Electric Patio Heater
Wedding Invitations
Domain Name Information

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.


MORE RESOURCES:


MSN Philippines News

Domain names: Will sex still sell?
Independent
In a Manhattan auction room this morning what was once the internet's most valuable domain name goes under the hammer. Potential bidders won't be allowed in ...
Sex.com auction takes a cold showerCNNMoney.com
Sex.com creditors: Name too hot to be soldThe Associated Press
Creditors Turned Off by Sex.com AuctionHard OCP
V3.co.uk -Gothamist -UPI.com
all 445 news articles »


Canon looks to cash in on liberalised domain name regime
Global Gold Internet Services
"Canon hopes to globally integrate open communication policies that are intuitive and easier to remember compared with existing domain names such as ...

and more »


TFTS (blog)

Canon set to buy .canon domain name
V3.co.uk
Canon has announced that it plans to be one of the world's first companies to have a personalised top-level domain name. At the moment internet users can ...
Fact Check: UK Registrar World's Largest New Domain Name Supplier?Domain Name Wire (blog)
UK Company Confirmed as World's Largest New Domain Name SupplierPR Newswire (press release)
Canon aims to register the .canon domain. Will others follow suit?Downloadsquad (blog)
AkihabaraNews (blog) -Geek.com
all 42 news articles »


Oneindia

'Dot Com' Internet Domain Name Turns 25
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
(RFE/RL) -- Today marks the 25th birthday of the "dot com" domain name -- the address that for many people defines the Internet. On March 15, 1985, ...
25 years of .com domain namesSan Francisco Chronicle
First .Com Domain Name Turns 25-Years-OldErictric
First dotcom domain names celebrate 25 year anniversarySeekBroadband
Zee News -Techtree.com -Coolest Gadget Reviews
all 198 news articles »


VeriSign Drops Prices on Premium .TV Domain Names
Domain Name Wire (blog)
With steep, registry-set prices for premium domain names, the potential for investment returns was essentially wiped out by the registry. ...



Law Enforcement Push for Stricter Domain Name Rules
PC World
Now it is "ridiculously easy" to register a domain name under false details, said Paul Hoare, senior manager and head of e-crime operations for the UK's ...
Alentus Corporation Launches New Domain RegistrarMarketWatch (press release)
Prevent another Parava By Mining Domain Registry ReportsDomain Name Wire (blog)
Is Verification Of Identity Going To Become A Requirement To Own A Domain?TheDomains.com (blog)
Lexology (registration) -Latest Gadgets (blog)
all 59 news articles »


DomainConsultant.com Opens Domain Name Auction
Earthtimes (press release)
This and other reasons are why the DM2 Auction comes on the heels of what has been a steady climb for domain names in value and credibility -- attracting ...

and more »


New York Daily News

three businessmen quick to jump on city domain names
New York Daily News
They don't own mansions and skyscrapers; they control domain names. Cahill, a firefighter, bought Statenisland.com for $30000 seven years ago. ...
Larry Fischer and Leland Hardy Featured in New York Daily News ArticleElliot's Blog (blog)
Owner of Newyork.com Will Make Millions When He SellsGothamist

all 6 news articles »


bit-tech.net

Microsoft argues VirnetX patents are invalid
Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog)
VirnetX's '180 patent expressly describes its technology as using "secure domain names" for establishing VPN connections between computers. ...
Microsoft Will Appeal VirnetX Ruling, $105.7M JudgmenteWeek
VirnetX is awarded $106 million in patent infringement suit against MicrosoftLos Angeles Times (blog)
Microsoft Faces Second VirnetX Patent LawsuiteWeek

all 358 news articles »

Google News

Home | Site Map |
© 2007