|
|
Domain Name - How To Pick One
Picking a domain name should be easy, right? Why, I'll just use my business name. Not so fast, Sparky. A good bit of thought should be given to selecting a domain name.
A Cautionary Note
Picking a domain name is like getting married. You are going to have to stick with it till the bitter end. People that use your site will come to know it by the domain name. Repeat visitors will often simply type in the domain name to get to the site, better known as "type in traffic". As an example, do you search for "Amazon" when you want to buy a book or do simply type in amazon.com? If Amazon were to change its domain name to Desert, there would be a lot of confusion. The same goes with your domain. Once you pick something, stick with it.
Your Choices
Well, the obvious choice is your business name, but it may not be the best. There are four significant issues to consider.
First, is there something about your business name that makes using it as a domain an unwise choice? This situation typically arises if you have a long business name or have plural words. "Halstatt's Rip'n Marketing Campaigns, Inc." is going to be a horrible domain name. Clients are going to find it difficult to type in such a domain name.
Double letter problems are a second issue that is entirely unique to the Internet. What if Sams Salon wants to use its business name as a domain? The "s" at the end of first word and beginning of the second can cause confusion. Is the domain name Samssalon.com or Samsalon.com? Confusing your users is a bad way to run a site.
The third issue concerns the nature of your site and search engine optimization. If you are shooting for a particular keyword phrase, you may be better off using that keyword phrase in your domain name. Google, for instance, looks at the domain name when evaluating a site. If the words in your domain name are spaced with dashes, many believe it will help in the ranking process. This is why you see so many xxx-xxxx-xxx.com domain names on the net. If your business focuses on a very specific area, strong consideration should be given to using relevant keywords in your domain name.
Finally, your domain name should end in ".com" and I don't want to hear any argument or see any rolling of the eyes. The simple fact is that when people think of sites, they always type in .com. Yes, there are other extensions and .us, .net, .biz, etc., may seem unique, but it kills your traffic. Pavlov and his dog experiments had it right. People have been mentally conditioned to type in .com, so don't select any other ending. If you do, a smart competitor will register the .com version of your name to get some free traffic. If you are really lucky, a porn site will do it!
Take a breath before you select a domain name. Like a spouse, it can be either a good or bad choice.
Halstatt Pires is with http://www.marketingtitan.com - an Internet marketing and advertising company comprised of a search engine optimization specialist providing meta tag optimization services and Internet marketing consultant providing internet marketing solutions through integrated design and programming services.
Do You Have a Good .Com Name? What is One So Important!
A domain can leave an imprint on the mind of a prospective client. Just like a catchy phone number, it is easy to remember and can be send out loud in a rhythm. Whenever someone sees your domain name for your company it must be able to stick with them throughout the day so they can easily check out your site when they get a chance. Sometimes this may not be till the end of a long day at work, so having a domain name that stays in the mind of a client is very important.
Selling a .co.uk Domain Name via Sedo
Selling a .co.uk Domain Name via Sedo
Whats In A (TLD) Name?
They're pushing for a top level domain (TLD) exclusively for porn sites. I'm quoting from this article at http://www.babnet.net/en_detail.asp?id=1224: "There is also concern that the existance of .xxx will lead to legislation making its use mandatory for sexually explicit material, leading to legal conflicts over the definition of "sexually explicit", free speech rights, and jurisdiction."
Domain Name Registration and Privacy
The internet is a wonderful thing, except for a few small details. When you register your first domain name, you get your introduction to one of them. There's a lot of information they want. Your name, your email address, your physical address, your phone number. For each of 4 separate categories, and the Registrant, Admin and Technical categories are publicly available (for almost all TLDs - Top Level Domains, with the possible exception of .ws - Western Samoa).
Choosing A Domain Name
--About Domain Names--
Domain Names - How to Choose, and Register One
What is a domain name?
Domain Name Registration Explained
Registering a domain name is a pretty straight forward process. In fact the hardest part of registering a domain name is coming up with a name that has not already been registered. There are some people who have never registered a domain name, they have left it up to a third party or have always used free hosting. Here is simple explanation of how to register a domain.
Information on Domain Names
It's been two years since John started his online business. He is very much satisfied with his current web host whose services he acquired one year ago. Today John is relaxing in his chair and thinking about the initial days when he spent many hours on the Internet collecting information related to web hosting. Like him there are many John's out there who are in search of information everyday, visiting this and that website hoping to find the most illuminating advice. The problem is that common topics of interest can be found on most of the websites whereas other relevant issues are not dealt with everywhere. This article is going to touch on one of those areas: various concerns related with domain names.
How Do I Buy a Domain Name?
Q: I'd like to buy a domain, but I discovered that it's already registered by a bulk domain buying company (just check negres.com). I tried to contact them but I have received no answer.
A Little Secret About Public Domain Treasures
I bet this little secret is going to get YOU excited... just like it did me. I just discovered public domain treasures and it's a perfect business opportunity for many new internet entrepreneurs.
Domain Names and Longevity
It begins as an idea -- a company name, a business venture, a personal project. You research available domain name options, choose the one you want, and finally register it. Or perhaps the perfect domain was in use before, and you register it after it completes the domain deletion cycle.
Domain Names More Choices than You Think
When you are choosing a domain name you will probably be looking for a .com or maybe a .net. This on the whole is sensible advice, but if you are offering something a little bit different on your website and you want to stand out then there is another path you can take.
Warning: Your Domain Name Could Infringe On Trademark Rights!
If you have or are about to purchase a domain name, YOU could be in trouble and you don't even know it yet...
What is a Domain Name and Where to Register?
A domain name is an alias for an IP address. Now what is an IP address? An IP address is a numeric code that signifies where to look through the Internet for content. An example of an IP address would be 22.226.141.25. Rather than typing in a long and easily forgotten IP address, a domain name helps you by typing an easily remembered name to access the same site.
How To Really Profit from Domain Names
Have you heard about domain names that sold for over a million dollars? Inspired by this, you imagine registering a great domain name, hanging onto it for a while, and then selling it off to become the next multi-millionaire. It could happen, but don`t count on it!
How To Choose The Best Domain Name
In this article we are going to look at the thought process you should go thru to choose your domain name.
Understanding The Value of Expired Domains
I would like to explain a few things related to expired domains in a definition format, which should make it easy to understand.
Why to Register md-Domains?
What is .md?
Domain Squatting Explained
The one thing that annoys me most about the topic of domain names is when trying to find a domain name for a new site only to find most of the names I come up with are already taken. Even more annoying is that these names are not being used for a site that relates to the domain name.
Is Your Domain Name On Someones Wanted List?
A good domain name is, and will always be, essential for any online business. If you ask me, the internet is still only just evolving from infancy. It's a long way to maturity.