You’ve decided to have a website built for your company. That’s great. One of the most important decisions you can make as far as websites are concerned is the selection of the “domain name” or “web address.” A domain name is the actual text that is assigned to what is known as a “URL” (Universal Resource Locator) which is a long string of numbers that identifies where your site is on the web. Domain names are assigned to the number strings, via registrars, to make it easier on visitors to navigate the web. For example: MyNewSite.com is easier to remember than 123.456.789.1.
Sometimes locating and procuring the perfect domain can be a tricky proposition. The actual process itself is pretty straightforward, however, developers on occasion run into “Site Squatters.” Site Squatters are individuals or companies that snap up domain names as they expire and hold them to either (a) block someone else from getting a particular domain or to (b) eventually make money by making the domain available for insanely high prices. Most domain names can be registered for less than $50.00. Site Squatters jack up those prices, depending on the “popularity” of the domain, pricing some domains upwards of $25,000.00.
There are a couple of ways to deal with Site Squatters. You can either (a) pay the outlandish rate; (b) take the Site Squatter to court, there is a particular court proceeding that one must go through; or (c) just register a similar name or choose a different name all together.
At Creative Web Design Unlimited, we help our client’s develop, procure and protect their domain names on a regular basis. So if you are having issues with a domain name, contact Creative Web Design Unlimited and we will analyze your situation, and help you develop a solution.