Ah, the infamous website domain name. Domain names and the technical adjustments necessary to the DNS required for "going live" with a website can be very tricky. We wrote a lengthy newsletter called Dealing with DNS that explains what domain names and domain name servers are and how they work. As a site approaches its launch date, I would highly recommend reviewing that newsletter. In fact, I would suggest reviewing it at the beginning of a project since there can be significant issues preventing the modification or moving of domain names when going live. Overcoming these barriers can take days even sometimes even weeks. It's quite frustrating to work hard to get a site ready to go live only to find out at the last minute that there are problems with the domain name that prevent the site from launching. Believe me, it happens.

One of the technical aspects to launching a domain is making adjustments to the domain name records that point traffic to the new website. Making the change is actually very easy. Getting access to the domain name records can be very difficult. Also, misinformation, or simple human error in entering critical information can easily sabotage a website launch. Getting the web server administrator and the web site owner's technical resource in touch with each other is the best way to work out domain name issues. But sometimes, when a technical resource doesn't exist on the client's side, getting the right information is not so easy. So be prepared to give extra time for dealing with DNS well in advance of the launch date.

For site re-designs there are additional domain name questions that need to be answered. If the new site is going to change its domain name, or if there are multiple domain names that will all point to the same website, deciding how to set up the relationships between these domains is very important.

For example, if the domain name is changing to a brand new domain, the same issues noted above regarding search engine traffic for new sites apply. The old domain may have been enjoying significant search engine traffic, but by redesigning under a new domain this search traffic will stop until the new site gets indexed and included in the search engines, which could take months. Also, because search engines tend to favor older sites and older web pages (pages with history) the newer re-designed pages under the new domain may have lower ranking even after they get included. There are technical solutions to these problems. But changing domains requires critical decisions that will have a great impact on search engine traffic. Always discuss these issues with a project manager and settle on how domain name issues will work before the "go live" date arrives.   next >