What’s in a name? Just about everything when it comes to picking a domain name for your campaign’s website. One of the first decisions that your organization must make is what domain name they want to use. Mess up this step, and it could throw your entire campaign into a tailspin.
Anyone can register a top-level .com or a .org domain name. While the .com extension is the most familiar, .org is often used for non-profit organizations, including political organizations. (Dot net is another domain extension that is popular, but it’s not used very often and is just not that popular overall.)
Sites with .com and .org extensions tend to carry more built-in reputation and natural “authority” with users. For SEO or potential ranking purposes, it doesn’t really matter which extension you choose.
Get a free .com domain with any Online Candidate campaign website. Which package is best for you?
If your campaign organization wants to register a .org name and use that as your primary domain name, then make sure the you also own the .com extension. A large percentage of visitors will type in the .com extension automatically. If you only own the .org extension and NOT the .com, visitors could end up going to someone else’s website rather than yours.
What happens if you control both extensions is that you can alias or redirect one domain to another.
For example, if someone types in yourwebsite.com, they will automatically be directed to yourwebsite.org site. That way you won’t lose visitors who type in the ‘wrong’ domain extension.
If the .com domain name has already been taken, and you really want it, it might be worth the effort to try purchasing of the name. This can get expensive, though. For campaigns on a tight budget, you might want to just come up with an entirely new domain name to avoid this problem.
One final piece of advice – make sure you register your political campaign domain name BEFORE any print material or advertising is put in place. It can be very embarrassing to send people to a website that does not exist or one you do not actually control!
Protecting your privacy
WHOIS is a public directory which maintains a record of all domain registrations online. This includes domain registrant details. So when a person or organization registers a domain, they start to get spam offering all sorts of web services, from directory submission to SEO services. (Never take them up on the offers, by the way.)
The reason these spammers get your information is because your information is public.
But there is a way to hide that data.
Adding ID Protect when you purchase a domain helps enhances privacy and reduces marketing spam (and even phone calls). Without domain privacy protection, you’re basically choosing to expose your personal information on the WHOIS database, including your email address, phone number and mailing address.
Keeping your domain after the election
If you think you are going to run for office again in the next election cycle, you may want to keep the domain name, even if you let your website lapse. The cost is about $20 a year, and it keeps your domain from lapsing and giving someone else the opportunity to register it for themselves.
.REPUBLICAN and .DEMOCRAT political domain names available
Looking for something a little different than the typical .com. org or .net for your political organization?
A .REPUBLICAN or .DEMOCRAT domain instantly conveys your identity to prospective voters or existing constituents!
Right now, you can register .DEMOCRAT or .REPUBLICAN domains with Online Candidate.
Not only can a politically-branded domain name help raise your profile online, it also gives you and your team a party identification.
It’s a wide-open field for political domain extensions. Don’t be left behind without your .DEMOCRAT and .REPUBLICAN names.
Ready to get started? Find yours now!
Register your .DEMOCRAT or .REPUBLICAN domain today!
Names subject to availability. Premium political domain names may be priced higher or unavailable.
Additional Resources:
- Free Download: Political Website Domains and Hosting – What You Need To Know
- Is Your Campaign Website Domain Really Yours?
Ready to get started? Register your domain, set up hosting and get the tools you need to WIN your election. Check out our affordable Political Web Packages.
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