While I’ve been very active online since the ‘90s, I didn’t create my own website until a few years back — and then kicked myself for not doing it sooner.
Truthfully, I didn’t think I had the time to design, publish and maintain a site. But GoDaddy’s Website Builder within the GoDaddy Websites + Marketing suite made it super simple. Heck, I even edit my site on my phone, for goodness sakes. It’s a breeze.
As a proud Canadian, it was also important to have my own .ca domain, MarcSaltzman.ca.
After all, I choose to live in Canada, so why shouldn’t my online home be Canadian?
Check to see if the domain you want is available now
Get a web address with Canada written all over it
Did you know you can only get a .ca domain if you have a Canadian presence? I like that. According to Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), .ca domain names are only available to Canadian citizens and businesses, organizations and community groups located in Canada.
A .ca domain tells others you’re proud to be in — and cater to — the Great White North (or #WeTheNorth, if you prefer).
With my website, for example, Canadian companies can hire me as a keynote speaker, while TV and radio stations regularly use it to contact me for tech-related interviews. Editors of magazines, newspapers and websites have tapped me as a journalist by finding me at MarcSaltzman.ca.
It may come as no surprise that Canadians also prefer to shop at Canadian sites.
According to the CIRA, an incredible 83% of Canadian internet users surveyed said they prefer shopping on a site with a .ca domain name. Why? It means you’re not only supporting Canadian businesses, big or small, but you can better avoid common online shopping issues when buying outside of Canada such as:
- Delayed shipping times
- Currency exchange surprises
- Import charges tied to duties, custom fees and taxes
We’ve all been there, right?
Editor’s note: Tell GoDaddy Airo about your idea and it will generate a domain name, logo, website, social media handles, professional email and more — all for the price of your domain name.
Plus it supports a good cause
And did you know a portion of every .ca domain purchase goes back into Canada’s internet community through CIRA’s Community Investment Program? Cool. Giving back is so Canadian.
Creating a .ca domain won’t break the bank, either. In fact, I’ve registered a couple of URLs, just in case I want to use them one day.
So, don’t delay and reserve that .ca domain before someone else snags it up. GoDaddy.ca can help you there (yes, GoDaddy-dot-ca) — spelled the Canadian way.
Read more about the many benefits of registering your own .ca domain name here.
