Own your domain name

Your domain name, the address people type to reach your website, ends up on your trucks, cards, invoices and Google listing. If someone else controls it, your business depends on them. Here is how to make sure it is yours.

What a domain name is

A domain name is your website's address, such as smithpainting.com. You do not buy it forever. You register it for a period, usually one year or several, through a company called a registrar, and you renew it to keep it.

Your domain is separate from your website. The website is the pages people see. The domain is the address that points to them. You can move your website to a different company and keep the same domain, as long as you control the domain.

Why ownership matters

Problems usually show up when you want to change web designers or stop paying a provider. If the domain was registered in their name or their account, you may find:

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  You cannot move your website elsewhere without their help.

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  Your email on that domain stops working.

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  They charge a fee to hand it over, or do not reply.

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  The domain expires because nobody renewed it, and someone else registers it.

Every one of those can cost you calls, and fixing them can take weeks.

How to register it properly

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  Register it in your own name or your business name, with an email address you control and check.

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  Use a registrar account that you log in to yourself. If someone helps you, add them as a user rather than giving them the account.

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  Turn on auto-renew and keep the payment card up to date.

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  Turn on two-factor login for the registrar account.

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  Write down where it is registered, and store the login safely.

Check who owns your domain now

If you already have a website, check:

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  Do you know which registrar your domain is with?

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  Can you log in to that account yourself?

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  Is the registered owner you or your business?

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  When does it expire, and is auto-renew on?

If you cannot answer these, ask whoever set up your website. A good provider will happily give you access.

Pointing your domain at your website

When a website is built on a platform or by a provider, your domain usually needs to be pointed at it. This is done by changing DNS records at your registrar, or by letting the provider manage DNS. You keep ownership either way. Pointing your domain at a website is like forwarding your mail, not selling your house.

Moving your domain

You can transfer a domain to a different registrar if you want to. The process involves unlocking it, getting a transfer code, and approving the move. Registrars generally block transfers for a period right after a domain is registered or transferred, so plan ahead if you are switching providers.

Choosing a good domain

If you are picking a new one:

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  Keep it short and easy to say on the phone.

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  Use your business name if you can.

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  Prefer .com if it is available, since many people assume it.

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  Avoid hyphens and odd spellings that people will get wrong.

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  Do not add a town name unless it is part of your business identity, since you may expand later.

Email on your domain

An email address like info@smithpainting.com looks more established than a free email account. It also depends on your domain, which is one more reason to keep control of it.

The short version

Your domain should be registered to you, in an account you can log in to, with auto-renew on. Whoever builds your website should point your domain at it, not own it. If you ever leave, the domain leaves with you.

About FirstGen. FirstGen builds local service businesses a website from their Google listing (your name, reviews, photos, services and service area) before you pay anything. If you like the free preview, it goes live for $197 a month with hosting, your own domain and a dashboard that shows every visit, call and form. Get your free preview.