Registering your domain name and hosting your site are a couple of “must haves” for every website. Without either of these, you’ll not be launching your website any time soon and they can appear as hidden costs when it comes to pricing. Here’s our advice for getting it right first time.
Domain Names
Your domain name comprises your name and an extension that is preceded by a dot.
There are many domain extensions. There are the premium world extensions (.com, .net, .org) and they don’t cost a lot of money, unless you’re trying to buy a short name.
For example: pont-bleu.com costs us 13.50 euros per year (+VAT).
However many short .com domain names are ‘squatted’ (the PC term is ‘parked’) by annoying people who do not use them but are willing to let them go for often huge sums of money.
There have been examples of very large companies using legislation to force a squatter from a domain, but by-and-large it’s easier to pay the extortionate price they are asking. Tough luck, you should have thought about it earlier.
You can buy your domain on a per annum basis, or you can buy several years at once. There is no huge discount for bulk buying but you don’t have to remember renewing every year. At Pont Bleu we don’t register for less than 5 years at a time.
One very important point to remember is that your registrar will remind you when your domain name is up for renewal. This email will be sent to the email address that is attributed to the domain name. If the address is no longer used (eg. The employee that registered the name is no longer in the company) then the first you will know about the situation is when your website no longer works. As a best practice register 2 or 3 different contact email addresses, and at least one that will never be changed.
If you do change your email addresses then remember to change the contact details with your registrar. And, obviously, do not put email addresses that are linked to the domain name!
When buying a domain, you’ll probably find that the one you want is taken. You need to get creative!
Try using adapters such as:
- nom-entreprise.com (hyphen)
- nom-entreprise82.com (hyphen et department)
- nom-entreprise-activity.com
Or if it doesn’t cause a branding problem try spelling your business name differently, or spell out what you’re about, eg: www.mangerbouger.com
Website Hosting
Website hosting is the space on a server where your website lives. Essentially, it’s the house for your website.
And it’s this space on a server that is where browsers are sent to go and see your website.
Website hosting prices start from insanely low and range to the absurd, depending on your requirements.
Unfortunately, just like websites, not all web hosting space is created equally. Some are better than others, some are quicker than others, and just as a badly designed website can function badly and be sluggish so can using an inadequate server deal for hosting your website.
You can get free web hosting, which is terrible. Cheap hosting, which is also terrible. Affordable hosting, which is acceptable. And premium hosting, which we recommend for any site aiming at getting a lot of traffic or using jazzy functions.
With cheap hosting, the old saying “pay peanuts, get monkeys” rings true. You really do pay for what you get.
Affordable hosting is available for somewhere between 10 and 20 euros per month.
Premium hosting costs around 30-60 euros per month.
The differences are vast and boil down to the technology you’re getting.
Pont Bleu advises all their clients on a case-by-case basis but essentially, cheap hosting isn’t worth the hassle.
If you’re really cash strapped, affordable hosting is workable. But premium hosting wins out every time in our opinion.
Branding Consultant at Pont Bleu Communication
Daren Birchall’s career spans more than 30 years. He is a graphic designer, writer, analyst and communications strategist, marketing consultant, media buyer, production manager, and for quite some time was an advertising agent. He loves photography but his glasses bother him.
