Domain Name Ownership

[Billb2]

I post in ATOT because:
1.) Doesn't seem to fit elsewhere
2.) I enjoy ATOT

I work for a small, successful company. They have a website. Had it for 9 years and it hasn't been updated... ever. It's crap, even has the wrong address (they moved 3 years ago!), but it is cheep $20/mo..

So I contact the company that hosts/manages the site and ask for a proposal for a refresh.
Guy comes in and talks way over the heads of the owners. Stuff like business development, Google, bots and keywords, yada, yada, yada. They nod and ask lame questions. It doesn't go well, communication wise, they talk two different languages (just figuratively!).

So the proposal come in. Proprietary software that we use to manage the site, stuff we'll never want to do. $2-3K setup, $100/mo, and fee for service. Reasonable for what they are selling, but not what we need.

So I make some calls to people I know. $200 setup, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited email accounts, unlimited support, $30/mo..

Now the question:
Domain name is XYZauto.com (not the real name). I assume the hosting company will want $$$ to release this name. XYZautomobile.com is available. Should I register XYZautomobile.com before I talk to the hosting company about releasing XYZauto.com?

 

[George P Burdell]

Originally posted by: Billb2
So the proposal come in. Proprietary software that we use to manage the site, stuff we'll never want to do. $2-3K setup, $100/mo, and fee for service. Reasonable for what they are selling, but not what we need.

So I make some calls to people I know. $200 setup, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited email accounts, unlimited support, $30/mo..

Now the question:
Domain name is XYZauto.com (not the real name). I assume the hosting company will want $$$ to release this name. XYZautomobile.com is available. Should I register XYZautomobile.com before I talk to the hosting company about releasing XYZauto.com?

1. Buy a bunch of domain names that are similar to what you want (xyzcars, xyzautos, xyzautochicago). Domain names are $9.61 at namecheap.com. If you buy 10 domains and end up using only one, you'll burn $90 on a one-time basis. That's peanuts compared to the $100 you'll be spending every month if your current web dev firm gets you by the balls.

2. Whoever you hire to finally build your website, make sure you/your company purchases the domain name and hosting directly and NOT via the web dev firm.

3. Make sure they build the website around a good CMS (content management system) so you can make minor changes to the website without having to call the web dev.

4. Don't look at web hosting companies that offer "unlimited" bandwidth or HDD. These companies make money by overselling and aren't suitable for critical websites. I'd pay $50/month to a top-notch host like pair.com.

5. What do you need from your website? Since you mentioned it hasn't been updated in 9 years, I'm guessing it's mostly static pages. If that's the case, make a post in the Programming forum. We have a few web designers here on ATOT who will do a great job. Heck, if you're adventurous enough, you could put something together using Drupal (for the website) and Google Apps (for email/calendar/etc).

 

[Billb2]

Thanks. I was thinking along those lines, but not the 10 names, good point.