This second page of the domain name primer explains whether you should choose a dot-com or dot-ca domain name, how to protect your domain name, and how to register a domain name.
3. Dot-com or dot-ca?
Should you register a generic top level domain (gTLD) or a country code top level domain (ccTLD) for your online business? In my opinion, that depends on the market for your product or service. If you are selling strictly to Canadians, or if being known as Canadian is an important feature of your product or service, then you are better off with a dot-ca domain.
However, if you are marketing a product or service internationally, you may wish to register your online business as a dot-com (or a dot-biz or whatever other generic Top Level Domain is appropriate). Many people who remember a business’s name try to access the business’s site on the Web by typing a name directly into their browser, and dot.com is most people’s first “guess” as to what a domain name might be.
4. Protecting your domain name
You might want to register the dot-com and dot-ca versions of your domain name, as well as any other alternatives (such as dot-biz) to protect your domain name. Otherwise, someone could register and use one of them, negatively affecting your online business. For example, if I register www.susanward.com and someone else is using www.susanward.ca, traffic to (and sales from) my website could suffer. Registering alternative versions of your domain name doesn’t mean that you have to have two or more websites; registering a domain name just prevents anyone else from using it.
5. How to register a domain name
Once you have decided what domain name you want (and several other possibilities, in case the domain name is taken), you need to register your domain name with an accredited registrar. There are thousands of accredited registrars to choose from and costs for registering a domain name vary. I advise you to take service into account and ask others for their recommendations rather than choosing a registrar based solely on price.
CIRA, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, maintains a List of Accredited Registrars. If you wish to register a dot.ca domain name, you must do it through one of these accredited registrars. You may also register generic top level domain names through many of these Canada-based registrars. You can also use the Accredited Registrar Directory on the InterNIC site to find a registrar for either type of top level domain.
Once you’ve chosen one and gone to the registrar’s website, look for the “search domain availability” feature. Sometimes it’s called something else, but it’s usually prominently displayed on the site’s home page. Entering the domain name you would like to register will tell you whether or not that domain name is available.
Once you’ve found a domain name that’s available, it’s just a matter of following the procedure outlined on the registrar’s website to register the domain name. Note that you have the choice of registering the domain name for one year or for periods up to five years. Registering the domain name for a longer period is often a better deal.
Now that you’ve registered a domain name, you have a home for your online business on the Web. To actually turn it into a functioning website, though, you need to have a Web Host, the next step in starting an online business.
