Like you, I’m a Malaysia website designer. However, I’ve been absent from the freelance scene and am now running my own company; Simpleet Solutions. One of the most important tools for any freelance website designer is to host their portfolio. The works you have completed for big timers or big names and would like to proudly brandish it to future clients.
You may think hosting a terrible portfolio is a mistake. Well, it is but I know of another mistake Malaysia freelance website designers should avoid. And that is, linking to websites which companies no longer use and it now belongs to some cybersquatter.
So what’s a cybersquatter?
It’s a user who is registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with bad faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else. The cybersquatter then offers to sell the domain to the person or company who owns a trademark contained within the name at an inflated price.
Actually there’s a particular line I personally would like to rephrase:
The cybersquatter then waits to sell the domain to the person or company who owns a trademark contained within the name at an inflated price.
Honestly, cybersquatters do not sell the domain name directly to a person or company. Well, not anymore at least. Some cybersquatters will not park the domain anywhere. Some cybersquatters will park their domains with free online services so it hosts a makeshift website.
But the website is either filled with advertisements or links pointing to other related or unrelated websites. And that ladies and gentlemen, is one of the mistakes you should avoid if you’re a Malaysia freelance website designer.
Remove links to client websites which companies have already closed down or altered their names. By continuing to link back to makeshift websites, you are wasting your search engine rank and helping the makeshift website maintain their current ranking.
I know Malaysia has a number of cybersquatters. And I know there’s business to be made. The day the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act becomes more strict and punishments are delivered without mercy, we will have to register a domain name once we know its available for our use.
How do you feel towards cybersquatters? Ever encountered one so far?