Build Your Online Business With a New Website

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Courtney Mirenzi

Online social e-commerce sites like Etsy and eBay have skyrocketed in popularity amongst everyone from do-it-yourself crafters to small business owners. These two sites have over 1.6 million sellers with shops featuring everything from books to jewelry to cars. With so many online businesses trying to reach customers, many are searching for a way to stand out. That’s where domain names come into play.

Most popular top-level domains like .COM, .NET and .BIZ can be registered for as little as $9.90 per year, making this small investment a key part of any business strategy.

Why Your Online Business Needs a Domain

Maybe you started off as a casual online seller by putting unworn clothes up for auction on eBay or old books on Amazon. If your shop has evolved over time into an online business, chances are you’ve outgrown the URL attached to your account especially if your customer base has grown significantly.

Think for a moment which URL is easier to remember: myworld.ebay.com/yourawesomeshop or YourAwesomeShop.com? For most customers, the domain name will be memorable.e

A domain name can also help with traditional methods of advertising like print ads, business cards and signage. Online and offline, potential customers are more likely to visit your shop is the name is short and memorable.

For most, the best option for a domain name will be purchasing a name that most closely matches your existing store name you’ve built your brand and reputation on. However, if you stuck when it comes to choosing a domain, read our post on how choose a domain name to get some ideas.

Registering a Domain Without Leaving Your Store Behind

If you’re on your way to becoming a top seller on any e-commerce platform, chances are you don’ break off on your own to create an independent shop (more on that later). Instead, you’ll want to consider simply forwarding your domain name to your unique shop URL. For example, if you register MyEtsySite.com, you can forward it to you Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/people/myetsysite.

Example of Domain Forwarding

Modify Your Forwards

Setting up a forward allows you to retain traffic from your original selling platform while gaining new customers who know your URL. Creating a domain name for your shop also lends your online shop a more professional virtual storefront.

Striking Out on Your Own

Purchasing a domain name to expand your online business also provides the perfect opportunity to leave your original selling platform like eBay or Amazon, which charge fees to sell goods.

If you are looking to start an independent store, you can purchase a webhosting package that allows you to integrate an independent shop. You also use services like Big Cartel or Retailr to set up independent storefronts that point to your domain name using Nameservers, an A Record or CNAME.

Nameservers

Modify Your Nameservers

A Record CNAME

Modify Your A Record or CNAME

If you are looking to specifically transition from Etsy and into your own shop, we recommend reading Etsy Shop Suspended! What You Need to Know, which outlines some key steps on how to transition into your own independent shop.

We’re Here to Help

At United Domains, we strive to make domain name registration hassle free. We are here to help you build your online business. If you have any questions on how to pick a domain name, how to connect to an existing site or start an independent storefront, please contact us by emailing support[@]uniteddomains.com or calling (781) 285-1851.

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Weekly Reader, May 11, 2012

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Courtney Mirenzi

Domain Pulse: “ICANN is targeting 22 May as the intended reopening date for the TLD Application System. ICANN anticipates the system remaining open for five business days and close on 30 May. This takes account of the 28 May Memorial Day holiday in the United States.”

CNET: With ICANN’s TAS  still down, many applicants are moving forward with announcing their applications instead of waiting for ICANN’s Reveal Day. This week both Go Daddy announced that they will apply for .GODADDY along with two other new gTLDs they have yet to disclose. Demand Media, which runs Enom, a competitor to Go Daddy, also announced that they submitted an application, but did not share which name they were going after.

Domain Name Wire: Should they have or shouldn’t they have? That’s the big question swirling around this week after ICANN announced that they will be refunding new gTLD application fees to the TAS failure. On top of that, ICANN offered to refund an extra $5000 if the applicants withdrew their application prior to Reveal Day.

Minds + Machines: Antony Van Couvering, founder of M+M, breaks down what 2,100 applications in ICANN’s TAS might look like:

  • Geographical applicants, applying for cities, states or regions.
  • Applicants applying for a specific individual project: one or in some cases two names.
  • IDN applications, applying for generic names in a non-Latin script.
  • Portfolio applicants, applying for 20 TLDs or more.
  • Brand applicants, applying for their trademarked names.

    • Domainate: New to domaining? Watch 9 Tips for Ensuring a Successful Domain Purchase to get  tips on getting your first choice domain name.

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    Weekly Reader, May 4, 2012

    Posted on May 4, 2012 by Courtney Mirenzi

    Domain Pulse: Recent estimates may show that there could be up to 3,000 applications for new generic top-level domains (new gTLDs) in ICANN’s TLD Application System (TAS). The system has 1268 registered users who can register for up to 50 TLD strings. In theory, there could be up to 63,400 applications, but experts believe this is unlikely.

    Circle ID: “The [Reveal Day] delay has also impacted brand owner’s strategy to publically announce their application for a new gTLD,” writes  Steve Stolfi, VP of Global Partnerships at CT Corsearch. “Uncertainty around trademark clearinghouse costs has also made it difficult for brand owners to project the overall costs of the new gTLDS when preparing budgets for 2013 and beyond.”

    Domain Name Wire: The delay of ICANN’s Reveal Day has fueled the speculation for what new gTLDs we might see when ICANN makes the official announcement. Some now believe we could potentially see new gTLDs that are typos for .COM like .CON, .CPM, and .CMO.

    ICANN: On May 2 ICANN revealed the glitch with the TAS revealed the username and application documents for 105 new gTLDs applicants. However, just because this information was revealed doesn’t mean anyone actually had access to the compromised date.

    Nominet: Nominet, the registry for .CO.UK, recently launched CO.UK: A Great place to Be, a new campaign to promote the ccTLD for the United Kingdom.

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    New gTLD News: Sports-Related New gTLDs Grow in Popularity

    Posted on May 3, 2012 by Courtney Mirenzi

    With most eyes focused on functional generic new generic top-level domains (new gTLDs) like .WEB, .SHOP and .SITE, sports-related new gTLDs have flown under the media radar. However, new gTLDs focused on sports have gotten a boost in popularity with the announcement of .BASKETBALL and .RUGBY. With more than 46% of Americans following sporting, this new gTLD category will only continue to gain momentum as ICANN’s new gTLD program moves forward.

    .BASKETBALL and .RUGBY join a growing community of sports new gTLDs including .BIKE, .BOARD, .HORSE, .SKATE, .SKI, .SURF, and, of course, .SPORT. To date, these new gTLDs have garnered nearly 38,000 pre-registrations, with .SPORT being the most popular offering with more than 11,000 pre-registrations.

    Meet the Applicants

    AdrenalineTLD

    Dot Surf (Source: adrenalinetld.com)

    AdrenalineTLD leads the field with five announced applications for .BOARD, .SURF, .BIKE, .SKATE, and .SKI. The company is made up Internet and business professionals who are action sports enthusiasts. Their vision is to facilitate the expansion of action sports globally by opening domain name space to those who are passionate about action sports. Brands and professionals especially will benefit from sports-related new gTLDs:

    Expand Your Brand: Action sports happen because of you. You’ve built brands and products used by billions of people globally which help us all enjoy our passion. Create your own section of the internet with branded domain names that relate directly to the extension. Increase your relevancy in the search engines and rise above the clutter of the existing internet.

    Dot Horse Project

    Dot Horse (Source: dothorseproject.com)

    Kentucky-based Dot Horse Project is based out of Lexington is applying for the .HORSE new gTLD:

    The .horse namespace will provide a safe, reliable internet community for all things equine — where anyone involved with the sport, business, or enjoyment of horses can communicate and share trusted news, information, and ideas. We feel strongly that the top-level domain “.horse” should be owned, operated and regulated by those in the horse industry — horse lovers who work closely with and truly care about the well-being, safety, and advancement of these magnificent animals.

    .HORSE has the support of the equine community including Lexington mayor Jim Newberry who said, “Securing this top-level domain, as conceived and proposed by The Dot Horse Project, LLC, represents the best interest of our horse industry and will continue to solidify Lexington as The Horse Capital of the World.”

    SportAccord

    Dot Sport (Source: sportaccord.com)

    Earlier this year, SportAccord announced they will be applying to run .SPORT. They have the support of the global sports community including the International Olympic Committee. SportAccord is the umbrella organization for over 100 international sports federations and organizations. Its mission is to support and to protect the common interests of the sports movement. They will be working with CORE, who will provide their backend registry services.

    “We are extremely happy to appoint CORE to apply and operate the future .sport domain name” said Vincent Gaillard, Director General of SportAccord. “We were looking for a partner that fully understands and endorses the values, culture and principles of Sport, and we are convinced that with CORE, we have found exactly the right partner”.

    The Future of Sports-Related New gTLDs

    From the large volume of applicants who have already announced applications for sports-related new gTLDs, we can expect this field to keep expanding. Could we see a .FOOTBALL, .SOCCER or .GOLF? If the current field of applicants gives any indication, expect to see more sports-related new gTLDs on Reveal Day.

    There are currently 37,902 sports-related new gTLDs registered at United Domains. To pre-register new gTLDs, please visit here.

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    Website address ‘revolution’ on hold

    Posted on April 30, 2012 by Kate E. Hutchinson
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