The Problem of Domain Ownership
Definitely a problem (maybe a PSA)
I think this week’s newsletter might be more of a Public Service Announcement.
Sure… there’s a lot going on in the world of online marketing…
Google is coming out with an Amazon Echo killer to move themselves more and more into “smart homes.”
With this new piece of hardware…
A consumer will just yell from their kitchen sink… “OK… Google find me four good (fill in the blank of any type of business) and email me their websites.”
Then… later… the consumer sits down a looks at the top choices sent by the digital assistant.
Anyway… Here’s the PSA…
Over the years we have redesigned and built tons of websites.
And since the start… way back in 2009… we have ran into this “problem” on a certain percentage of projects.
That problem… Domain Ownership.
What happens is the business owner does not own their domain.
Meaning their web address… Their Yada-yada Dot-Whatever.
In short… they might have a website, BUT – they do not own the plot of land that website is built on.
This is a HUGE problem.
Sadly… I have seen some business owners stick their heads in the sand about this.
I have also seen nightmare scenarios where… the “Joe Schmo” who bought the domain for the client disappeared into the vast waste-lands of cyberspace. The domain never gets renewed… and then…
The site goes down. Emails go down… and if the business owner is lucky enough to catch this soon enough, maybe they can buy the domain back and pay a penalty of 10X the amount it would cost to renew the domain.
Or worse… some under-handed domain-buying company scoops it up and will gladly take a thousand for it if the biz owner wants it back.
It’s crazy.
And I may be preaching to the choir here.
You most-likely have your game together. Just be aware. Maybe you can help a colleague or fellow biz owner out here. Think of this PSA when you’re talking marketing with them.
Ok. That’s all for now.