesISP.com’ (Internet Service Provider name withheld to protect the innocent).

Now, even if I’m happy to use ‘pinklady@joesISP.com’ and Joe does pick up his email, that type of email account doesn’t do Joe any favours when it comes to lending credibility to his business and helping to promote his brand. It’s just not professional.

Even if Joe decided to use a more sensible name, like ‘joe@joesISP.com’, he is still tying his email account to that ISP and just helping to promote their brand, not his. If Joe decides to move to another ISP, he loses that account and any marketing dollars spent on giving out that email address.

The Potential Of A Domain Name

I still see this mistake with many of my small business clients. They purchase a domain name and start to promote it, only to place on their website and business correspondence a contact email address in the form ‘joe.joesbizname@joesISP.com’?

It is far better to promote your own domain name and have email addresses in the form ‘joe@joesdomain.com’ or ‘bookings@joesdomain.com’. When eventually Joe gets around to purchasing a website, it’s an intuitive step in people’s minds to add the ‘www’ in front of the existing domain resulting in his website address: ‘www.joesdomain.com’. In other words, Joe’s business will be easier to find online.

So, while I’ll miss my email correspondence with ‘pinklady’, it’s best that Joe register a domain name. It will give him more credibility online and enable him to move his name should he change his ISP or hosting provider. Joe’s marketing dollars will also travel with his name.