There are several companies that keep records of the names of websites or domain names so that you can check that your great idea for a website name is unique.
About the best one is www.BetterWhois.com. Any name you think up needs to checked there before you go ahead and try to buy it.
In fact you cannot really buy a domain name-when you try and do so you will be asked to choose how many years you want it for! In other words all we can really do is rent the right to call our website by a particular unique name. After that period anybody else can jump in and use that name.
The first time you do this you probably want to just register your domain name for a year because it costs less.
However...There is reason to believe that search engines look at how long a domain name has been bought for 1 year, 2, years, 5 years etc. as part of the way they estimate the importance of a website.
It is only natural for a search engine to reckon that a domain name booked for 5 or 10 years is much more serious and possibly worthwhile than a domain booked for 1 year. So do not over estimate this but book your domain for more than a year if you can. Most companies will automatically renew your domain name for you at the end of the booking period. so that you do not lose it. This is something you MUST check!
If you want a little help choosing a good domain name try www.enom.com and www.nameboy.com. These sites have useful suggestions tools in choosing and inventing domain names. You may find most of the names you think of are taken. This is what everybody finds and you just have to plug away until you get a good one.
So should you book or buy your domain name now? Probably not unless you have done your keyword research
Tips on Choosing A Domain Name
1. Only book a dot com. Absolutely avoid .net, .info .org etc
2. Make the name obvious to your niche. For example golfing-girls.com, or home-decor-for-men.com, Confederate-Coins.com is the kind of thing you can do.
The hyphens are just there to make it easier for people to read, your domain name may not need them. It is best to book both versions of your domain name-with and without hyphens. For Example www.Online-Income.com and www.OnlineIncome.com
3 Book you domain for more than a year
4. One of the easiest places to buy and one of the cheapest is godaddy.com. Follow the suggestion on the godaddy website to register your domain
5. Check from time to time that the credit card number you use to allow automatic renew to function is OK as regards expiration date!
A website that is founded on sound market research is going to be making you money for years. A decent domain name can help. But it is your whole marketing and sales process which produces results.
A good domain name is worth a few hours or even a few days thought but after that just make a decision to go for a less than perfect domain name. A rose by any other name DOES smell as sweet.
Domain Name For Website
It can be a complicated task when deciding to create a website; but selecting the correct domain name is even more complicated. More traffic can be driven to your website with a good domain name, and a not so good domain name can cause an inactive website. The purpose of your own website is to effectively represent your purpose, whether it is personal or business. Once your website has been created, you should and must register your own domain name.
So what exactly is a domain name?
A domain name is a unique alphanumeric name which identifies your website on the World Wide Web. A domain name includes a maximum length of 67 characters, which includes the 0 to 9 numbers, English alphabet composed of 26 letters, and the hyphens. However, it is not possible to use hyphens at the beginning or end of a domain name, only within the name.
Suffixes are included in domain names, which are referred to a Top Level Domain (TLD). These TLD's are based on the category of organization that they are related to. Listed below are several of the most popular TLD's:
- com for commercial business domain
- edu for education institution
- gov for government agency
- net for commercial network
- org for nonprofit organizations
Because identity is given to a website through the domain name, selecting the correct one can be a rather complicated task. The key is to select a name that is simple to remember, search engine optimization friendly, and essentially a domain name that refers to the content or products and services that you are providing on your website. Ultimately, the selection of the correct domain name can make or break you.
Do's and Don'ts of selecting a Domain Name
Of course, your websites content should be reflected in your domain name. If you sell shirts, then do not select a domain name such as pants. This will only confuse visitors and make no sense at all.
As mentioned above, a domain name should be easy to remember. Never select a name that is too long. Think about which one is better:
However, after saying this, a short name is also not advisable. This is because a short name will not give as much impact in driving traffic to your website. Attempt to purchase a domain name with few keywords that are relevant to your websites content. Again, think about which is better:
- yourshirts, or
- shirt
Incorporating keywords when selecting a domain name with assist you, because this will give higher search engine results. When selecting a domain name of yourshirts, the fact that the website is about shirts is immediately recognized. However, when selecting a domain name of yoursite, gives no indication as to what the website is about, which will loose you potential website traffic.
Both Alex Newell & Kevin Sinclair are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Alex Newell has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet, SEO Search Engine Optimization and Affiliate Programs. Alex Newell taught Information Technology in a Community College in London, UK for many years and is now teaching Newbies to Internet Business how to shorten their learning curve to make a living online. Alex Newell's top article generates over 1900 views. to your Favourites.
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