Whilst enjoying the sunshine in La Managa in Murcia Spain recently we were able to pick up more Spanish business. Being a business that uses the web we are always able to pick up clients when we travel and last week was no difference. Before traveling we looked up a few domain names of the businesses we were visiting and one great domain name that one our of old friends at Cada Media was looking for was available.

Plural Domains

Even though may of us use search engines, may still type directly into the top address bar and guess domain names. This particular company exports motor bike helmets around the world, but had neglected to register the plural version of their company names, demonstrating that they actually have a few helmets to sell and not just one!

We registered the domain name and set up a redirect so the name will point to their original website.

Then when we were on the subject of domains  and emails the conversation came about to spam emails and viruses as one pc in the office was suffering after receiving many emails containing viruses.

Not missing out on an opportunity we were able to sell our Spam filtering services to the company and also to one of their sister companies too. The spam filtering service we offer allows business to scan just 1 email address or thousands depending on their needs.

Moral of the Story. . . .The Web is Everywhere and never stops, never sleeps, it’s a global village we are in and using the Web for business will increase sales, increase exposure to bigger markets and greater sales. Don’t be afraid to be part of it.

Indeed a strange statement to hear over the phone, but never the less one that is getting more and more common these days as we hear about companies and businesses in the southeast who have gone to look at their website to find it’s gone. Replaced with advertising for other websites selling similar products and services.

Stolen Domain Names

Expired domain names are often used as advertising boards once it has passed it expiration date. This means that the company who has registered the domain name will put display adverts or Google Adwords on the site in order to try to recoup some of their losses.

It is very common.

Today we had a call from a local business who had somehow allowed their domain name to expire, they said they were not contacted by their own web company and had no notification. We were able to do some research and contact a few people in the industry and the next day the company who had hosted the their website and registered the domain name were in contact with them and the website went live again.

It is important to remember when you have a website that if the domain name and hosting are on an annual fee then you will be getting invoiced each year. Not paying these fee’s usually results in disconnection. don’t pay your ESB bill and you get cut off.

I believe the same happened in this case.

If you have a domain name and website hosting package with a company such as this caller and wish to possibly think about moving to an office based web design business then whey not give Cada Media Ltd a call on 053 9430748 and ask for Dave.

Yes, it’s true they havent gone away and in fact we’ve found a few here in Wexford. Driving to meet a client for lunch the other day I noticed a sign near Gorey advertising a new business currently under construction. It’s a fairly big development with massive sign so you guess that they have looked at every aspect of the growth of this project.

Living in the area, I was aware that the planning permission for this had been in the local newspapers nearly 5 years ago and they are breaking ground now and starting the build. On returning to the office I Google’d the projects name only to find that someone has recently “Cyber Squatted” their domain name, well the international version is gone and the person who has registered the name has hidden their name, thus indicating that they hiding the fact that they are behind this. (We know who they are as they famous in the area for this)

The Irish domain name is still available to register but this take a little more paper work as you need to prove that you are related to the name of the domain by either having a letter from an accountant or solicitor or by having a registered Trading name or a partnership or a limited company with the Companies Office in Ireland.

The domain could end up being a website that diverts traffic away from the real owners business and making them either pay for the domain or else making them pay for advertising on it. We have seen this on the other side of Gorey town where a similar Cyber Squatting event took place.

If you are starting a business or registering a new company in Wexford, please be aware that there are unscrupulous people out there who are trying to earn money off your ideas and your investment.

Call Dave Jordan of Cada Media Ltd in Goreytoday to give you all the options in domain name protection and on-line brand protection.

Tel: 053 9430748

We had a good talk with a client yesterday about registering a domain name for their business. They have registered one domain and were under the impression that they had reached the amount they were allowed to register.

A company can register as many domains as they wish, as long as they have the documentation to back up the claim to the domains.

Products that you sell could be registered or services that you provide can be registered too. We have registered domains for companies who have multiply products

Protecting your business name.

Often companies will wonder about which domain extension to go for the .ie or the .com The answer is buy both. If you don’t, then expect another business to buy your name and redirect it to their own site or they just just sit on and and no allow it to go anywhere. They can hide who registered it and simply let it rot away doing nothing.

This happens more than is publicized. We have astute clients that have protected their brands and business names by registering all the variations of their company and products and services. They have bought the .com, .net, .eu and .ie versions of their names.

Buying the Plural version of the products.

We often come across companies who have registered one version of their products only to be up the wall later when then see a very similar domain as their sitting above them in Google Adword Campaigns but that version has a “s” at the end instead of

Example:

www.StoneWall.ie

www.StoneWalls.ie

Both good names for a stone mason but they are to completely different domain names. If it was our client we would have got them both and closed the door to others grabbing the domain.

Another important one people usually for get about is putting “ing” at the end of the domain too!

www.fish.ie = online fishing and hunting shop in Galway

www.fishing.ie = Available to register to their competitors immediately!

See what I mean.

Expiring domains, are they any good?

With the recession in Ireland it is interesting to see the effect on the internet as many great domains are actually coming back on the market. Names that have been advertised on Tv and are house hold names. These domains would also carry with them a good page rank and listing in search engines.

We have registered a number of great domains for clients that are related to the construction/property market in Ireland that is struggling at the moment and we have grabbed the expired domains from their competitors and put up a page explaining that they are gone bust and maybe to contact the new owner of the domains with their query instead.

It has been a very successful way of gaining new inquiries and sales leads generation for our clients.

To grow your business in a recession, talk to Cada Media today.  053 9430748

To follow up on earlier posts about registering a domain names and seeking advice from accountants in Gorey I would like point out that this ( the Blog) is not a definitive white paper on Irish domain names. A person who has not registered their business with the companies office may get a domain name under the “Discretionary Domain Name Registration” application. This means that if you have not got the correct paper work you can apply for the domain name, by either backed up with a letter from your accountant explaining your situation or a letter on your own headed paper explaining your reason for wanting to register the domain. It’s a backdoor method in my view and I would not recommend it. Do it right in the first place and register your trading name with the Companies office.

Entitlement issues could follow if others who have a limited company or a registered trading name in the same name request the name and push to get it transferred to them. I could go on further as there are also trademark issues and patents etc. But you should get the general idea. Do it right in the first place.

This blog is a communication tool to allow us to communicate with our clients and potential clients in brief. It is published as an informal method of dialogue that is recommended and expected these days. I always say at the end of posts, to get in touch for more information and that’s what happens 99 times out of a 100.

I am reminded of a conversation I had with an accountant once and explaining why we write in our news blog. I demonstrated how we were the first company in Ireland to talk about the new VAT rates that was announced last October 09. Our news was found the Irish Internet Association who then published the news even further on their own site. I asked if he had written to his clients and informed them, he hadn’t.

We googled “New vat Rates” and there we were, No 1.

So What?

Well we are always thinking how to help our clients and how to help them grow their business, especially in a recession,  All our clients who had a website using the old vat rates needed to be changed and especially the ecommerce websites. If we were of any help to others businesses and they called us to get their website updated, well hey great. Winner.

For all the details you will need on registering a domain name in Ireland and the actual policies I would recommend a read of the official website www.iedr.ie

If you have any questions about domains names, please call myself Dave Jordan or simply leave a reply below.

We had an interesting telephone call to the office today about our last article regarding registering Irish Domain Names, that means the ones that end in .ie  (not.com domain names)

This anonymous caller on a private number claiming to be an accountant in Gorey mentioned that it is possible to register a domain name without being registered with the companies office.

I would like to confirm that this is true….. if you are a registering a domain for yourself such as davejordan.ie for example. It is possible, but if you are looking to register a domain name for a business or a company then being registered with the CRO is required.

There are different types of applications for irish domain names and if you would like to register a personal domain name, then a different documentation procedure is used, a copy of a passport etc.

We used this procedure when we registered the domain name for our local Fine Gael TD, MichaelDArcy.ie

Thank You anonymous caller, for you input, can I also mention that you can type in a reply to any of our articles under each post on every page to our blog.

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If you are looking to start a business in Gorey or Wexford then do give us a call and we can pass on details of how to register a domain name and also help you in understanding what domains are good for your business and search engines etc.

Call us today on 053 9430748 or Dublin on 01 4433074

We have just got in an email from a clients asking for advice on the renewal of her domain name. An american company emailed her and asked her to review her domain name and if she would like to renew it then she could click on the link provided to renew.

Transfer Away!!!

In actual fact what the company was asking was that they take over as the billing contact for her domain name. There is definately confusion out there and Internet Domain Name companies using these sneeky tacktics just make it more confusing for business owners.

I would recommend that anyone who get an email asking for information about their domain name give me a call and I will be able to tell you if it’s real (as in that you domain is about toi expire with tyour current registrar) or if it’s another company looking to poach your domain to their billing system.

Just letting you know as we see this nealy every week.

Dave Jordan – Cada Media Ltd 053-9430748

Just off the phone with Eircom after a new client came in and asked could we take over their domain name registration and their web hosting. I called 1800 203 204 then option 2 then option 2 again and then 1 but they now have another option that let me on a merry journey that stole an hour of my life I will never see again.

Grr

“What’s a domain name? Oh You mean a website?”

Hmm, my confidence was slipping. So after an hour og being told I was onto the wrong department and it was their collegues who put me through in the first place I had spoken to 6 different department, including Broadband Services, residential sales, business sales, General customer services and  (some girl who didn’t what a domain was).

It’s easy to see why people use smaller businesses like our own. Yes we charge more but theirs a reason. We deal with the issues ourselves and get problems resolved for clients fast.

It did cost €10 euro to renew the domain name, but it cost my client an hour of our time and weeks of his own time trying to renew and transfer the domain to ourselves.

We don’t complete on price with the bigger internet companies because we can’t, but where we can is on service. If you are tired of being on hold for a living and getting nowhere in renewing your domain or hosting services call myself Dave Jordan and we will take the pain out of domain name renewals and hosting for you.

Breath dave, breath! Grr!

Ps, to be far to eircom, Paul McKenna sorted us out once we got through and was professional and knew exactly his role in the whole ordeal. It’s just we all need a Direct Dial for him!

Thanks Paul

How to get to the top of Google.

This again comes up week after week as inquiries ask about Domain Names and Search Engines. Today a guy was asking if he registered a certain domain name will he come up first in Google, rather than register his own company name.

The Answer is. . .

Maybe!

People under estimate the power of a search engine and the whole science behind it. Many assume its total fluke or chance to get listed in Google. It’s not. It’s hard work, experience and quality content.  How did you find this article? Most likely you searched for a certain term and a search engine return this as a possible answer.

I always suggest to clients to register a few domain names to cover your bases. About 6 years ago it was very important to have a good generic domain name lets say www.electricity.ie or www.estateagent.ie and Google would return them higher than others. But since then search engines have looked less at the domain and rather concentrated on the “Content” . They want to return a website that answered the persons question. They are always changing the methods in which they rank websites.

Changing their algorithm.

I have been harping on for the past six months about how “Google” for instance is changing the ways its is ranking website. One of the main reasons would seem to be that they are keeping up with technology and as new technology rolls out online they too must keep in touch and make sure they are able to read and index the new content, Flash animation, images and video to mention a few.

We have a number of inquiries at the moment and they all have registered nice names, good generic, easy to remember name. But one thing that they all assume is that they will automatically get listed No 1 in Google because they bought a domain.

It’s like buying a spanner and assuming that you will win the Formula 1 in Monaco next year. I’m not saying in out of the question, I’m just saying that it’s a bit of a long shot.

When you register a domain it is the first step in creating a successful online business. To see how we can help you get to the top of the search engine of your choice call me, Dave Jordan today to find out more.

I promise I won’t rant for too long!

Content, Content,  Content.

Hi Folks,

I am wondering if there is anyone taking a virtual stand at the netexpo online trade show this May 27th and 28th. Starting prices are around the €1,400 for a virtual stand

http://www.searchevent2009.com/

If there are other web developers who have been approached please contact me to let me know what you think

Dave Jordan 053 9430748

Someone has taken my website?

Someone is advertising on my website?

These are all everyday questions we hear these days as many companies are cutting back on their costs for running their businesses and choosing to maybe not renew their website address.

But I bought the domain name. . . . .

This too is often heard as companies wonder how someone has the audacity to buy the domain they already own. The Internet is not like “land” or “Property” you don’t own a domain name for ever, you register it for a period of time, usually one year at a time. Your web design company should contact you each year and let you know that it is up for “Renewal“. This means that the years registrations fees will be paid and your website address will be kept in your name.

What if you don’t renew or you forget to renew it?

Well the sad truth about is that it will probably be registered by another company within a few days if not the next day.  We have heard about 5 stories in the past week of companies who have forgotten for renew their domain name and that their website address is now registered to another company.

What does loosing a domain name really mean?

Here are a few things to consider about loosing your domain name.

1. Change your Headed Paper
2. Change your Business cards
3. Change your Compliments Slips
4. Change your Advertising signage
5. Change your Vehicle signage
6. Change your Email addresses
7. Change your Answering Machines messages
8. Change your Logo
9. Change all links pointing to your website
10. Get a New Website Designed
11. Ask Golden Pages to take back every book and change your advert?
12. Ask Google not to show the old website address?
13. Start your link building campaign again.
14. Basically start your business from scratch!

And all of this because you are trying to save a few Euro, Well in fact as you can see from the above list you are actually deciding to spend thousands.

So why am I telling you all of this, basically to try to help companies understand the importance of their website to their business. Building a successful business in a recession is all about being smart. Be Smart with your money, your work hard for it, spend it wisely.

For more informatin about Renewing your Domain Names, Contact Dave Jordan today on 053-9430748

Dave Speaks at IIA Seminar in Waterford

Dave Jordan has been asked to speak at the half day seminar organised by the IIA and Waterford City Enterprise Board Today at Dooley’s Hotel, The Quay, Waterford.

This half day seminar is designed for businesses to get more from their websites and is run in conjunction with the Marketing Institute of Ireland.

Dave will be speaking at 2.20pm on  Web Design for Business Success

We wish him all the best at the event.

from the Staff at Cada Media Ltd

This is a common question that people ask, well the answer is the domain name should be registered to the person or business who requested the domain name.

When we (cada media Ltd) register a domain name for a client we register the domain name with their details in the “Registrant” area. We have heard tails of woe from people as they found out later that the domain name was actually registered to the web developer and not themselves. This some times can happen when a developer is registering many each day but it is usually fixed by simply changing the name to the clients name in the back end.

You can look up the ownership of a domain by going to www.whois.sc for .com domain and go to www.iedr.ie to look up .ie domain names.

Domain are bought, but in actual fact they are “registered” for a period of time, generally 1 year is normal for start up businesses. After that once they are up and running they can register the domain for a number of years typically 5 would be normal these days.

One point that was brought to our attention recently was that we have a condition in our terms and conditions of our company stating that we are the owners of domain names, hosting and websites till payment has been cleared in our accounts. This is true, we do retain the ownership of the domains till the clients has paid.

If we did not do this,  clients could leave with out paying. It’s not personal, It’s business. You can not buy a car and drive away and then 3 months later return to the garage saying that the gears are a little sticky and then be surprised once the car is impounded, Well neither can you when it comes to a website.

We own it until it’s paid for.

If you have recieved a “Renewal Notice” that is not from ourselves similar to the following scan please be aware that this is not from ourselves. It is a company in the United States trying to get you to transfer the domain name

Rip it Up and Shred It.

We received an email from a very concerned client of ours this morning asking if their domain name was up for renewal as they have already paid for it just a few months ago. The email as you will read below is suggesting that we have sold our company to an Italian business.

An extract from the email = “Given the recent situation with your current provider selling their company to an Italian provider, we have heard that their existing customers are worried about the decrease in phone support and increase in pricing. As such we are happy to offer an Irish alternative.”

We have not, we have simply re-branded our company from The Web Guy to Cada Media this Summer. The sales person was actually referring to another business.

This is a disgrace, the implications are enormous for the Internet industry in Ireland. To add insult to injury the domain name in question is not actually due for renewal until 2009!

Poaching clients in this manner is a new approach for DigiWeb and their sales force.

If you receive an email from them please let us know.

Dave Jordan – Cada Media Ltd – 053-9430748

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From:* Real Name [mailto:sales_name_was_here@digiweb.ie]
*Sent:* Date- September 2008
*To:* Sales
*Subject:* Domain renewal & hosting services

Good Afternoon,

I notice that *your domain Real_Name_was_here.ie* is due for renewal on the 18th of October.

Given the recent situation with your current provider selling their company to an Italian provider, we have heard that their existing customers are worried about the decrease in phone support and increase in pricing. As such we are happy to offer an Irish alternative.

Digiweb are Ireland’s leading hosting company and as such can offer very competitive hosting prices with the knowledge that your domain is staying with 100% owned and managed Irish company.

You wouldn’t need to wait until 18th before transferring to us either as you can transfer at any time before then to start benefiting from the superior support and competitive pricing

Please feel free to use my contact details regarding any questions you may have.

Sales Digi Web

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