Or CLICK to download a pdf of this article

Your Domain Name Is Your Online Business Identity – Who Owns Your Name?

Usually, when you plan a website, your first thoughts are about what your site will look like. You wrestle with decisions about graphics and placement and pages.

There is a step that is much more mission-critical: choosing and registering a domain name. It is highly likely that the look and feel of your website will change several times over its lifespan. Your domain name is your identity that is likely to remain constant through all the changes.

The NNFP Website HELP Team has seen many new clients struggle with the fact that their previous web developer owns their domain name. Considering that a domain name functions as an international identity for your company, this is really bad news. The common scenario is that the previous web developer registered their client’s domain name and made themselves the domain name owner.

Note that in the example image, the Registrant for GoosebayLumber.com is David Marsh. This gentleman was a “helpful” neighbor who has not been involved in the business for many years, has moved away, and cannot be reached. The business principals are not the owners of their own domain name.

To avoid this problem, make sure that you — the business owner — register your own domain name and that your name or the business name is the “Registrant.” Do not let your developer register the name for you.

The NNFP Website HELP Team will NOT register your domain name for you, but we do walk our clients through the process step-by-step.

Nora McDougall-Collin, National Network of Forest Practitioners - Director of Web Services, (740) 856-1529, [email protected]