What You Should Know

Are you the legal owner of your domain name?

Your domain name is a significant asset to your business and therefore you should protect it so. Many people and business owners do not realise that they are not listed as the legal owner of their own domain names. Yes they have paid someone to help them through the process and register their chosen domain name, but often the legal ownership of the domain name remains with the person or company contracted to organise the registration. This could lead to legal implications down the track, especially in regards to Australian based domain names, i.e. domain names that end in '.au'.

To find out more about the legal requirements of Australian domain names please visit www.auda.org.au.

To find out if you are the legal owner of your domain name:

For Australian domain names, go to www.ausregistry.com.au . Enter your domain name in the box at the top left (excluding 'www.'), select your domain extension then click the button and follow the instructions provided.
For other domain names, go to www.whois.org . Enter your domain name in the WHOIS Lookup field (excluding 'www'), select your domain extension then click the button and follow the instructions provided.

»»» The name of the person or company listed as the 'Registrant' is the legal owner of the domain name «««

If you are not listed as the legal owner of your own domain name, contact your website developer immediately and request that the issue be resolved. Alternatively, contact us and we will be happy to advise accordingly.

Can you save money on domains and hosting?

We are continually surprised at the number of website owners that seem to be paying a premium for their domain names and hosting services when there is absolutely no need.

Domain name registrations should average around $20 per year (sometimes even less). We have seen many that are paying double sometimes almost triple that amount.

Hosting services are of course dependent on your specific requirements. However, we see a lot of businesses paying $30.00 per month or more for their hosting when they could easily save 50% of those costs with an alternative hosting company.

We have done some significant research over the past few years to find (in our opinion) the best value for money domain name and hosting providers that offer professional service and exceptional support.

If you feel you are paying more than you need to for your domain name(s) and hosting services, contact us with details of your requirements and we will be happy to advise accordingly.

How can your website work better for you?

A website costs you money to run. Therefore, just like any other form of advertising, it is imperative you get the desired results. One advantage of a website over traditional advertising is the extra control you have with the content and the delivery. It is available to you and your customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and there is no limit to the information you can provide. The other added advantage is you know that those who view your website have, more often than not, made a conscious decision to visit your website because they have been lead to believe you have a potential solution to their problem. So now you need to convince them as quickly as possible that you have what they are looking for before they leave your website to look at someone else's.

Regardless of the nature of your business a website can certainly assist in improving your sales and there are countless ways to achieve this. So here we list but a few ideas to get you thinking about how your website could work better for you. For more ideas in regards to your particular business, contact us and we will be happy to advise accordingly.

generate confidence and trust by outlining your qualifications, years of experience and even testimonials from existing customers;

provide useful information such as a description of your services, frequently asked questions, guidelines and/or instructions for your products;
make use of an online gallery to display examples of your work, particularly before and after shots (if applicable);
improve your company image with a professional new website design;
offer special incentives, discounts and deals to website visitors only;
keep in touch with your visitors with important information, hints and tips relevant to your industry with an online newsletter;
ensure your website is always up to date with an easy to use content management system that allows you to manage your website content at a time that suits you;
increase sales by selling your product(s) online;

And Remember...

Always, always, always include your website address in any other form of advertising.