Category: Resources

Why doesn’t my website show up in Google?

Posted on by Comunicació

If you search for your website and it doesn’t appear in the first page of results in Google, the chances are that potential clients won’t find you. But don’t fret, there’s a solution. Here’s how to do it.

Patience and SEO

If you only recently published your website, you’re going to have to be patient. The newest sites don’t tend to get ranked instantly on Google. It’s likely you’ll have to click through the pages with Google search results to find your website. Bear in mind that there’s content which is similar to yours on the internet, dating back further and which people have purposefully worked on to position it.

But keep your chin up, by following a series of steps you can do it too. The first thing you need to know is that your web is listed in the Google index. To check this, access Google and search for site:elteudomini.barcelona (instead of elteudomini.barcelona type the name of your own domain).

If no results show up it means that Google doesn’t know that your website exists. In this case you need to find out why it is not listed. One way of checking is to register your domain with Google Search Console.

If you find some results, you’re on the right track and Google knows your site exists. In this case you will need to work on your SEO to improve the position of your site and gain visibility.

Finding the keywords you need

If you want your customers to find you on Google you need to speak the same language. Perhaps you’re using words that are too technical or too generic for the texts on your website. The more generic your keywords are, the more difficult it will be to position your site, as you’ll be competing with a lot of others. A .barcelona domain will help you achieve a better position in searches using the name of your city as a keyword and on the map.

Think about who your audience is. For instance, if your business is travel, instead of using travel as a key word you could use family travel, weekend getaways, group travel, travelling with kids and so on.

If you’re unsure of the words your customers use for Google searches, you can carry out a keyword study. We suggest you start by brainstorming words and phrases you think they might use in a search. Bear in mind:

  • Products and services: what customers look for when they want to purchase, for instance, travel Barcelona.
  • Problems customers have: what they look for to solve these, for instance, how to book a pet-friendly hotel in Barcelona.
  • Desired results: when they know what they’re looking for, for instance, booking a pet-friendly hotel in Barcelona.
  • Characteristics: when they search for details on your products, for instance, pet-friendly hotel Barcelona.

Once you’ve got a list of possible keywords and phrases, you can find out how frequently people search for them on Google and what competition you’re facing. Various SEO tools can help you find this information. One of the most widely used is the Google Ads keyword planner.

In the ‘Ideas’ section for keywords you can type some of the words or phrases from your list to see the monthly average number of searches for each of them and how competitive they are (high, medium or low). The tool also suggests related phrases which could be used.

All you need to do to use this tool is configure a free account with Google Ads.

Each keyword in its place

Once you’ve identified the keywords and phrases for your website, you need to include them in the right place to optimise your website and improve your position in Google searches.

Think about which keywords are best suited to each of the pages on your website. You probably won’t put the same ones on the home page as you will on a page for a specific page or blog entry. Each page has different information which will fit in better with the keywords on the list you’re working with.

Once you’ve chosen them, you’ll need to include them in various places:

  • Title: SEO experts affirm this is the most important place when it comes to adding a keyword. Even though you don’t see it directly when accessing content on a site, it is the word that gets highlighted in search results.
  • Meta description: This information is not in view when you visit a website, but it is when you do a search. It is usually the same text which appears beneath the title when you do a search.
  • Heading and subtitles: When we edit pages we find HTML tags which go from H1 to H6. These heading tags are for titles within the content which tend to appear highlighted within the text. Many visits will only focus on these parts, so it’s important they are well-written and highlight the words we want to draw attention to.
  • Links within the website: In addition to external links which direct users to your page (such as those on social media), you can also include links from an internal page to another within your website. Instead of linking these with generic texts such as “click here” or “more information”, use texts with a description for the link.

A page for each section

If you’re starting out, perhaps you’ve put all the information into a single page within your website. We suggest you create a page for each of the sections of your website. Google, or any other search engine, prefers each page to have specific content.

This way you can put your keywords to good use, explain each section in detail, add photos, videos and work your links well too.

All these steps will help you improve your position on Google, and as we said at the beginning, patience, to give Google time to index all the information and changes on your website and get it higher up in search results.

The .barcelona domain helps you stand out on Google Maps

Posted on by Comunicació

A geographical domain such as .barcelona helps geolocate your project, allowing you to increase traffic to your website and improve your organic position in Google’s Search Engine Result Pages (SERP). All this makes a domain such as .barcelona the best option for naturally boosting your website’s presence on the internet.

Google studies show that 80% of internet users rely on search engines to obtain local results. Organic search results with Google actually display local results, and we should bear in mind that users tend to choose one of the options which comes up in the top positions. The best example of this is Google Maps. A good position on Google Maps results in a higher ranking in Google’s organic search results.

Consequently, using a local geographical domain such as .barcelona plays a key role in facilitating access for future clients. In short, thanks to a domain such as .barcelona:

  • It’s easier to find you
  • It’s easier to remember your name
  • It’s easier to attract new visitors
  • It’s easier to sell your end product
  • Your organic positioning will improve

Check if your domain is available: domini.barcelona/registra/

Domain, website and email: how they are similar and how they differ

Posted on by Comunicació

When we talk about the internet there are some related concepts which can cause confusion between them. While plenty of people know what a domain is, some might not realise that registering one does not give you a website. People may also confuse a URL address with an email address.

What is a domain?

A domain name is simply the name we choose for our website. Technically, it is a ‘translation’ using words that are easy to remember and which correspond to an IP address where all the information on our website is hosted. This IP address is a very long unique number, which we essentially substitute with the domain name. Consequently, the domain name must also be the only one of its kind in the world. An example of a domain would be mercat.barcelona.

Does registering a domain mean we have a website?

No. If we register a domain, we have only registered what we want to call ourselves on the network (domain name). If we want a website, we must rent space where it will be housed. To do this we need to acquire space on the server where we will save all the files that make up our website. We do this through a web hosting company.

So, what is the difference between a domain and a website?

The domain is the name we write in the browser, while the website is the page itself. In other words, all the information it contains: files, texts and images.

And email?

An email address is the address we use to send and receive emails, from a webmail or an email management programme such as Outlook. This service is provided from an email server. The email address very often includes the domain name, as most web servers offer the option of registering email addresses too. This way we can manage everything from the same domain management panel.

An email address differs from a website address as it has the symbol @ in the middle. This separates the name of the recipient from the email domain. For instance, if our domain is mercat.barcelona, the email address could be info@mercat.barcelona. We can register as many email addresses as we wish or as many as our server allows.

The geoTLD group welcomes .miami and .boston

Posted on by Comunicació

The geoTLD group came together for a virtual meeting on 10 February, enabling members to get up to date with the latest in the sector and draft the activity and management plan for 2022. The group also used the session to welcome the new domains of .miami and .boston, the two newcomers bringing the number of geoTLD members around the world to 37.The meeting was also a chance for geoTLDs to prepare for the upcoming ICANN 73, an open virtual gathering to be held from 7 to 10 March.

But how relevant are these meetings for internet users? To answer this, we should take a look at the bodies mentioned and how important each one is.

  • The ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers): a non-profit corporation to benefit the public, with participants from all over the world. This body manages the assignation of domain names and addresses for the IP protocol.
  • Domain Name System (DNS): all internet domains operate with the DNS. Users access information online using domain names rather than IP addresses because it is much easier to remember the name of a website than a ten-digit number.

One of the most common issues relating to the security and stability of DNS is abuse. Malicious practice is based on registering domains which make reference to people, companies or recognised brands with the intention of the targeted party paying out money to get their domain back.

  • geoTLD (Geographic Top-Level Domain): one initiative by the ICANN was to set up top-level domains. These include geoTLDs, a type of high-level domain to serve and represent geographical areas, languages or cultures. They includes geographical names such as .barcelona; geographical indicators such as .nyc (New York City) and names of geographical origin, such as .cat. GeoTLDs also allow for the use of characters which are unique to each language, such as Arabic or Chinese symbols.

Domains and subdomains: what they are and how they differ

Posted on by Comunicació

Internet jargon includes some concepts which are very similar and can cause confusion when it comes to defining them. Two of these are domain and subdomain. What defines them and where do they come into the picture?

We are already familiar with the domain, which is the name we are known by online, a name which is easy to remember and easy to write, associated with a physical internet IP address where our page is housed. A subdomain is basically a domain which forms part of a larger one.

Contrary to what one might think, a subdomain is not a subsection of our domain. For instance, if the domain name is domain.barcelona, the subdomain would not be domain.barcelona/actualitat. That would be a page within a domain. A subdomain would be something like faqs.domain.barcelona.

A subdomain is a new independent website, but without the need to create another domain. It can have its own subsections and function on its own.

Why create a subdomain?

There are various advantages to creating a subdomain. The first is that different sections can be organised completely independently of the website content published on the main domain. This is the main purpose of a subdomain: to separate the different sections of a website and organise content more effectively.

Another reason is to avoid loading your main domain up with information. In practice it is another domain with its own images, extensions and pages. This makes browsing quicker.

Finally, another notable advantage is that you won’t have to pay for another domain. Many registration companies include unlimited subdomains in the price of the domain.

How do I create a subdomain?

First of all, you need to think about the name you want to give it. The shorter and more descriptive it is, the better. For instance, if it is to host an online store, it is best to call it shop.domain.barcelona, so users can see where they are straight away.

Creating a subdomain is not complicated. On the control panel offered by the registration company for your domain there should be a relatively simple option allowing you to create one. Either way, don’t hesitate to check with the technical department and enjoy the advantages of having a subdomain for your .barcelona.

What’s the difference between an https domain and an http one?

Posted on by Comunicació

When you browse the internet you’ve probably noticed that some addresses start with http and others with https. This single extra letter means more than it might seem, as it is used to distinguish between two communication protocols.

What’s http?

Firstly, we should define http. The letters stand for HyperText Transfer Protocol. Without going into a lengthy technical explanation, this is the most common method of exchanging information online and is used for our browser to communicate with the server which is hosting the information we’re looking at.

Http is a stateless protocol, as it doesn’t house information and handles each information request as an independent transaction, without taking into account previous requests. For instance, http does not take into account something as important as cookies, which we find on practically all websites and which are stored as a way of recognising the previous activity of the browser.

Even though there have been various versions of the http protocol, the most commonly used continues to be http/1.1, from June 1999. The World Wide Web has changed a lot since then. For example, financial transactions are now the order of the day, meaning that the http communication protocol which was safe twenty years ago no longer provides sufficient protection for information sent online.

What’s https?

The need for greater security in the exchange of information led to the creation of https (HyperText Tranfser Protocol Secure). The final ‘S’ says it all here, as https is the secure version of http.

This new communication protocol combines the HHTP and SSL/TS protocols so that the transmission of data between the end user and the client is more secure. To achieve this, the protocol uses an encrypted connection meaning that the information is practically undecipherable to a third party.

Difference between http and https

Https was initially geared towards online commerce and banking but is gradually becoming a standard protocol for the internet.

Why is https gaining in popularity? Basically, because while information on a website with http can easily be intercepted by a user with bad intentions, this is much more complicated with an https website.

Nearly all websites today have a contact form, where users can fill in their personal details. This alone makes an https website worthwhile. Another benefit is that browsers place high value on security and are quick to warn you if the website you’re visiting is not safe. Consequently, if you have an http site it’s going to get fewer users over time, or fewer who feel comfortable visiting it.

How do I change my http website to https?

To switch a site from http to https all you need is an SSL certificate. You can request it from your hosting company, or if your site is designed with a website builder such as WordPress or Prestashop you can download the corresponding plug-ins.

This small gesture will make your .barcelona website more secure and also generate a sense of security among its visitors.

How to register a domain name written with special characters

Posted on by Comunicació

Every language has its linguistic differences. Like most European languages, Catalan has several special characters such as accents and the dieresis, and others such as the Ç and the interpunct.

We use these in writing, yet these characters can’t initially be used when registering a domain name or an email address. This means that we find examples such as a website for a calçotada becomes a calcotada, or a company advertising decoració uses the word decoracio, without the special character.

This does not happen with the .barcelona domain, as it accepts a long list of special characters. The name of your .barcelona domain can therefore be written just as it is with your project, meaning people can find you writing the right name and that it doesn’t appear strange to read. Examples here might include registering domains with names such as ràdio.barcelona, habitació.barcelona or abraçada.barcelona.

IDN and ASCII

Domain names which include special characters are called Internationalized Domain Names (IDN). They include characters outside the standard range for the exchange of information, the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII), which is the language used by the internet. As ASCII does not include accents or other characters from Arabic, Slavic, Asian or other languages, excluding a huge part of the world’s population, the need arose for internet addresses to be able to ‘speak’ in the way that their users do. The inclusion of these characters was proposed in 1998, but it wasn’t until 2005 that they were publicly presented by the ICANN.

The new characters have not actually been added to ASCII code, which the network continues to function with, but rather an algorithm transforms the IDN characters into ASCII. That’s why when we register a domain name with accents and special characters, we are also registering another at the same time with the standards for ASCII code.

Either way, IDN gives us more flexibility and freedom when it comes to choosing our .barcelona domain, meaning we can write using the characters of our language and in turn show the value of our identity.

To register a .barcelona domain with special characters, the holder must contact their registration company to request it. The registration company must do this at no charge, as it forms part of the particular characteristics of this domain.

How to renew a domain

Posted on by Comunicació

People and businesses build their identity around their name and their values. The same applies online. Our domain name defines us and enables others to recognise us on the internet. Because of this, it’s very important to renew our domain rather than keep registering new ones. This also gives us control over our online brand and means we can be sure it won’t end up in the wrong hands. Keeping our domain name also means we can carry on benefitting from associated services such as email accounts.

But how do we renew a domain?

When the time comes to renew a domain, we should contact our domain registration company. To find out when our .barcelona domain expires, we can go to the user panel and check the expiry date. Once inside the panel, it is important to select the domain we wish to renew, as we may have registered more than one. Once we select the domain we wish to renew, we find the option ‘renew domain’. This is where can choose the duration of the registration period, which may be for one year or longer. The ICANN allows a maximum of ten days for registration. Next, we should confirm the data and pay the quota.

There is no need to wait until the last moment to renew. Even if there are weeks left before it expires, we can renew our .barcelona domain in advance without the registration period being affected. For instance, if the domain expires on 1 January 2022, the next expiry date will be 1 January 2023, regardless of when we renew. This means that if we have a discount code we can make the most of when we want to apply it, whatever the date is.

What happens if the expiry date comes and goes and I haven’t renewed the domain?

Our registration company will usually contact us when the registration period is due to expire. This varies depending on the registration company, but we may be contacted up to 30 days before the domain expires. If for some reason we do not see the reminders, we still have five days after the expiry date in which to renew the domain. After those five days a definitive deactivation process begins and within a few days we will have lost the domain.

This does not mean we lose our domain name forever, but rather that it becomes available again for anybody wishing the register it. Consequently, if we are lucky and nobody registers the domain, we can register it again through the usual new domain registration procedure.

This practice comes with an element of risk, and apart from the possibility of not being able to register it again and losing our digital identity, the renewal process is more straightforward than registering anew.

To avoid headaches, many registration companies offer the possibility of automatic renewals. This mean that unless we indicate otherwise, the registration company will renew our domain every year without our having to think about it.

Can domains be bought and sold?

Posted on by Comunicació

At the point we register a domain, we own the rights to use the domain name for a specified period. However, the domain may change hands from one name or organisation to another at any time. Very often the domain registration company does not charge for this.

This leads many people to speculate with domains, registering names which may be needed by other people or organisations at some point, to then sell them on at a profit. Authentic fortunes have changed hands to register domain names, mainly in the early days of the internet.

Domains do not get sold on for millions of dollars nowadays, as there are multiple combinations and most people use search engines such as Google to find an address. Positioning therefore holds the key. Even so, the domain name is still very important and there are always people willing to pay a little more to get the name they had in mind. Many companies have built their brand around a specific name and logically wish to continue using that name online.

Legal limits

Buying and selling domains is not illegal, although some countries prohibit the registration of specific domain names intended to be sold on to a company or person that may have intellectual property rights over them. According to the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), one party can contest the registration of a domain name by another party if the name or brand is registered. Non-compliance with the policy can lead to confiscation of the domain name, as well as legal consequences. This ICANN policy was conceived to combat cybersquatting, the practice of deliberately registering domain names corresponding to third parties with the specific intention of making money. In some cases, inappropriate use of these domains can also occur, to damage the brand in question.

That said, buying and selling a domain is not always illegal. When the process represents no harm to third parties it is perfectly feasible. Proof of this is the figure of the domainer, an investor specialising in managing domain-name portfolios which, without entering into illegality, speculates with domain names to make money. The activity of domainers is based on registering generic terms which may be of interest to big brands. Examples here might be ‘car hire’, ‘rural tourism’ or ‘home insurance’.

Domainers come up against some limits with registration policies for certain domains. For instance, if we look at the registration policy for the .barcelona domain we find that these must be registered by legal persons or entities with a link to the .barcelona community. Whether for linguistic, cultural, tourist, commercial or other purposes, this means the activity should benefit the .barcelona community. The party registering the domain should first explain the intended use of the domain name in question. These requisites make for lower levels of speculation with .barcelona domains.

How to transfer your .barcelona domain

Posted on by Comunicació

The register is the central database where all domain names are stored. Access is only available to registration agents accredited by ICANN, a non-profit organisation working to guarantee a stable global internet, from where we must proceed with registration. We can find out through them whether the name we want is available before contracting the use of the domain for a certain period. At present we can register our .barcelona domain through various companies, which compete with each other on pricing, extra services and customer support. Here you can find a full list of accredited registration companies offering the .barcelona domain.

But what if we want to change the registration company without losing our domain? Is that possible? The answer is yes, we can freely transfer the domain name from one registration company to another. ICANN transfer policy is designed to increase domain registration options and foster competition between registration companies.

There is only one main requisite, and that is that 60 days must have elapsed since the date of registration of the last transfer. The expiry of the domain should also be taken into account. The change of registration takes between 5 and 10 days and so if the domain contract is about to expire we might not be in time.

There are four simple steps to transferring a domain name:

  1. Ask your current registration company to unblock the domain and provide the authorisation code.
  2. Give this to the new registration company.
  3. Confirm the transfer of the domain.
  4. Wait a few days until the process is completed.

During this process, and in the days following the change of registration, our .barcelona website should continue to function and there shouldn’t be any technical or bureaucratic issues for us. Both companies, the current provider and the new one, receive notification. This makes the process more transparent and reduces the possibility of fraudulent transfers.

For more information on the policy for domain transfers between ICANN-accredited registration companies click here.