Millions and millions of websites are being created yearly, not only in the U.S. but worldwide. This develops into a brutal competition because everyone is trying to stay relevant and have a good ranking on search engines.
It is said ad nauseam that only websites ranking on the first page of results (SERPs) get clicks. Ranking one page under that means no clicks at all in most cases.
We think it is often repeated because it’s the number one factor in explaining all of the strategies and techniques resulting from those facts. SEO writing, for instance, is a whole discipline to beat the algorithm and allows you to reach potential customers.
Owning your website’s domain is another key hack you can follow to ensure your position and the amount of traffic you are getting. Otherwise, you could lose your site’s name, and people would not know anymore how to find you.
It’s sort of like when you change your phone number. If you fail to send the new one to your contacts, they won’t be able to reach you, and they will not even know why.
Owning your domain is like owning the house you live in instead of renting it. When you rent a house, there is an inherent possibility of eventually moving out. But when you live in your own house, you might as well live there forever.
But of course, there are benefits to renting, and there are benefits to owning. We want to walk you through these pros and cons so you can make an informed decision.
What Is a Domain?
Let’s treat the matter as an ABC. On the first place of our list would be defining what a domain is since not everyone knows about this. But it is useful for you, so keep reading.
We could take the road to the technical definition and maybe get too complicated. Or we could talk directly about the practical use a domain name has for your business’ website.
We can talk of a domain in terms of a name. That’s why on Wikipedia, we find it under ‘domain name.’ It’s one of the various ID forms a website or internet platform can have. The domain name is located in the URL.
When you see .com, .net, .edu, .org, that identifies the website into a specific domain. Dotcom, or .com as it reads, is the most popular one. Each domain name stands for a full word. Com was short for commercial; the net was short for the network. They work as labels in a complex DNS (Domain Name System). Along with .info, .edu, and .org, these are generic top-level domains (gTLDs).
.com does not really stand for “commercial” anymore since it became a generic domain name long ago.
Every website has a domain. And when you buy or rent one, you should know which one works better for your industry or purpose.
What Is Web Hosting?
Back when you were fifteen and decided to create a blog to write and post cool stuff, you didn’t need to pay for anything, and it wasn’t complicated, so what’s all this about internet servers, domain registration, and web hosts?
Your 15-year-old self did need all that, but obviously, you did not know because your website back then was just about posting things you liked. Now that you want to have a website for your online business, everything is different.
Let’s start with content management tools like Blogspot or WordPress. You go to these sites and start creating your page, and when it’s ready, it goes out in the world/the internet. Just like that. How? Blogspot is owned by Google so whenever someone creates a site with their tool, they sort of like sign-up for having a spot in Google’s SERPs.
But every website needs a physical server, that is, a hosting provider. A server is different from a normal PC. For example, when WhatsApp/Facebook/Instagram fail, everyone starts complaining about their dedicated servers and how insufficient they are. A server is what physically locates and powers your website.
Since most of us wouldn’t know how to make a server work, we recur to web hosting services. What Google does with websites from Blogspot is kind of acting like a web host.
Why Does Web Hosting Costs Money?
Because it is a service that requires specialized knowledge, physical space, a constant and reliable power service, etc.
If you want your business to have a serious and powerful website, you will have to invest time and money in it. There are different types of web hosting services, and each costs accordingly to their efficiency.
Your web host is responsible for having your site up at all times, and that can be a great responsibility. If your site goes down for a problem with the server, you can lose appointments, purchases, etc. Not to mention that if that often happens, you lose credibility.
SSL Vs TLS Encryption
This is the security system of a website. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, and TLS for Transport Layer Security.
SSL was created back in 1995 to encrypt information traveling from a website to its server. TLS is the updated version, and it is the one we use nowadays.
You can know a site has upgraded security because when your data is protected with TLS, the URL on your computer will read HTTPS instead of HTTP. HTTP is no longer recommendable. This has nothing to do with having a private server, however.
What Are Web Hosting Options?
As with search engines, some web hosts are highly preferred among website owners. Here are some hosting options and hosting packages.
GoDaddy
GoDaddy is like the Coca-Cola of web hosting and domain registrars. It has 24/7 customer support and 4 different plans for several types of websites. Your domain name is included in some of their hosting plans.
HostGator
HostGator is also very famous, and they have affordable plans for all. Their Business Plan even includes SEO tools and unlimited websites for the same price.
Website
Website is not as famous as the two priors, but it offers the possibility to create your website and host it. They offer the basic mandatory features and some special ones for domain name registrars too.
Dangers of Domain Leasing for Long-Term SEO Results
Back when we said you own a domain name, we were talking about domain leasing. Some people use the terms interchangeably, but owning it’s not exactly buying a lease. For practical purposes, it is the same in this case, though.
Nobody can actually buy a domain name. Services like Dreamhost or GoDaddy sell the lease to use a domain. Usually, these leases last one year and are renewable automatically. It is recommendable to buy a ten-year lease.
Even though domain name leases are renewed automatically, anything can change in that period of time, so you definitely should keep an eye on it from time to time. Make sure your payment details are okay, so you can continue as the current owner.
If you lose your domain name, you could lose your website and lots of work and money with it. Your SERP ranking can easily sink, and the content will most likely get lost. This means that if you had any content marketing strategy like Search Engine Optimization, it would be lost too.
Why Do Some Business Owners Prefer Domain Leasing?
Buying contracts for domain name leasing have to last at least one year. But for some people, maybe startup owners, 12 months can be a long time, especially if you’re searching for the perfect domain. In such cases, renting the right to use a domain makes sense because you can leave it sooner.
On the other hand, we know domain leasing for high-demand names can be expensive. And although renting a famous name is not always a possibility, people consider it to be a great leverage for their business.
You should keep in mind that renting a domain name means all the profits from link-building go to the current registrar. And they could also take down your site without your permission.
Search Business Group Can Help
If we leave you in need of advice, don’t hesitate and contact our team of experts. We can prepare your website to rule the internet.
