Over the past few months, we have received a lot of questions about Domain Names.  I wanted to take a few minutes to help clear the air.

1.  Is a domain name and a website the same thing?  No.  A website consist of pages, images and other files that are located on a Web server.  That Web server is typically called your Hosting Account.  A domain name, on the other hand, is part of the Internet address that points to the location of the website.  In the Web address http://www.ondigitalground.com, the domain name part is the "ondigitalground.com".  When you type this address into your browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, etc), and hit Enter, our website will come up.

2.  What is a custom domain name?  When you create a website, it helps to have a domain name that includes your business name or the flaship product, since those are what people are likely to remember an it will help drive traffic to your site.  For example, our company name is On Digital Ground.  Our domain name is www.ondigitalground.com.  Another good example is one we signed up a few weeks ago.  We have a carpet cleaning company who's company name was not available - Daniels FloorCare.  So, he wanted the next best thing - www.luvmycarpet.com.  This is catchy and will be easy for his customers to remember.  You can sign up for a custom domain name right now for as little as $7.49 per year in the On Digital Ground Online Store. 

3.  Can you have more than one domain name associated with a website?  Yes.  You can have as many as you like. 

4.  What the advantage of having more than one domain name associated with a website?  The simple reason is that it gives more ways for your potential site visitor to find you.  For example, I might not remember AYC Carpet Cleaning's name.  So, when I go to Google to look for them, I would type in "carpet cleaning san diego". When you do that, you will get a domain name called www.carpetcleaningsandiego.com.  That domain name belongs to AYC Carpet Cleaning and will take you directly to their website.  When AYC is telling a new client their domain name, they can just tell them to remember "carpet cleaning san diego" and that will take them directly to their website.  You can sign up for additional domain names right now for as little as $7.49 per year in the On Digital Ground Online Store.

5.  If I move my website to another web host and I already own the domain name, do I have to move the domain too?  Not necessarily.  You can leave domain names in one spot and just point them elsewhere.  To do this you need to change the Domain Name Server (DNS).  We typically don't recommend doing this yourself unless you know what you're doing.  That being said, a major advantage of moving your domain name to the account where you have your hosting is that it allows you to have everything under one roof.  Most hosting companies have a good control panel that allows you to manage everything (hosting, domain names, extras).  This keeps you from forgetting where your domains are sitting or what your passwords are.  

6.  What is Private Domain Name Registration and do I need it? We highly recommend it.  Private Domain Name Registration helps protect your contact information from spammers, telemarketers and other unwanted solicitations.  On Digital Ground offers Private Domain Name Registration on all domain names registered with ODG for only $7.95 per year - or FREE if you purchase 5 or more domain names.

When building or designing a website, it’s not enough to make it pretty.  Your website can be the bulk of your advertising dollars.  Don’t just throw that money away.  Spend it wisely!

At the same time, just because you’ve built a website doesn’t mean your work is done.  It’s just like buying a house.  After you move in you still have to mow the grass and vacuum the carpet and paint periodically.  A website is the same way.  Below are some steps to follow in the building process that continue on following the launch. 

1. Tweak: The most common mistake made by website owners is to think that once the site is built, all is complete.  Keep the information on your site fresh but update pictures frequently and revising your text with new information.

2. Make Offers: You have 4 seconds to catch the average web surfer’s attention.  Why are they there?  What will make them stay?  Better yet, why would they want to come back?  Give them offers they can’t refuse.

3. Do Your Homework: Again, a pretty website does not constitute a good website.  Research the current trends.  Know what keywords people are using to find your services.  Know all you can know about how to offer what you do.

4. Proof It Again!: No amount of proofing is enough.  Do not think that you can find all the mistakes in your website.  It is recommended that you have no less than 5 people view your site before you post it.  Then proof it again.

5. Web Tools: There are many companies that offer web tools and ways to track your site traffic.  Google offers their Analytics tracking software.  You can know anything you want to know about the visitors of your site.

6. Seed Your Site: Make your site ‘indexable’ but seeding keywords and keyword phrases throughout your site.

7. Generate Traffic: What good is a great website if no one sees it?  Do whatever it takes to generate traffic to your site.

Did you know:

• Americans aged 35-49 spend on average 91 hours per month online – that’s 3 hours per day - outside of work!
• 55% of Americans reported having a high-speed internet connection at home.
• The two most important factors facilitating or inhibiting Internet access are education and age.
• Approximately 83% of homes with an income of $75K per year have high-speed internet connection.
• 70% of Americans surf the Internet.
• The number one visited site on the Internet is Google.com
• In 2008 – Google.com is showing a 2% growth rate (number of searches) each month.
• 55% of Americans said they use search engines rather than the Yellow Pages.
• 60% of Americans said they interact with companies on a social media Web site, and 25% interact more than once per week.
• 93% of Americans believe a company should have a presence in social media, while an overwhelming 85% believe a company should not only be present but also interact with its consumers via social media.
• 69% of Americans still use email for sharing information.
• 84% of Americans looking to purchase a home, use the Internet for most of the process.
• Only 3% use print.

 *Source:  IT Facts - www.itfacts.biz

Did you know there's more to using Search Engines (like Google and Yahoo) than just typing in a word or phrase?  You can narrow the results to find exactly what you're looking for without having to weed through 100,000 other results.  Let me give you a few tips that you can use.

1. Check Weather
   You can check the weather in a particular zip code area but using this formula - "weather zipcode". You can also do the same thing by using the city.

   Example: "weather 37024"
   Example: "weather Nashville"

2. Search Within A Range Of Numbers:
   Let’s say you want to find results that contain any of a range of numbers.  You can do this by using the X...Y modifier (in case this is hard to read, what’s between the X and Y are three periods).  This type of search is useful for years, prices or anywhere where you want to provide a series of numbers.

   Example: president 1940..1950
   Example: DVD player $100...$250

3. Use Google as a Calculator:
   The next time you need to do a quick calculation, instead of bringing up the Calculator applet, you can just type your expression in to Google.

   Example: 48512 * 1.02

4. Word Definitions:
   If you need to quickly look up the definition of a word or phrase, simply use the "define:" command.

   Example: define:plethora

5. Money Conversion
   If you need to convert money from one country to another, simple put the amount, type and type you want to convert to.

   Example: 100 GBP in USD

6. Explicit Phrase:
   Lets say you are looking for content about internet marketing.  Instead of just typing internet marketing into the Google search box, you will likely be better off searching explicitly for the phrase.  To do this, simply enclose the search phrase within double quotes.

   Example: "internet marketing"

7. Exclude Words:
   Lets say you want to search for content about internet marketing, but you want to exclude any results that contain the term advertising.  To do this, simply use the "-" sign in front of the word you want to exclude.

   Example Search: internet marketing -advertising

8. Site Specific Search:
   Often, you want to search a specific website for content that matches a certain phrase.  Even if the site doesn’t support a built-in search feature, you can use Google to search the site for your term. Simply use the "site:somesite.com" modifier.

   Example: "internet marketing" site:www.ondigitalground.com

9. Similar Words and Synonyms:
   Let’s say you are want to include a word in your search, but want to include results that contain similar words or synonyms.  To do this, use the "~" in front of the word.

   Example: "internet marketing" ~professional

10. Specific Document Types:
    If you’re looking to find results that are of a specific type, you can use the modifier "filetype:".  For example, you might want to find only PowerPoint presentations related to internet marketing.

    Example: "internet marketing" filetype:ppt

11. This OR That:
    By default, when you do a search, Google will include all the terms specified in the search.  If you are looking for any one of one or more terms to match, then you can use the OR or the || operator.  (Note:  The OR has to be capitalized).

    Example: internet marketing OR advertising
    Example: internet marketing || advertising

12. Phone Listing:
    Let’s say someone calls you on your mobile number and you don’t know how it is.  If all you have is a phone number, you can look it up on Google using the phonebook feature.

    Example: phonebook:617-555-1212 (note:  the provided number does not work – you’ll have to use a real number to get any results).

13. Area Code Lookup:
    If all you need to do is to look-up the area code for a phone number, just enter the 3-digit area code and Google will tell you where it’s from.

    Example: 617

14. Stock (Ticker Symbol):
    Just enter a valid ticker symbol as your search term and Google will give you the current financials and a quick thumb-nail chart for the stock.

    Example: GOOG

Consider Your Profitability
Look for evidence in the company's work, language and proposal that point to their interest in making your website profitable. Your website should make your business money and generate new clients. It takes skill to accomplish this. It doesn't just happen. Look for a company whose priority is focused on the success, longevity and profitability of your website. Good evidence that you may have found this in a company is that the company has a proven background in marketing, business development and sales as well as the technical and graphics expertise to design and develop a website.

Results Count
Check out the results the company has achieved for its clients. What is their track record? Have they produced successful websites? Are they focused on the continued success of their client's websites and giving them the tools to get there? Are they focused on getting the results you want?

SEO Marketing
Having a website that is not marketed well is about as profitable as a business with an unlisted phone number and poorly marketed existence. If they don't know you're there they won't come. SEO marketing is key to making sure they know you're there. Traffic, traffic, traffic, you want traffic! Look for a company who is experienced in Strategic and Comprehensive Internet Marketing Services. Ask what they will do to get your site top 10 placement in Search Engines and Web Directories?

Reputation Matters
Actions speak louder than words and ultimately define every relationship. The bedrock to providing you good customer service is integrity. While skills are important remember that you are not just reviewing their technical and artistic abilities. Check out their reputation. Are they trusted? Are they reliable? Are their clients satisfied?

Design & Development Can't Do It Alone
While graphics design and technical development skills are foundational they cannot produce profitable results. What matters most in your search for a website company is finding one that understands and is experienced in business development. The ability to utilize current technology to help you achieve your business objectives is key to making your website profitable. Look for a company who's focused on helping you achieve your goals through your website.