Domain Registration

Your domain is the foundation for your online presence, your plot of land on the internet. Use these tips to choose the one that is right for you.

• Stay on brand: Make sure your web address can easily identify your business, organization, or purpose.
• Less is more: The shorter a name is, the easier it will be for your customers to remember.
• .com is king: If the name you want is available as a .com, get it.
• Alternatives to .com are okay: People have been registering .com domains for over 20 years - so the name you want may be taken. If it is, choose an extension that is either popular (like .net, .org, or .co), or an extension that identifies who you are or what you do (.club, .gallery, or .lawyer). There are hundreds of different extensions - you'll be able to find one that is right for you.
• Privately register your domain: Keeping your personal information off of the WHOIS database is always something you should consider. Think of this database as the phone book for domains. Marketing bots and scripts use it to send emails to domain owners that range from scams to spam messages.
• Protect your domain: Your website, business email, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) all hinge on your domain. You should always register it for a few years up front where possible. Not only is it a good investment, longer registrations also offer a small SEO boost.
• Put your domain to work: It takes 3-8 weeks to have your new website indexed with search engines, and a few months beyond that to start seeing significant SEO results. Set up a hosting plan to start building your own website, or call 319-229-5225 to speak with our web designers and SEO experts about having one created for you.

If the name you want is already registered, this service sets you up to get it when it becomes available*!

Should a domain's current owner allow it to expire and go onto the domain aftermarket, this service automatically notifies you by email and places a $10 bid for you to obtain it. You may independently increase this bid as you see fit from there. If you win, your backorder also covers your first year of registration. If not, you may assign this service to another web address if you choose.

*Backorders are limited to .COM, .CO, .INFO, .ORG, .NET, .ME, .MOBI, .US or .BIZ.