Local web-hosting company 1-grid.com has launched a business registration feature.
Small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) can now register their company and its equivalent website address at the same time. The new feature allows start-ups to establish and protect their brand identity by ensuring consistency both on and offline.
“If you don’t secure a domain name for your business right away, competitors or domain grabbers might get there first. We want to empower small businesses to protect their brand,” says head of 1-grid.com, Thomas Vollrath.
He points out that a number of successful businesses have had to spend thousands, and in some cases millions, to purchase matching domain names already registered by opportunists. Automotive and energy company Tesla learnt an expensive lesson as a result of registering their company name first and searching for a domain later. Originally registered as TeslaMotors.com, the company spent over a decade negotiating a price for Tesla.com with the previous owner. In 2016, they eventually paid over $11-million to purchase the domain name.
Registering a matching business and domain name at the same time is the best way for businesses to avoid huge costs and own their online image from the beginning. It also looks more professional, builds customer trust and drives website traffic.
To ensure that registered domains are properly set up and populated with content once registered, 1-grid.com also offers website hosting and design to their customers.
“Often, businesses that register their domain name independently don’t have the knowledge to set up a website. When customers search for them online, all they find is an unused domain. This hurts their credibility,” says Vollrath.
As the first web-hosting company in South Africa to provide this service, 1-grid.com is an all-in-one solution for small businesses. All the tools needed to succeed online are built into their digital packages, including a website building tool, SSL certificate, web security packages and web and email hosting.
The business and domain registration process takes one week; “Filling out your details and selecting the business name takes about five minutes. Within five business days, you’ll receive your company registration certificate and confirmation of your domain name registration. It’s a much smoother, more user-friendly process than anything else that currently exists,” says Vollrath.
The business and domain registration package includes the following:
* Company name reservation confirmation;
* Company registration certificate;
* Notice of incorporation;
* CIPC processing;
* CIPC filing administration fees;
* Domain name registration; and
* Business income tax number.