A domain name looks like this: http://www.mydomain.com
or www.mybusinessname.com.au
The domain name is like a street address for websites. Just as as your
house or business has an individual street address, the domain name is
your address in cyberspace.
There are several advantages to having your own domain -
You own your domain name as long as you pay the annual renewal fee.
A major advantage here is that you can move the domain from one server
to another as circumstances may require, and the site address remains the
same.
More importantly, some search engines give much greater weight to a
site which has its own domain. So if for instance Yahoo were ignoring
your site despite requests for listing, if you had your own domain they
may well change their tune (but no guarantee).
Viewers tend to take more notice of a site with its own domain, on the
basis that anyone who has gone to the trouble of setting up a domain is
likely to be around for a while. So they may well bookmark you, and will
be back.
The domain setup fee includes everything except internet access and
email. It includes all the paperwork with the relevant authorities, all
the paperwork with the host server, and anything else involved in getting
the domain actually onto the net and accessible to both you and the surfing
public.
You CAN do it yourself - but you won't save much money, and it will
usually take a lot longer than you might think.
As of December 1999, dot com domain names may have more than the previous
limit of 26 characters. It is recommended that long domain names be restricted
to 63 characters (including .com), although the limit is 67.
A great host of new top level domains (TLD's) have been introduced,
so it is possible to get quite a catchy name with one of the new suffixes.
Examples include .to, .tv, and even the slightly ridiculous .biz.
Australian dot com au domains are no longer restricted to one per registered
business or company name.
You may use only alphanumeric characters and the dash (-) in a domain
name. You cannot use the underscore, ampersand, asterisk etc.
Domain Registration Notes
Domain Names Australia Scam
Developing and promoting your site
More Information:
See Domain, Business, and
Company Names at IP Australia
Internet Tips & Tricks
