Choosing A Good Domain Name

Choosing a domain name for your site is one of the most important steps towards creating the perfect internet presence. If you run an on-line business, picking a name that will be marketable and achieve success in search engine placement is paramount. Many factors must be considered when choosing a good domain name. This article summarizes all the different things to consider before making that final registration step!

Short and Sweet

Domain names can be really long or really short (1 – 67 characters). In general, it is far better to choose a domain name that is short in length. The shorter your domain name, the easier it will be for people remember. Remembering a domain name is very important from a marketability perspective. As visitors reach your site and enjoy using it, they will likely tell people about it. And those people may tell others, etc. As with any business, word of mouth is the most powerful marketing tool to drive traffic to your site (and it’s free too!). If your site is long and difficult to pronounce, people will not remember the name of the site and unless they bookmark the link, they may never return.

Consider Alternatives

Unless a visitor reaches your site through a bookmark or a link from another site, they have typed in your domain name. Most people on the internet are terrible typists and misspell words constantly. If your domain name is easy to misspell, you should think about alternate domain names to purchase. For example, if your site will be called “MikesTools.com”, you should also consider buying “MikeTools.com” and “MikeTool.com”. You should also secure the different top level domain names besides the one you will use for marketing purposes (“MikesTools.net”, “MikesTools.org”, etc.) You should also check to see if there are existing sites based on the misspelled version of the domain name you are considering. “MikesTools.com” may be available, but “MikesTool.com” may be home to a graphic pornography site. You would hate for a visitor to walk away thinking you were hosting something they did not expect.

Also consider domain names that may not include the name of your company, but rather what your company provides. For example, if the name of your company is Mike’s Tools, you may want to consider domain names that target what you sell. For example: “buyhammers.com” or “hammer-and-nail.com”. Even though these example alternative domain names do not include the name of your company, it provides an avenue for visitors from your target markets. Remember that you can own multiple domain names, all of which can point to a single domain. For example, you could register “buyhammers.com”, “hammer-and-nail.com”, and “mikestools.com” and have “buyhammers.com” and “hammer-and-nail.com” point to “mikestools.com”.

Hyphens: Your Friend and Enemy

Domain name availability has become more and more scant over the years. Many single word domain names have been scooped up which it makes it more and more difficult to find a domain name that you like and is available. When selecting a domain name, you have the option of including hyphens as part of the name. Hyphens help because it allows you to clearly separate multiple words in a domain name, making it less likely that a person will accidentally misspell the name. For example, people are more likely to misspell “domainnamecenter.com” than they are “domain-name-center.com”. Having words crunched together makes it hard on the eyes, increasing the likelihood of a misspelling. On the other hand, hyphens make your domain name longer. The longer the domain name, the easier it is for people to forget it altogether. Also, if someone recommends a site to someone else, they may forget to mention that each word in the domain name is separated by a hyphen. If do you choose to leverage hyphens, limit the number of words between the hyphens to three.  Another advantage to using hyphens is that search engines are able to pick up each unique word in the domain name as key words, thus helping to make your site more visible in search engine results.

Dot What?

There are many top level domain names available today including .com, .net, .org, and .biz. In most cases, the more unusual the top level domain, the more available domain names are available. However, the .com top level domain is far and away the most commonly used domain on the internet, driven by the fact that it was the first domain extension put to use commercially and has received incredible media attention. If you cannot lay your hands on a .com domain name, look for a .net domain name, which is the second most commercially popular domain name extension.

Long Arm of the Law

Be very careful not to register domain names that include trademarked names. Although internet domain name law disputes are tricky and have few cases in existence, the risk of a legal battle is not a risk worth taking. Even if you believe your domain name is untouchable by a business that has trademarked a name, do not take the chance: the cost of litigation is extremely high and unless you have deep pockets you will not likely have the resources to defend yourself in a court of law. Even stay away from domain names in which part of the name is trademarked: the risks are the same.

Search Engines and Directories

All search engines and directories are different. Each has a unique process for being part of the results or directory listing and each has a different way of sorting and listing domain names. Search engines and directories are the most important on-line marketing channel, so consider how your domain name choice affects site placement before you register the domain. Most directories simply list links to home pages in alphabetical order. If possible, choose a domain name with a letter of the alphabet near the beginning (“a” or “b”). For example, “aardvark-pest-control.com” will come way above “joes-pest-control.com”. However, check the directories before you choose a domain name. You may find that the directories you would like be in are already cluttered with domain names beginning with the letter “a”. Search engines scan websites and sort results based on key words. Key words are words that a person visiting a search engine actually search on. Having key words as part of your domain name can help you get better results.

Why do I need to register a domain name?

A domain name is like a street address on the web. It is essentially what is used by the web to find where your website, emails, etc are hosted. When you register your domain name you are creating your own unique online identity. No two parties can ever hold the same domain name simultaneously; therefore your Internet identity is totally unique. If you have a business site on the Internet your domain name is your own online brand and in a sense you can use your domain name as your online business card.

With your own domain name your web site, and e-mail addresses for example will have that professional look, being unique to your business. Many people often miss the importance of having and then keeping their domain name until they lose it. Once this happens they soon realize that they have lost their whole online identity.

How does a domain name work?

To understand why you need a domain name you first need to know how a domain name works.

A domain name is an addressing construct, used for finding and identifying computers on the Internet. Computers use Internet Protocol (IP) Addresses, which are a series of numbers used to identify each other on the Internet; however, many people find it hard to remember IP Addresses. Because of this, domain names were developed so that easily remembered names and phrases could be used to identify entities in the Internet instead of using an IP Address.

For example, the domain name version-next.com identifies the company VERSION NEXT When a user types the domain name version-next.com in their browser or sends an email to version-next.com, the Domain Name System (DNS) will translate the domain name into IP numbers. These are then used by the Internet to connect the user to ‘s VERSION NEXT’s web presence.

What should I use as a domain name?

You can use a word or phrase as a domain name. When thinking of registering your domain name, think of catchy words or phrases that are easy to remember and that will bring more traffic to your site. Try to use a domain name that is relevant to your web site. If your web site is a business site, it is a good idea to use the companies name as the domain name or if your site is a personal site try to think of a domain name that is related to the topic of your web site.

Also try to keep your domain name as short as possible, around 5 to 20 characters is fine. The shorter the domain name the easier it will be to remember.

One thing to keep in mind is assumed spelling issues; if you think up a ‘clever’ domain name such as 1luv4u.com, One Love For You (dating service), people may type in oneloveforyou.com believing this is the domain name; or oneluv4u.com, or 1love4you.com etc. This leads to brand problems. In this case the ‘oneloveforyou.com’ name would be best. Another unfortunate example: Flo Office Supplies ? flooffice.com?

Why should I keep my domain name registered?

If you loose your domain name you can loose your whole online identity.

Because you can only register a domain name for a year or so, you will need to make sure that you renew it before the expiry date. Once your domain name expires you will no longer own that domain name. Your Registrar will then own it and be able to sell your domain name to the highest bidder. To make sure you don’t lose your domain name you will need to make sure you renew your domain name at least two weeks before it expires.

Also make sure that your information is registered properly, especially if you didn’t register your domain name yourself. Ensure that your information is displayed as the registrant, administrative and billing contacts; most importantly make sure that the email addresses for these contacts are ACTIVE. When you receive any information about your domain name, such as renewals, price changes, etc? an email will be sent to this email address. If you can’t receive any mail from the email addresses listed under the domain names contact then you are at risk of not receiving important notifications about your domain names, which could result in loosing your domain name.

People often miss the importance of having their own unique domain name for their web sites. A domain name represents you, your company and your online presence; as does a ?business card?. If you don’t have your own domain name you won’t be able to promote your own online identity and web site on the World Wide Web.

Log into your domain registration management area

Click “Manage Domain” in the header menu

Click on “Retrieve Auth Code / Domain Name Password for EPP Domain”

Put in the domain name you want the Auth code for and click “Get authcode”

Having a domain name is vital for any online company. Some view this as your official license to effectively do business on the web. If you are just starting out online, it is important to look around and get the best domain name deal you can find.

The price for domain name registrations have dropped significantly, although there are still a few companies that will charge more than $20 per year if you are not careful. Before signing up with the first registrar you run across, do a little research and find out what is available. By doing so, you will know more about the domain game and what is acceptable and what is completely ridiculous.

Where to Look

The ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is the body that accredits companies as official domain name registrars. This organization makes a great resource as it lists the names for all accredited registrars on the website. These companies are generally trust worthy as they are required to follow the rules and regulation set forth by the ICANN. While this lists makes a good place to start, it will not provide you with any price comparisons on domain names.

Comparing Prices

You could easily spend hours searching through dozens of registrars looking for one that offers a decent price. There are however, several companies well known for their affordable price on domains and associated services. One name you are sure to run across is Version-next.com, a global leader in domain names. Version-next.com has some of the best deals on the market, frequently offering bargains on relative extensions when making your initial purchase. This registrar also allows you to transfer existing domains from another service, letting you to take advantage of a lower price and extend the current registration. Aside from domain names, Version-next offers a number of services and options that you may find very useful.

Additionally, there are several comparison sites that will chart several domains so you can see what’s available. If comparing multiple registrars is something you want to do, you will find RegSelect.com as a great resource for comparative domain shopping. The website is simple to navigate and allows you to view the cheapest or largest domain registrars. RegSelct provides you with a full list of ICANN-accredited services and makes it easy to find one that meets your needs. This service is free of charge and quite valuable as it gives you side-by-side comparisons of prices as well as features such as domain parking, forwarding and other services.

Shopzilla is known for its comparisons of various consumer products, but also allows you to find domain name registrars. While the results are not as extensive as what you’ll find on RegSelect, the site still makes a good source and does pull up a few of the top companies.

Conclusion

Domain registrars are plentiful so there is no need to settle for steep prices. A simple domain name will likely have implications on your business for as long as you own the website. By spending a little time to find a reputable service, you can get a great bargain along with some extra perks that benefit your business.

Domain names are what allow internet users to easily navigate without having to remember IP addresses. Instead of typing in a long number, you type in a name that is usually much easier to remember. Domain names are generally referred to by their TLDs (top-level domains) with the most common being .com, .net and .org among others. The name to the left of the TLD is considered a second-level domain with the levels going as high as third, fourth and so on.

In the Beginning

Domains first surfaced back in 1985, starting with only six. The popularity of today’s internet and World Wide Web has lead to several types of domains, many of which are still intended to identify certain entities and make it easy for users to find specific content. When introduced by the World Wide Web, both .com and .org where intended for different purposes. .com was intended to represent commercial entities while .org was to be used by organizations. The second-level domain was meant to identify a specific entity or business with the third-level usually specifying the location of the host server. The high demand of .com resulted in a number of non-commercial entities seeking to own website addresses under this TLD.

Domain Abuse

Domain names have been a hot commodity for sometime and are widely abused. Cyber squatting is one such exploit which describes someone trying to generate traffic to their site by leveraging the name of a well known company. While laws have been set in place to protect prominent internet companies, another ploy known as reverse domain hijacking emerged and brought forth a slew of new problems. Reverse domain hijacking refers to a company or individual claiming a domain as their own trademark when someone else actually has legal rights to it. Despite the internet’s growth and the phenomenon behind domain names, there is still no one organization designated to govern this huge system.

Because domain names have been around for years, many of the good ones are no longer available. This has caused many people to resort to complicated names or those that don’t necessarily suit their business. It has also lead some to register unique domains by taking the name of any existing third-level domain and adding different symbols to mimic popular companies. This is a strategy often employed by scam artists and malicious code writers looking to compromise visitors.

Availability

Domain names are widely available these days, typically sold by companies known as registrars and even web hosting providers. The price for a domain varies from company to company but the cost is significantly cheaper than past times. Well known domain registrars such as GoDaddy may sale domains at anywhere from $5 to $10 per year while a web hosting company might offer a free domain and registration for purchasing a monthly plan.

With so many companies offering service, buying a domain is easy, though you may not always get the name you want. If you have something clever it mind, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to secure it now before its no longer on the market.

Many people simply do not understand the importance of a good domain name. Those who do are struck with the harsh reality that a vast majority of the good domains have already been registered. If you are running a website, not only will your domain be prevalent in the internet world, but in print as well. It acts as your identity, and is an integral part of any branding strategy. If you have made the decision to try and establish yourself online, taking the time to find a good domain is an absolute must.

What makes a good domain? The following tips should sum it all up for you.

Memorable

A domain name isn’t serving its purpose if no one can remember it. Sure, it would be ideal if everyone bookmarked their favorite websites, but the fact is that most people do not. For this reason, it is best to choose a domain that resonates and makes an impact. Avoid complexity by keeping the name straightforward and easy to remember.

Short and Sweet

While the experts say that a good domain should be no more than 20 characters long, 10 is even better. Having a long domain name will only complicate matters. Short and sweet is the key here because if you go over the 20 character mark, you could end up burying yourself in the deep dark corners of the web.

A Good Extension

Extensions or TLDs (Top Level Domains) represents the three letters that come after your primary name. There are several extensions available including .com, .net, .biz, .org and the list goes on. Keep in mind that some extensions are reserved for certain entities. For example, .gov is reserved for government sites will .mil is for the military. As the most popular extension, .com is what you should strive for. If you can’t find this TLD, then .net would be the next best alternative.

Spelling

When choosing a domain, try to stay away from names that are difficult to spell. Many people are not good at spelling, thus, if you pick something more complex, your potential visitors could end up at a competitor’s site.

Avoid the Flash

One of the worst things you can do is try to glamorize your domain with fancy symbols. After all, most web surfers don’t pay attention to symbols anyway, so even if you do pick something that is memorable, your over zealousness could still lead them to another site.

Be Unique

A good domain name is one that is unique, very descriptive and tells a story in just a few characters. What this means is that the name should instantly strike a cord with visitors and potential customers by giving them an idea of what to expect. For example, if the website revolves around your business, using your business name for the domain would be a good idea. If you are marketing yourself rather than a brand, don’t hesitate to go with your given name. Besides, you have a much better chance of securing a domain under your own name than anything else.