Article by Russ Tyndall Jr.
Often the most overlooked, yet most important part of building a website and getting it online is deciding on the right domain name. If your site is a personal blog or you are not concerned with anyone finding your site on the internet, these suggestions may not apply to you, but if you are a business and are trying to get customers to your site or you want your website to be visible in the major search engines, you may want to read on.
Timing
A domain name is also known as a “Uniform Resource Locator” or URL for short. When it comes to picking the right domain name, timing is critical! If you have found something that you want, purchase it right away otherwise you run the risk of loosing it to someone else. Even if you end up sitting on the domain and not turning it into an active website, you own it and nobody else can claim rights to it. Also, if there are other variations of your chosen name that are available, you may want to consider purchasing those as well. Nearly all hosting companies allow for multiple domain hosting and those URLs that may not be your primary web address can easily be redirected to your primary website.
Use Keywords that Apply to your Site
Brainstorm a list of words and phrases that describe what your business does and what your site is about. Spend some time on this list and make it as long as possible. Once you have your keywords identified, start placing them together in different combinations until you identify the best ones that work for you.
Domain Types
If you want to generate business from your website or want visitors to land on your page, always try and stick with the .com suffix. The internet community at large, hasn’t really embraced the .net, .org or .biz approach with open arms yet, and the average internet user still thinks the .com name is all there really is! While the .com names are often the hardest to get simply because they are the most well known for commercial sites, that’s not to say all is lost. Your creative work in brainstorming those keywords that will make up your domain name will pay off for you if you pick the right name. Don’t be derailed if you find your first, second, or even third choice is already taken. Keep at it! Once you have found your primary .com name, you can always purchase other matching domain suffixes to protect your online corporate identity if you so desire.
Make it Unique and Avoiding Copyright Infringement
Make your name stand apart from those already out there if at all possible. Simply making an existing name plural, adding hyphens, etc. spell disaster by causing nothing more than confusion. Also avoid picking a name that has been copyrighted, as you could end up with avoidable legal problems! Copyright.gov has a great search tool available!
Brand Yourself
Select a domain name that identifies who you are. As an example of branding, I’ll use two existing career related sites; monster.com and careerbuilder.com. Which of the two do you think has done a better job of branding with regard to domain name selection? If you’ve guessed the latter you guessed correctly. Monster.com is a great site nonetheless, but let’s face it monster can also mean cable products, energy drinks, or those pesky little things under kid’s beds!
Shorter is BetterKeep your domain name as short as possible. Lengthy domains, especially those with lots of words are difficult to remember. Some search engine optimization experts even advocate using the most easiest typed characters on the keyboard and avoiding those that are sometimes difficult to type with clumsy fingers like p, q, w, z, and x.
Selecting a Domain with Web Hosting
Sometimes it may be advantageous to establish your domain name at the same time you select a web hosting plan from a reputable company. There are numerous web host providers available and many of them will often provide a free domain name just for signing up with them. Usually when you buy your domain with the hosting company, you are locked in with them. If you ever decide to leave your hosting provider to go with someone else, you usually have to jump through a few extra hoops to get the domain released to your sole control. If this is a concern of yours, I would recommend not getting your domain from the same company you choose to host your website. You can find more information along with a variety of web hosting providers for you to review at http://bestwebhostingdeals.net.
Making the Final Decision
The final decision in domain name selection is ultimately yours to make. These suggestions above are just that – suggestions. We encourage you to do as much brainstorming and as much research as possible so you can maximize your profit. Always remember you don’t necessarily have to host your domain with the company you buy it from.
Russ Tyndall Jr. is an Internet Consultant, Web Designer, and Business Marketing Professional. He has launched several highly successful start-up business in the Phoenix, AZ area. Russ Tyndall Jr. operates several websites including his own web design firm, http://russtyndalldesigns.com and a web hosting marketing site, http://webhostservicedirectory.com.