It is absolutely critical as a business owner to know what a domain is and even more important to know WHERE it is…has this always confused you?  Read on for my domain explanation in non-techy terms.

What is a domain anyway?

The best analogy I have heard is that your domain is like the house numbers in your home address. The house numbers dictate where your house is located and where all your things are, but the house numbers themselves don’t actually store anything. The house numbers simply point to where everything lives.

A domain is much the same way. My domain is “angelakeiser.com” – going to this domain in an internet browser will simply direct you to where my website lives and where my website files are stored. If you email me at ang@angelakeiser.com, my domain email, this will point you to my mail server where my mail lives and I can check and respond to my email. The domain simply directs the user where to go.

A domain is purchased through a registrar (common ones are GoDaddy, etc.) – and the domain is renewed annually – usually for around $5-$25.

The critical thing about your domain that I want to be sure you know

You should make sure your domain is handled and renewed by someone who you have an ongoing business relationship with, and will for the foreseeable future, or it should be in an account that you manage. If your business domain was purchased by someone who you used to work with or a telephone company you no longer use, I highly suggest making sure it gets transferred to someone who you currently work with or better yet, to an account you manage so your domain is never held hostage. If you need help with locating your domain, transferring it or any other domain related questions, please let me know.

Let me know what questions you have – and please take a couple of minutes and make sure you know where your domain is and who is managing that domain account.