How to Register a Domain Name

Posted on 6 May 10 by Aisling

Registering a domain name is easy. Choosing the right registrar is important.

There’s no reason to pay $150 or even $15 to register a domain name. In fact, some higher-priced registrars don’t offer the same features or security of the less expensive ones.

I’ve had my own domain names since the 1990s, and I’ve learned what to do (and what not to do) when registering a domain. Here are my best tips when you’re ready to register a domain name.

LOOK FOR AN ICANN APPROVED REGISTRAR

First of all, be sure your registrar is ICANN accredited. Anyone can say they’ll register a domain name for you… but some of them are fly-by-night companies that will take your money and vanish.

If the registrar is ICANN accredited, you have somewhere to go if you need to file a complaint. (Of course, I hope you never need to, but… well, just in case, work with an ICANN-accredited registrar.) You’re looking for an ICANN symbol like the one on the right side of this article.

The company I usually use, NameCheap.com, and GoDaddy.com are among those with ICANN accreditation.

DON’T REGISTER AND HOST YOUR DOMAIN WITH THE SAME COMPANY

If you register a domain name and host your website at the same company, there can be problems if you want to move your hosting to another company. Frankly, the company can make it very difficult to move the hosting, and it can feel as if they’re holding your domain name hostage.

So, although many people really like companies like GoDaddy.com for hosting, either register your domain name there or have them host it… not both.

(I often recommend GoDaddy.com to artists who are setting up their first websites. I just think it’s smart to use them for your domain name registration or your website hosting. That’s a matter of principle for me, and shouldn’t reflect badly on GoDaddy.com.)

LOOK FOR A GOOD PRICE… BUT NOTHING TOO GOOD

Some companies lure you in with “free first year.” Then, their prices soar when it’s time to renew the domain name.

I had an unpleasant experience with one domain registrar, and — as I’m writing this — they’re advertising $0 to register your domain name the first year.

When I wanted to move my domain name registration to another registrar — one that offered me a far better deal on renewals — my “free for the first year” company dragged their feet for so long, I ended up losing three domain names altogether.

Avoid that nightmare. Online, as much as anywhere else, if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.

WATCH OUT FOR AUTOMATIC RENEWALS

If you’re really forgetful, automatic domain name renewal may be a good idea. However, it can also be a rude surprise if your renewal costs 3x as much as you paid initially, and you don’t discover that until after you see it on your bank statement.

I use NameCheap.com for most of my domain names. They send me notices ahead of time when my domain names are expiring, so I don’t forget to renew them.

(And, if I do forget, they often offer me a “reactivation” for 30 extra days, at no extra charge. However, don’t count on that. In addition, some registrars charge 10x their basic fee, just to reactivate a domain name that you forgot to renew.)

SEE WHAT BELLS & WHISTLES THEY OFFER

Register a domain name One reason why I use NameCheap.com is their price, usually around $10 for a full year of domain registration, and they include privacy protection, free.

However, I also like them because they offer lots of freebies with that.

For me, the most important one is free privacy protection for the first year. (Additional years are super-cheap, as well.)

If you check their site, you’ll see other freebies they give you when you register a domain name, and some may be important to you.

GET PRIVACY PROTECTION

When you register your domain name, almost everything on your registration form is available for the public to see. That includes your name, your address, and your phone number.

(Go ahead and look. You can use any “WhoIs Lookup” service. For example, go to Namecheap.com and then click on the link that says “WhoIs Lookup.” It’s on the left side of the page, near the top.)

Unless you’re okay with that information being available to spammers, telemarketers, and anyone else who could make use of your personal information, get privacy protection.

Don’t think you can cheat by using a fake name, address or phone number. That’s illegal. If someone figures out that you’ve done that, they can say that the domain name is registered illegally… and they can lay claim to your domain name, themselves.

So, price privacy protection before you choose a company to register your domain name.

RENEW ON TIME

Though I’ve mentioned how gracious Namecheap.com is about reactivating some domain names that have expired (and DirectNIC does the same thing), always renew your domain names before they expire.

Otherwise, there are services that offer — for a fee — to grab a domain name as soon as it expires. That’s called a domain name “backorder.” You pay a fee and the domain name is grabbed within minutes of being released by the previous registrar.

This is big business. If you’d like to backorder a domain name — such as your own name, dot com, that someone else is using right now — expect to pay hundreds of dollars before it’s actually yours.

We’ll talk about how to do that in another article. For now, all you need to know is: Never let your domain name registration expire.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS

My favorite domain name registrar is NameCheap.com. Don’t ask how many domain names I’ve bought there… I’m a domain name junkie!

I’ve been a happy NameCheap customer for years. Good prices, great service, and no headaches.

I also like (and have used) GoDaddy.com and DirectNIC.

(However, DirectNIC costs almost twice as much as the others; I only use them for sentimental reasons, since that’s the first registrar I ever went to.)

Over 90% of my domain names are registered with NameCheap.com. Though you can register your domain name anywhere you’d like to… I like and trust NameCheap.com.

In another article, we’ll talk about hosting. However, if you’re in a hurry, I host most of my websites (including this one) at HostGator.com and I’m 100% enthusiastic about them.

At the present time (May 2010), their hosting starts at $4.95 a month, and they offer lots of one-click, super-easy ways to create your website.

How to Choose a Domain Name

Posted on 6 May 10 by Aisling

You can learn how to choose a domain name. It’s easy, even for a beginner, if you know a few basic rules.

WHY YOU NEED A DOMAIN NAME

Every professional artist — and any artist who hopes to earn fame and fortune from his or her art — needs a website.

You can start with a free website from sites such as Blogger.com and WordPress.com. However, check their terms of use. Often, free sites don’t allow commercial websites of any kind… and they can be picky about that.

It’s really annoying to put a lot of time into a website, and then have the entire account shut down without warning.

To look professional, you need at least one website that has your own domain name and is professionally hosted. In this article, we’ll talk about domain names.

CHOOSING A DOMAIN NAME

Your first domain name should be your own name.

For example, if your name is Jane Doe, you’ll want the domain name JaneDoe.com.

If that’s not available, JaneDoe.net or JaneDoe.org is okay… but not as good. Dot-com domain names are by far the best. (Obviously, Aisling.com was already in use by the time I wanted an art website. So, I have Aisling.net — my best-known art website — and AislingDart.com.)

Don’t think about using a .info domain name, or a .me or a .tv, etc. First of all, people won’t remember it.

Secondly, most search engines don’t rank those extensions very well… and if people can’t find you easily at Google, Yahoo, etc., your website may receive few visitors.

Though mine is “just” a dot-net domain name and it’s “just” my first name, Aisling, I still rank well at Google. This morning, I searched at Google for just the name, “aisling.” I’m in the #3 spot.

Usually, I’m in the top three, and I can show you how to do the same with your website… but we’ll talk about that in a later article. Your first step is to get a good domain name. Start with your own name… usually, your full name.

Aisling

If you have your heart set on a dot-com domain name, but your professional name is popular, the dot-com version may already be in use.

Consider adding a descriptive word. For example, JaneDoeArtist.com, JaneDoeSculptor.com, or JaneDoeDollmaker.com.

SYNONYMS

Need more ideas? Here are some wide-ranging synonyms for artist:

Creator, maker, master, craftsman, artisan, illustrator, calligrapher, sketcher, crayonist, pastelist, cartoonist, painter, colorist, oil painter, watercolorist, landscapist, portraitist, photographer, shutterbug, sculptor, figurer, modeler, carver, whittler, ceramist, ceramicist, potter, printmaker, graphic artist, enameler, lithographer, silk screener, silk screen artist, lipidary, designer, stylist, styler, decorator, ornamentalist, and decorator.

HYPHENATED NAMES

You can also consider hyphenated names: Jane-Doe.com or JaneDoe-Artist.com, or, if all else fails, Jane-Doe-Artist.com.

Keep in mind that one hyphen can be okay; two or more starts looking “spammy” (like junky advertising) to the search engine robots.

Some people say that even one hyphen is a bad idea.

In my experience with hyphenated domain names, it’s okay to have one hyphen, but it slightly increases the difficulty of achieving a good spot at Google and other search engines.

So, decide on your first and second choices for a domain name. It should be your own name (or your pen name, if you use one professionally) or your own name and a descriptive word.

You may have a business name. It’s important to own that as a domain name, too. However, your very first domain name should be your own name, dot com, or something similar.

If you’re new to this, start with just your own name. Go through the simple steps of registering the domain name and setting up a simple website. After that, you’ll have the confidence to repeat the process with your business name.

REGISTERING A DOMAIN

First of all, no one “owns” a domain name, though we may use that expression. In fact, people only own the rights to use the domain name for however long they’ve signed up for it.

You will register the domain name for one year or more. At the end of that term, you’ll renew the domain name, extending your registration of it.

There are three important things to know when choosing a registrar. We’ll talk about that in the next article, How to Register a Domain Name.

In a hurry? If you’re ready to register your domain name right away, here’s where I register mine: NameCheap.com.

Creating products at Cafe Press

Posted on 9 July 07 by Aisling

A free Cafe Press shop is one of the easiest ways to build an extra income online. With a few images and half an hour, you can be making money by the time you go to bed tonight.

If you haven’t already set up your free Cafe Press shop, be sure to read my earlier article, Make money: Set Up a FREE Shop at Cafe Press.

If you’ve registered at Cafe Press (it’s free) and started your first free shop, it’s time to stock it with products.

Create your first Cafe Press product

Then, return to Create + Manage or to Products, depending upon which page you’re starting from.

If you’re at your Media Basket (it says My Photos + Images near the top of the page), click on Your Shops (on the left sidebar). Next, click on the link labeled Products, to the right of your shop name. (It’s vastly simpler than this sounds in text.)

Choose a product–such as a tee shirt–and the Cafe Press pages will talk you through the process of placing the image on the shirt, deciding where to put it, resizing it if you like, and then setting your price.

Pricing

The markups at Cafe Press can seem high at first. From my experience, it’s worth it to have them handle the order-taking, production, and shipping. I mark most of my items up only $1 or $2 each, and my income comes from volume, not making very much of individual customers or products. But, that’s up to you, of course.

Make more products, for fun!

Once your item is created, make another. After all, you already have the image in your Media Basket, so why not design more tee-shirts, journals, wall clocks, mousepads, even boxer shorts or a thong with the same design!

If you have other designs that you’d love to use on similar products, open another free shop. You don’t need a new username or password. Cafe Press encourages you to open several shops using the same account.

Once you’ve created one or more shops, it’s time to tell your friends.

Promote your Cafe Press shops

Let your friends know about your new shops! Post the URLs at your website, LiveJournal or blog. Share thumbnail pictures so that they can see the images you’re using. That encourages traffic to your Cafe Press shops.

Use your Cafe Press URL beneath your signature on emails. On every list that I host at Yahoo!Groups, you can always post up to three lines of commercial links or ads, beneath your name on each email.

Get paid

Cafe Press holds your commissions for 45 days, in case someone returns an item. But, once the 45 days has passed, your commission is “cleared” for payment. Cafe Press will mail you a check on the 15th of the month, every month, for all commissions that have cleared to date.

Cafe Press waits until you’ve accumulated at least $25 in commissions before printing a check. You decide that minimum amount ($25, $50, or $100) in your payment preferences at your Cafe Press account.

Some months, I make only a few dollars at some of my Cafe Press shops. (I have a mixture of free shops and my Premium shop, Santa Flamingo.) And, particularly at gift-giving time, Cafe Press shops can provide some extra income.

Cafe Press may not become your primary source of income, but for extra dollars now and then, I’ve had excellent experience with it. And, there are some people who make a living from their Cafe Press shops.

Start right now!

If you already have an image that’s ready to use on products, you can open a Cafe Press account and be selling products within half an hour.

Try a free shop and see how you like it. On another webpage, we’ll talk about Premium shops, which give you more control over how the shop page looks.

In the meantime, experiment with free shops to learn more about how Cafe Press works. Get ideas from others’ shops, too.

Really, it’s very simple to create your shop. Cafe Press will talk you through the process, step by step. Click here to see if Cafe Press is right for you.

eBay selling prices

Posted on 21 October 06 by Aisling

eBay selling prices can fluctuate wildly. It’s just part of the game, really. And, it’s not just in art.

One extreme is author Silver Ravenwolf (eBay username: veiledcrossroads). Her auctions came up when I was seeing who else was doing shrines, and who else was doing fairy-themed items.

One of her “magic” kits won’t sell at all, one week. Zero bids. She’ll relist it immediately, and it’ll sell for over $70 the next week, with a dozen bidders. Go figure.

(You can search closed auctions to see the pattern of any eBay seller’s sales… and many will be like this: All over the place!)

It is important to be consistent with eBay if you want consistent sales. Or just steady sales, in some cases.

When you start out–or return to eBay after a lengthy hiatus–pieces that should sell for three figures, can go for $2 with one bidder. Or something like that. It’s demoralizing.

Just stick with it, and put a reserve (or a starting bid) that’s the least you can accept without sobbing into your soup, okay?

Once upon a time, I could start all of my auctions at $1 with no reserve. Later, when auctions were closing at just $2, I changed my mind.

But, some of my pieces have sold for over $500. The following week, a similar piece will stall at $30. If you take it personally, and worry about the value of your art… Well, that’s a fast route to depression!

eBay has changed in recent years. Your auctions are now like your website: Get visitors to “watch” them, at the very least.

Make certain to have an “About Me” page at eBay, so people have something to bookmark. Change it regularly (do as I say, not as I do) so people check often to see what you’re selling.

Remember, your “About Me” page is like your resume, so sell the “sizzle” there, as well as in your auction itself.

And, link to your website, too. (Link from your “About Me” page, only. eBay is a little touchy about direct links from auctions to websites.)

When I run auctions every week and remain very visible at eBay, it makes a big difference in how high the bids will go.

Set your auction prices as low as you can, and not lose sleep over them. Then, trust that your art will sell well, once you’ve established a familiar name and a track record at eBay.

Website basics for artists

Posted on 27 July 06 by Aisling

Every artist needs his or her own website for credibility. And, it should be a website that is free of pop-up ads.

DOMAIN NAMES AND HOSTING SERVICES

GeoCities and Fortune City may be great places to start, but to look professional and really earn money, you need your own domain name and your site should be professionally hosted.

How to choose a domain name
How to register a domain name
Website hosting

LEARNING HTML

I’ve had websites since 1995, but I can remember how overwhelming it seemed at first. For example, I remember how excited I was to learn how to change text colors.

When you’re starting out, there is no need to learn HTML.

You can use a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) program which allows you to create a webpage with no HTML skills at all.

I like a free program, Nvu, which offers WYSIWYG features.

You can also use Netscape Composer. It’s free, too.

Download Netscape install it. (You don’t have to use Netscape as your browser; you can leave it inactive.)Then, click on Start–>Programs, and find Netscape; in that folder, click on Composer. It’s pretty easy. The code isn’t as clean as I’d like, but the whole idea is to get online ASAP. You can learn HTML later.

(Mozilla browser users already have Composer with their browsers. Mozilla is the company that develops Netscape’s programs. This is also the foundation of Firefox, which I use.)

There are many resources for learning HTML when you’re ready. One is the website, HTML Goodies, but there are many others. Use Google to find them.

If–like me–you prefer to have a printed guide in one hand while you’re learning something like HTML, I like Dummies-type books. I’ve linked to two of them on the right side of this page.

Later, when you are learning HTML and using it on your pages, the older HTML editing program, 1st Page 2000 is good, if you can find a free copy. It has Beginner through Expert levels, which can help when you’re learning. This program saves time if you write your own HTML, as I do.

I used 1st Page 2000 to write almost every webpage at every website from 1999 through 2007. I still use it to rewrite code for many of my sites.

Or, if you can afford it, many designers say that nothing beats Dreamweaver. But, Nvu, linked above, comes pretty close… and it’s free.

WEBSITE DESIGN

I like clean, easy-to-navigate websites. Some artists want a site that’s not so tidy, but gives an overwhelmingly “artsy” image. There’s probably a happy medium.

For website design, I like the advice that you’ll find online at sites such as Strum’s ‘Webbery & Nettery’ and Art and the Zen of Websites.

I also loved the free, navigational flow chart featured at PrecisionArts.com, but — as of early 2010 — it’s gone now. (You may be able to find it at the Wayback Machine, or elsewhere.)

FTP – GETTING YOUR SITE ONLINE

FTP means “file transfer protocol,” and it’s how you get your new webpages from your hard drive to your hosting service’s computer. There are many free FTP programs that work very well, such as Smart FTP, FTP Commander, and CoffeeCup Free FTP.

Your browser may already include an FTP program, or if you’re using Mozilla’s browsers, you can get a free FTP extension for it. In Firefox, get the FireFTP plug-in.

Your new hosting service will tell you how to set up your FTP program so that it sends files to your new website. It’s easy. Really.

BELLS AND WHISTLES

Even when HTML is new for you, you’ll probably want some of the “fancy stuff” for your website. Start small. Don’t overdo it with flashing text, pop-ups, and so on. 1st Page 2000, mentioned above, includes many basic JavaScript texts that you can add with one easy click.

You can also find many free, easy JavaScripts at sites such as JavaScript Made Easy.

SHOULD YOU HIRE A PRO?

Maybe. Decide if that’s an effective use of your time.

I mean, if you can make $35/hour for your regular work (writing/art) but pay your webmaster $15/hour and he/she is good at it… it’s hardly worth it to do the work yourself IF you are working full-time.

But, chances are you aren’t making $35/hour and working a 40 hour week. So, follow my advice and create your own website right away. Once you’re making good money at it, you can hire someone to maintain your site in the future.

Really, if you don’t have your own website yet, start one now. Don’t expect to learn everything overnight. Try to learn a little more each week.

It will take you a while to get a good spot at the search engines such as Google. We’ll talk about that later. For now, just get your website started. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll be making money from it.

Aisling.net

Living out loud… with art!

Category Archives: Selling online