What is in a name?
Your domain name is your identity on the Web -- choose it carefully, and register it with one of the major registrars.
Domain Registration
MyDomainName.com = How People get to My Website
Your Domain Name is the most fundamental aspect of your web site -- it is a name that people can either type into a browser or click through to from another site or search engine -- or even from an email. For example, our domain name is WMSmerchantservices.com. It is the very corner stone of your identity on the Web.
A domain name is obtained through a Registrar certified by ICANN to reserve a give name. The registrar is responsible for, among other things, letting the rest of the Internet "know" where to find your web site when it is entered into a browser or clicked on from some location that launches this address in a browser. Your domain name is matched to Name Server records with tell your ISP where your web site is hosted; your web host then redirects via their own Domain Name Servers to the very machine ( a "server" ) where your site resides, and the server then "serves up" your website to the requesting browser.
Because a domain name is such a crucial aspect of any online presence, we don't believe in reselling domain names as a "middle man." We believe you should truly "own" your domain name through a major registrar.
That being said, we do recommend registrars to our clients:
GoDaddy.com
GoDaddy is probably the "biggest bang for your buck" among all of the major
registrars. Their management interface is relatively easy to use and may be the
most feature-rich of all of the major registrars.
DirectNIC.com
DirectNIC is about as feature rich as GoDaddy, but is a bit more expensive. If
you currently have domain name registered with DirectNIC, you may want to keep
using this registrar for your domain name registrations.
NetworkSolutions.com
Network Solutions is the oldest and probably still the biggest registrar of them
all . . . . and the most expensive among the majors. They have come a LONG way
since their earlier bureaucratic entity of the 1990's.
Register.com
Register.com was the first major registrar to really give Network Solution
serious competition back in the 90's. They offered a much more streamlined,
non-bureaucratic process and interface. While they are equally as expensive as
Network Solutions, we still have a soft spot in our hearts for Register.com.
Tips for Choosing a Good Domain Name
Choosing a Domain Name should be a very deliberate process backed by research and serious thought about a number of important considerations.
Here are some tips for selecting a good domain name:
- Pick a domain name that is descriptive and easy to remember.
Admittedly, good domain name are increasingly hard to find, but mustering all of your creativity to find a good available domain name will be well worth it.
- When researching available domain names, be sure to use a
WHOIS interface.
All registrars have a domain name search service, and most have a WHOIS interface. Some unscrupulous "squatters" have the ability to index names people are looking to register and will register them before you do . . . . in hope of getting you to pay them for the domain name you really want!
To avoid this, use a WHOIS interface such as on NetworkSolutions.com -- if your domain name of choice is taken, you will find a record of it and perhaps some interesting information about your competitors; if it is not yet taken, you will not find a record and will have the opportunity to register it yourself.
- Choose your generic top-level domain (gTLD) carefully.
The most familiar gTLD is .com ("commerical"), though many others are familiar too, such as .org ("non-profit organization"), .net ("network" or ISP), .gov ("government"), .edu ("education"), .biz ("business"), etc.
Generic top-level domains originally had a very specific hierarchical logic which has been mostly lost and replaced for the most part with a popular understanding of eCommerce as "Dot Com". That is, the general populace rather assumes the ".com" in a domain name . . . . so, if at all possible, try to get a .com domain name.
What's more, avoid registering a domain name with some other gTLD when a competitor owns the .com variation . . . . or you will do them a big favor by sending your business their way!
- Consider registering variations on your domain name.
There are two important issues of registering variations of your domain name:- gTLD variations:
In this case you may want to prevent competitors from registering the same name but with other gTLDs such as .net, etc. This helps to preserve your brand. - Hyphenated variations
In this case you would be thinking about search engines. The ideal is to find a domain name that you can register both hyphenated and non-hyphenated variations of your domain name -- for example WMS-merchant-services.com and WMSmerchantservices.com -- so that search engines can more easily identify they "key words" that are relevant to your web presence.
When taking this approach, though, it is crucial to set up the hyphenated version with your host or registrar as the true domain name and then set up a "301" or "permanent" redirect of the non-hyphenated name to the former.
- gTLD variations:
Other Services:
- Web Site Hosting
- Graphic Design
- Shopping Cart
- Merchant Account ( Accept Credit Cards )
- Gateway
- Secure Socket Layer Encryption
For knowledgeable, courteous service and reasonable prices with zero down time, Real Hero Stuff wouldn’t even consider anyone other than Web Merchant Services.
Carole Hawkins
RealHeroStuff.com
Hosting Plans
- 250 MB Disk Space
- 5 GB Transfer
- ASP, ASP.NET, PHP
- 5 E-mail Accounts
- Hosting Control Panel
- More Details
- 1 GB Disk Space
- 20 GB Transfer
- ASP, ASP.NET, PHP
- 50 E-mail Accounts
- Site Control Panel
- More Details
- 3 GB Disk Space
- 50 GB Transfer
- ASP, ASP.NET, PHP
- 500 E-mail Accounts
- Site Control Panel
- More Details
- 6 GB Disk Space
- 150 GB Transfer
- ASP, ASP.NET, PHP
- Unlimited E-mail
- Site Control Panel
- More Details
WMS™ Provides 24/7 Support 365 days/yr.
Including:
- Phone Support 9 AM to 7 PM
- Email Support 9 AM to 10 PM
- Emergency Support 24/7 - 365
Our server monitoring systems will alert us within five minutes if there is any issue with our servers.
