Gift Focus - Nov/Dec 2017 (Issue 104)

If there’s one thing guaranteed to cause frustration, stress and worry for any new e-commerce business owner, finding a good domain name is probably on the list. I remember way back in the early noughties spending literally days musing over a name for my new business, one which had an available domain name and didn’t have a competing registered entity that was already trading. Putting the trials and tribulations of setting up a brand-new business aside, don’t think that getting a good domain name to promote an already established bricks-and-mortar retail store is easy. There are many pitfalls and crocodile traps to look out for… New or old? Finding a domain name that isn’t already registered can be a bit of a challenge. If you think your company name is pretty original, think again. Somebody has probably already got your chosen domain name and is currently using it to promote a business out there on the World Wide Web! If you’re lucky enough to be able to register the domain of your choice through a registration service then great, however what happens if somebody already owns the domain name that you really want? Domains that are actively being used are unlikely to be given up at any price, however people can and do buy domain names to trade as commodities. In this case, you can approach the domain owner to negotiate a purchase directly (there are many services online to search for domain owner details, try viewdns.info for instance). In most cases, unless the domain owner has masked his or her identity, contact details will be present for the domain. You may find that the domain you really want is actively being traded on a domain name marketplace. Expect to pay a substantial amount of money for the domain, based on that domains history, popularity or trading vertical. Domain history Buying a pre-owned domain name, whether you’ve bought this from its current owner or getting the right domain name Intelligent Retail’s David Fairhurst explains how to avoid the pitfalls of choosing a domain name for your business’ website 100 giftfocus