Many of us don’t carefully consider where we buy our domain name. Fancy marketing campaigns and the allure of low (albeit generally misleading) prices often get the best of us. Domain names seem simple and safe enough. Everything a domain name does for us isn’t particularly clear. One thing is for sure; we know that having a cool dot com domain is important for marketing and promoting a business or other endeavor. And we need to connect it to many different tools to benefit from that cool domain name.
A domain name is essentially a convenient, human-readable way to share how to get to your website. Websites are located on servers that are identified by an IP address. IP addresses can be quite complicated. Think of it as your street address (123 Main Street, for example) versus sharing your precise geographic latitude and longitude (44°58′2.07622″N 103°46′17.60283″W). 123 Main St. is much easier to share! This is essentially what a domain name does for you. We buy them from domain registrars who maintain lists of domain names and their associated IP addresses (among other things.)
What to Know When Registering a Domain Name?
Your domain name is something you may own and use for many years. Keeping it safe and secure should be high on your priority list. This can be particularly challenging. You will likely need to share access to your domain with many people. Over the course of years you use it to connect a multitude of things: IT and networking systems, email, forms, calendars, business systems, e-commerce, payment gateways, social media etc.
Buying a Domain Name is the Easy Part.
It is more complicated to set up your domain name and connect it to all the different services you’ll need. Luckily, most web hosts, email providers, and other services will offer you some instructions. I like how easy Google Domains makes setting everything up; it’s just a few easy clicks to connect a Google Workspace account and have your business email, shared calendars, shared cloud drive, and productivity tools up and running in no time.
Pricing
Google Domains pricing is simple and transparent. Basically, everything is included and the price is generally very competitive. Other registrars often show lower prices. However, they typically are only low up front and increase at renewal. There are often additional hidden charges for options like privacy protection. Some registrars charge exorbitant prices for things like SSL/TLS certificates etc.
You’ll Need to Access Your Domain Name More than you Think.
Your domain name connects all the online tools you use for your business. Websites, landing pages, online shops, email providers (Constant Contact, MailChimp,), and social media (Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn) all need domain verifications and subdomains.
Several new DNS entries were required to be configured just to set up this blog:
- Connecting blog.claytonconway.com to Storychief
- Connecting claytonconway.com and www.claytonconway.com to Canva
- Mailchimp domain verification for
- Google Analytics domain verification
- Pinterest domain verification
- Probably some others I’m forgetting...
Mismanaged Domain Names are a Major Security Risk
Your domain name is a shortcut to the IP addresses where all of your online business happens. Failing to secure your domain leaves it vulnerable to a variety of simple, yet costly cyber attacks.
Credential Sharing
Many customers I’ve encountered will email their domain registrar login credentials to every Tom, Dick, and Harry that asks for them. They don’t consider the fact that every shred of information about their business flows through the IP addresses tied to that domain name. Every time you email those credentials there is a high likelihood that your credentials will be part of a security breach, or probably numerous security breaches over the course of years.
Think about it. You email your domain credentials to your nephew, who builds your first website for an Xbox game and some pizza. A year later, his email account gets “hacked,” and your domain credentials are now posted on the dark web. Those dark web scoundrels would likely also have your name, business name, and email address from that leak. Much of your other information is easily found online (you have a business...). Now multiply this by how many people you’ve given those credentials to over the years. Also, how many times have you changed the password on this account? In my experience, customers often buy their domain name and never think about it again. Until a web developer or IT person asks for it. Most haven’t changed their password in 10-15 years, and some have shared it with 40-50 individuals during that time (some of which also shared it with others.)
Man in the Middle Attacks
Once someone maliciously gains access to your domain name, they can set up various simple ways to effectively eavesdrop or otherwise intercept communications. This opens the door for them to trick you or your customers into paying the wrong person. For example, if some nefarious individual spoofs a business email account; invoices can be intercepted and payment information replaced with the scammer's account information. With access to your domain; scammers can easily set up a payment portal with your own domain pointing to their payment gateway. Your customers have no idea it’s not legitimate until someone asks them why they haven’t paid.
This leads me to my first and most important reason for preferring Google Domains over other registrars:
Google Domains Makes Domain Name Security Quick and Easy
Google Domains, especially with Google Workspace, makes domain security as easy as a few clicks:
- No more emailing your login and password to random people. Google Domains includes a simple user interface to invite new users and manage their permissions. Timmy no longer gets the keys to the kingdom. Just grant access to do what they need, nothing more.
- You can revoke their domain name access without affecting your access when their job is done.
- Users must have a Google account (not to be confused with a Gmail account, any email address can be used to set up a Google account.) This seems annoying initially. However, it’s beneficial because you get the added benefit of some of the most sophisticated security algorithms you can find anywhere for identity and access management. These systems help validate that the person logging in is the intended user. Not just a random scammer with their login info. Setting up a username and password for them wouldn’t include this level of sophistication. This also means you don’t have to manage password resets...
Google Domains Simplifies Email Deliverability
Email deliverability is often overlooked until customers complain about emails not getting delivered, which is super frustrating if you’re trying to get them to pay their bills. For an email to be considered safe and allowed through firewalls, there need to be several security settings and protocols configured.
Security features such as DMARC, DKIM, and SPF are complex to implement if you have your own email servers but Google Domains, in combination with Google Workspace, does it in a few simple clicks. Massive IT departments often neglect or fail to configure these extremely important features properly.
