My company, Webnames.ca, provides a variety of Internet services; among them, domain name registration. Webnames.ca is Canada’s original .CA registrar and our history in the domain industry goes back to 1987. So, when entrepreneurs and business owners ask me, “What domain names should I register for my business?” you would think the answer would be simple; however, my usual answer is, “It depends.”
Factors like geographical location of customers, target audience, scope of current & future business, size of organization, value of intellectual property, relative importance of the company’s online presence to competition and of course, budget, all play a vital role in determining what domains a company chooses to secure.
Here are 10 key guidelines I consider when determining the domain needs of an organization:
1. Get your .COM if still available
.COM is still king and the most recognized domain extension in the world. If you are lucky enough to find your name(s) in .COM, make sure to snap them up.
2. Geographical Location – Where are your customers located? Who is your audience?
Most people prefer to buy local, pay in local currency and have products shipped locally to save on duties and shipping fees, making it critical for Canadian companies to have a .CA website.
To register a .CA, the registrant must meet Canadian Presence Requirements; meaning registering a Canadian trademark, having a registered Canadian Corporation or partnership in Canada or being a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Details on the Canadian Internet Registration Authority rules on Canadian Presence Requirements are available athttp://cira.ca/assets/Documents/Legal/Registrants/CPR.pdf.
Depending on the type of products or services you offer, it may be beneficial to register other country related extensions also, including .US (our biggest trading partner and a much larger market than Canada) or .ASIA.
If you have presence, key customers or an audience in particular countries, consider investing in those domain names. As mentioned in my previous blog post Domain Name 101 – What Do the Various Domain Extensions Mean there are 252 country code Top Level domains (or ccTLDs) in the world. Be sure check out the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority ccTLD database (ICANN) for the complete list of ccTLDs.