The right domain as the key to success in online trading
What characterizes a good domain, and what points should I consider? How can I connect my online shop to my own domain? These and many other questions about domains concern aspiring online retailers. Our blog article tells you everything you need to know.
The domain in simple words
A domain is essentially nothing more than an internet address that uniquely identifies your online shop. Anyone who wants to operate successfully online cannot avoid the topic of domains. Before you specifically consider choosing your domain name, it’s certainly beneficial to understand how a domain is structured. The structure used for domain names is divided into at least three different levels, separated by periods: first-level domain (also known as top-level domain), second-level domain, and third-level domain. The following example illustrates these terms:
Domain structure
It’s also important to understand the two options available to you as a MyCOMMERCE customer when it comes to domains: You can either use a customizable subdomain provided to you free of charge by MyCOMMERCE, or you can purchase your own domain and link it to your MyCOMMERCE account with a Starter subscription or higher. The latter is clearly the best choice. There are several reasons for this, which we’ll discuss below.
One more tip: If you already have your own website with a separate domain, you can easily add your shop to your existing website. Read more here.
What are the advantages of having your own domain?
In the previous section, we explained that as an online retailer, you’re best served by having your own domain. Now you’re probably wondering what exactly makes having your own domain worthwhile.
These are the most important advantages at a glance:
- The domain becomes part of your corporate identity.
- Your visitors will find it easier to remember your online shop’s address.
- A custom domain exudes credibility and professionalism.
- You have the option of setting up a suitable email address.
- A custom domain has a positive impact on search engine optimization (SEO).
Domain selection and domain purchase: These are our tips!
Have the advantages just listed convinced you, and you’d like to register your own domain? First, select a domain of your choice from a domain registrar or service provider that also acts as a domain registrar. Since prices vary greatly depending on the provider, comparing providers is recommended before purchasing a domain. However, there are also a few things to consider when choosing your domain. To ensure you don’t forget anything, we’ve summarized the most important points for you:
- Make sure your desired domain is available. Most domain providers allow you to check availability in advance.
- To avoid costly cease-and-desist letters, check your desired domain beforehand for violations of name rights, trademark law, and competition law. A query in the online database of the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IGE) at www.swissreg.ch or legal advice from a lawyer can help.
- Keep it short and simple. The shorter your domain, the more memorable it will be. As a guideline, we recommend a maximum of 15 characters.
- Strengthen your brand. Major online retailers like Amazon and Zalando have shown us how: fantasy names are perfect for brand building. Create your own brand and promote it by registering your brand name as a domain. If you don’t have your own brand, consider choosing a domain name that includes the most important keyword.
- Avoid special characters (except hyphens), umlauts, and numbers, and be careful with foreign words. Remember that all of these points carry a high potential for typos.
- Finally, choose a suitable ending. This depends on whether your online shop is national or international. If you operate a national online shop, we recommend choosing the national top-level domain of Switzerland, “.ch.” For international shops, however, you should choose the domain ending “.com.” We advise against using endings like “.biz” or “.org,” as they are often used by spam domains.
Link your own domain with MyCOMMERCE – here’s how!
Once you’ve selected your desired domain and commissioned your provider to register it, you’re almost ready to go. We’ll walk you through the steps to ensure this final step is completed quickly and smoothly.
- Open your MyCOMMERCE account, click on the “Website” menu item and scroll down to the “Domain Name and Website Address” section.
- Then click on the “Change address” button and enter your domain name in the “Use your own domain name” field, without “www.”.
- Don’t forget to save your changes.
When connecting your desired domain, certain DNS settings must be configured with your domain registrar or service provider. To do so, proceed as follows:
- Log in to your domain provider’s account and open the DNS or name server settings.
- Create an A record for your domain (e.g., “yourdomain.ch”) and link it to our IP address. The IP address can be found in your MyCOMMERCE account, where you registered your own domain.
- To make your online shop available at “www.yourdomain.ch”, create a CNAME entry for your domain and enter «www» as the name/alias and your own domain «yourdomain.ch» as the hostname.
If you have any difficulties creating the entries, you can contact your domain provider for assistance. Please also note that the connection process can take between 2 and 48 hours. To ensure your domain and online shop are considered secure, we encrypt your online shop with an SSL certificate during this time. Successful encryption of the certificate and secure data transmission can be recognized by the https:// prefix in front of the domain name. So don’t be alarmed if your online shop isn’t immediately accessible.
Conclusion
Choosing a domain name is a key factor in the success of any online shop. As an online retailer, it’s definitely worth investing some time and money to secure your desired domain. The price for your own domain can vary depending on the extension, but typically starts at CHF 15.00 per year. Perhaps you prefer our free alternative, which offers a customizable subdomain instead of your own domain; MyCOMMERCE offers both options. Get started now and personalize your online shop today!
You can find further useful information about domains here:
