Does Your Business Even Need A Domain?

With 1.5 billion monthly active Facebook users and mobile internet browsing exceeding PC internet usage in the US, I’m often asked how I think this affects domain name registration.

Does your business still need a website or domain name when so much activity is through social media and apps?

The answer is yes! Just as GoDaddy says, “It all starts with a domain.” I’ve been preaching this for years and the validation could not have come stronger when yesterday, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg linked to his Townhall Q&A with a .xyz domain.

Other examples of domains-in-action through social media and apps include Lady Gaga, who has a social media network on Place.xyz, and Apple, who just introduced its iPad Pro and Pencil while demoing the tablet app, UMake.xyz. We also featured the Tinder-meets-politics app, Voter.xyz, in a gen.xyz blog post earlier today.

The fact of the matter is, even though social media and apps are a major part of how we interact with the internet, people are still registering domains and using them. And that’s because there’s more than just one way to utilize a domain.

Domains are the building blocks for your online presence
In the case of social media and apps, domains (specifically as a website) are used as the central hub where visitors can access more information about the product. Websites are a no brainer when you have any product or service you want to promote to your audience. This is especially important when you’re advertising through print, TV, radio, billboards, word of mouth or any other media channel.

It’s critical to have a memorable domain name so they can look you up on the internet now or at a later time. The internet is amazing because it allows us to generate and access information more readily and easily.

Domains aren’t just for websites
Just like Zuckerberg, you can also use domains to link to livestream sites or as NASCAR athlete Kyle Busch does, use them as branded URL shorteners to direct your visitors to other relevant websites. You also can’t forget that domains are essential to custom, easy to remember email addresses like [email protected] or like mine, [email protected].

As your online presence starts with a domain, domains also help you expand it by giving you the flexibility to create app websites, social media hubs, and any number of landing pages to promote your brand or business.

Even though the emergence of social media and apps may seem to make the classic domain name obsolete, it is hardly the case. What social media networks or apps do you know of that don’t have its own website? As these media grow, so do domains.

A domain name is how you and your business communicates with the rest of the world in an easy to remember, linkable format.

Boom!

D