What is a domain name?

The purpose of a domain name is similar to that of a street address or telephone number.  The domain name directs customers to you on the Internet.  The domain by itself is not your email or web address.  The domain does form the base from which these addresses are derived. For example:

Do I need to register a domain name to have a website?

The simple answer is NO.  You do not need to have your own domain name.  Your website can be created and hosted without it.  Your website address will look something like this:
www.web4business.com.au/JBCleaning  OR
www.ozemail.com.au/~JBCleaning

The only advantage of not registering a domain name is that you will save yourself A$70 per year (it costs up to A$140 for 2 years to register a '.com.au' domain name).

The disadvantages of NOT having your domain name include:

1. If you decide to change your Webhosting company or if that company goes out of business, you will lose your website address.  Your website can be transferred to a new company, but your address will change. And that means re-printing stationery and re-doing all your advertising, notifying all your customers etc.

2. Website addresses that contain information other than your company name are long and hard to remember and do not appear as professional.  Compare these two and see which one you are more likely to remember  
www.ozemail.com.au/~JBCleaning   OR
www.JBCleaning.com.au

So it is a good idea to register a domain name, even if it is just to protect yourself for the future.  Say for example, your business name is JB Cleaning and you decide not to register your domain name for now.

Along comes Joe Bloggs who opens his own cleaning business and registers JBCleaning.com.au domain name.  After a year you decide you want to have your own domain name, but since Joe Bloggs already owns it, you won't be able to register it.   Not to mention your customers who know your business as JB Cleaning may visit his website, thinking it's your web address and instead hire Joe Bloggs Cleaning.

Understanding a Domain Name

A domain name normally consists of 2 parts - your company name and the organisation type/region.  For example with the domain qikphone.com.au - qikphone is the company name.  The .com.au indicates that QikPhone Pty Ltd is a commercial organisation in Australia.

Choosing a .com.au Domain Name

The .com.au is governed by a national body which sets certain rules that must be met before your domain name can be approved.

For Companies and Registered Businesses.

The domain name that you request can be derived from your existing registered company or business name, from a product you are selling, a service you are offering, an event you are organising etc.  You must supply your ABN (Australian Business Number).  If you operate as a sole trade and trade under your own name (and do not have a registered business name) you can register a domain which is derived from your name.

Domain Name Checklist

The following check will help ensure that your domain name is not rejected.
- You must supply the legal name of the organisation.
- You must supply your ABN (except for sole traders).
- Domain name must be at least two characters long.
- Domain name must contain only alphanumeric characters (ie. A-Z, 0-9) and hyphens (-).
- Domain name must not start or finish with a hyphen.
- Domain name must be directly derived from the legal name of the commercial entity.   Additional
  characters that do not appear in the full legal name of the commercial entity cannot be used.
- Domain name must not be a generic word describing products, industries, industry sectors or
  organisations, eg. beer (product), banking (industry), company (organisation type).  Generic phrases
  comprising of two or more generic words are allowed.

How long can a domain name be?

The maximum number of characters in a domain name is 26.  This includes the periods (.) and the suffix.  Remember the http:// and the www normally found at the front of a web address are not considered part of the domain name.

We would suggest that you try to keep your domain name as short as possible.  This will help your customers remember your email and web addresses.

Is your Domain Available?

Once you have decided on the domain name that you would like, you need to check if it is available.  To check: 
Global Domain Names: Click Here
Australian Domain Names : Click Here

Final Tips for Your Domain Name

- Under NO circumstances should you use your domain name in advertising material, office stationery 
   until it is officially approved.
- Try to keep the number of letters in your domain name to a minimum.
- Domain names are not case sensitive. But you can use upper and lower case to improve the
  readability of your domain name. eg.  QikPhone.

For more information, visit: www.melbourneit.com.au