.: Are Free Domain Names Worth The Cost?
By:Stephen Pope
Category:Home / Internet / Domain Names
Everyone likes a bargain. It's even wise to keep one's costs down. On the other hand, you can be so cheap that you cut your own throat.
Here are two ways to register a domain name for free and some reasons why you might not want to.
1. You Must Have Your Own Top Level Domain (TLD) Name
Your business website should definitely have its own top level domain (TLD) name. This means a name like yourcompany.com. It doesn't mean a subdomain of someone else's domain name, such as yourcompany.someisp.net.
Sometimes persons hesitate to register a proper domain name because of cost, lack of knowledge, or indecision. However, paying the nominal fee charged by the domain registrar for your own domain name can reap rich dividends.
A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or Internet address like (ignoring the http part) someisp.net/hosting-accounts/yourco/, or yourcompany.someisp.net, just doesn't look as professional as yourcompany.com. It might be free (as in included with your web space) but it just doesn't cut it.
Consider: If you put your URL on your letterheads, business cards, signs, et cetera, which Internet address looks more professional?
If you mention your URL on your radio advertising or to a customer over the phone, which one will be easier to remember?
As well, what if your web host goes out of business or you decide that you want to change to another provider. Now, you need to notify everyone that you have now changed to yourcompany.someotherisp.net. You will also need to change all your stationery, signs, and advertising to reflect the change.
On the other hand, the domain name yourcompany.com, could be transferred from one web host to another simply by informing your domain name registrar of the change.
So, to avoid losing business and incurring unnecessary additional costs, be sure you have your own top level domain name.
2. Should You Get a Free Top Level Domain?
It is possible to get a free top level domain from Dot TK (@www.dot.tk). (You may also get paid dot tk (.tk) domains from them.) However, there can be disadvantages to using a free top level domain name.
Here are some of the restrictions noted on the Dot TK website.
You may register no more than three free domain names.
The ownership of the free domain remains with Dot TK. This means that you can't sell it. (Of course, if you pay for the domain you do own it and can transfer it to a new owner.)
Also, if you don't have 25 visitors come to your home page within a ninety day period, your free domain name registration is cancelled.
You need to have existing web content somewhere so that your dot tk name can be forwarded to it.
There may well be other disadvantages.
Apparently, Dot TK uses frames to show your website. This being the case, you may have issues with navigation (bookmarking or finding specific pages) and search engine friendliness.
Therefore, for serious business use, consider carefully the true cost of free domain names.
Article keywords: FREE DOMAIN NAMES, TOP LEVEL DOMAIN NAMES, DOT TK DOMAIN NAMES
Article Source: http://www.articles32.com
J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years. For more information about domain names and other
Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit www.yenommarketinginc.com/domain-names.html
.: New Domain Names Articles
1). How Do I Change My Domain Name
The fact is that there really are some times that you need to change your domain name. Changing domain names is not in fact a rare situation, but is widely common today. Many people are changing domain names for all kinds of reasons, and along with that, many people are also encountering problems.
2). Warning! Your Website Domain Can Be Taken
Your domain name can get hijacked and a price quoted back to you on how much it will cost to get it back. There is some easy measures that will stop this.
3). International Domain Names with Internet Explorer 7
IDN stands for Internationalized Domain Name, also known as multilingual domain names. It allows you the possibility to use more characters in domains names, besides letters and numbers. It uses characters available in other alphabets and other languages.
4). Name Your Business Not to Dos
Whether you are naming your baby or your new business you can make a powerful positive impact if you do it correctly
5). You Need Your Own Domain Name...
A unique domain name. That's one of the first and most important steps that a new home business website builders must consider. All too often, you see websites created with a free host with a domain name that includes the free host company's business name. If you are planning to market your website and internet business as a professional entity, then you really should buy your own domain name.
6). Make Profit from Buying and Selling Domain Names
The Internet domain market has become more and more lucrative in the past few years. Almost all companies as well as many individual people these days have websites, and most would prefer their websites to be immediately recognizable. Domain names tell people what websites are about, and this can be a big plus when someone is doing a search and looking for something specific.
7). The Public Domain: Ten Things You May Not Know About It
There's a little known world of free-to-claim products with unlimited profit potential, an Aladdin’s Cave of ready-made products for you to locate in minutes, re-package in hours, and sell as your own. It’s called ‘The Public Domain’ and it means you can legally copy and sell other people’s books, maps, films, and more, with no ongoing fees or royalties of any kind to pay … EVER! Here are ten more things you may not know about the public domain ….
.: Top Domain Names Articles
1). Mom discovered 16 year old son with $70,000 earned from Adsense.
This interesting article addresses some of the key issues regarding Adsense. A careful reading of this material could make a big difference in how you think about Adsense.
If your Adsense facts are out-of-date, how will that affect your actions and decisions? Make certain you don't let important Adsense information slip by you.
Who Else Wants To Make Money With Adsense?
Fact number 1: Kids in high school are making thousands of dollars every month with Adsense.
2). Choosing a Domain Name for Your Domain Hosting
Your domain hosting name is not something to be chosen lightly. Your domain hosting name is your front line in your branding campaign for your online business (or your offline business’s online presence). Careful consideration needs to go into choosing just the right domain hosting name to represent your business. The following are some key points to consider:
The Right Extension for the Right Site
Each type of site you want domain hosting for may serve a different market.
3). The Value of Finance and Debt Related Domain Names
Why domain names can be a good investment!
We have a number of generic finance related domain names and have recently added to these through the £14,000 investment in debtconsolidation.co.uk and the purchase of debtfree.co.uk.
It's true that debt consolidation is one of the hottest terms especially in respect of PPC's and we believe we will get free traffic from people guessing the domains when they are looking for debt consolidation or debt free i.
4). Internet Marketing: The importance of a Domain Name
The domain name is the entry to your site. The address people type in their browsers to get to it. You need to pay attention to it, because your company name will not always be the best domain name you can get for your website. There are certain considerations you should keep in mind when choosing the domain name you will use:
· your domain name should be easy to remember for the intended audience
· your domain name should contain keywords so it helps your site positioning in search engines.
5). Expired Domain Name – What’s It All About?
Expired domain name is just a common status in the place of domain names. This certain status of the domain name takes place when the domain name holder forgot to renew the registered domain name, and so when a certain domain name is given as “expired domain name”, it is understandable that such expired domain name is on the way to deletion from the domain name registry.
6). GDI - Global Domains International Reviewed.
If you have been on the internet for any length of time looking at business options you will eventually come across someone promoting GDI to you. So this article is to answer some of the basic questions about GDI. Is this Business opportunity a scam? Do they have a product or service that is worthwhile? What is the potential of this opportunity? I will seek to answer these questions as objectively as possible.
7). Choose a Market You’re Passionate About and Stay Focussed
Choosing the right market is instrumental to your online success. It’s much more difficult to create a new market than to enter an existing market that is already highly profitable for existing businesses. The good thing about online business is that you can start a new business in a new market without as much overhead and headache as in the real world.