Affordable Web Network is a division of Affordable Web Design Ltd, offering great prices for all your web development.

DOMAIN NAME

A domain name is your address on the internet.

Domain names are "unique" to each domain name registrant, which means that no one can have the exact same name as you.

However it is important to understand that others can have the same words with a different ending; for example you can have www.mywebname.com and no one else could have the same name, but someone else could have www.mywebname.ca, or www.mywebname.net, etc, and have a website associated with that different extension.

  • Domain names do not necessarily have to be the same as your business name.
  • You can have more than one domain name, one associated with your website and any other "pointed" to your main domain name.
  • We can buy your name for you through our affiliated registrar - the current cost for a .com extension is $25 a year, and the current cost for a .ca extension is $30 a year. This includes us researching your domain name for you and setting it up on the Registrar's server.
  • Other extensions are also available and may vary slightly in price.

It's a great idea, if possible, to have a domain name that incorporates your main business "keywords", in order to help in internet searches. For example: If your name is ABCD Corp, and you make widgets, the domain name www.mywidget.com tells the world what you do, whereas your product or service could be anything if you called yourself www.abcd.com .

Should I choose a .com or a .ca?

A .ca is a country code indicating that the domain holder is in Canada. Each country has its own code, whereas the .com, .net, and many others don't distinguish location and can be from anywhere around the globe. The .ca is often chosen when a similar .com name is already taken. As long as the businesses with similar extensions will not be competing with you and therefore possibly confusing your clients, choosing a .ca is just fine if you are in Canada.

However, there are strong views on why one should pick a .com first, if it's available, and most of these have to do with the fact that a .com is the first extension than most people searching on the internet might think of. But as long as your website is optimized properly for searches, that really shouldn't be an issue.

Contact us for more details on how we can help you find the "perfect" name for your business, if you don't already have one!


Affordable Web Design Ltd helps small businesses with their basic web presence.