Choosing a Domain Name to Register
When it comes to choosing website names, people are plagued with questions like: Should I use my Company Name? Should I choose a name that will get lots of direct requests? Should I register my name with dashes or without? Should I get a dot-com or a dot-net? Indeed you may wish to register more than one name. Choosing a Domain Name – Domain Names Choice
With thousands of new domain names being registered each month in the United States alone, choosing a domain name is one of the most important aspects of your business strategy. When it comes to choosing a domain name, people are plagued with questions like: Should I use my Company Name? Should I choose a name that will get lots of direct requests? Should I register my domain with dashes or without? Should I get a dot-com or a dot-net? Indeed you may wish to register more than one domain name. Here we will endeavor to discuss the pros and cons of registering different types of domain names.
Should I use my Company Name or Brand Name for my Domain?
If you have an established company that is well known and respected, (even if only locally so) then you should register your company name as your domain name. This will make it easier for people who are already familiar with your business to remember your web site address.
If you are a new business starting out exclusively on the Internet or without an established name, then finding a catchy domain name is an ideal way to start branding your company. You can choose a domain name which is short and easily remembered by visitors and prospective clients who will be coming into contact with your company’s advertising.
What makes an effective domain name?
A name that is easily memorized, or recalled and is not too long will be an effective domain name. The longer the domain name is the more likely it is that your customers may make errors when typing the name into the browser. The domain name can be either your company’s trading name or as is becoming popular now, a name to reflect your products or services e.g. (if you sell air conditioners then airconditioners.com would be suitable). Choose a domain name that will look professional on company literature and fit in with your company’s corporate identity.
Should I choose a keyword rich domain name?
Effective keyword rich domain names can help to brand your site. When purchasing a domain name, perhaps you should take into consideration the buying of a key word rich domain which will communicate to your customers the types of products or services you provide. It is now widely believed that a keyword-rich domain name may provide a slight advantage to a website’s search engine rankings. One of the reasons why keyword rich domains are sometimes recommended is becausemany of the search engines use "links" as a factor when deciding waht keywords most appertain ti your specific website. The most common anchor text that will be used when linking to your site is your domain name and the anchor text is of vital importance to search engine rankings.
Can I register more than one domain name for a single web site?
Yes, you can have as many domain names as you like and use them all as aliases for the same site. We can even arrange for a domain name to point to a particular page on the website. Provided your domain name is registered with us there are no additional charges for domain aliases. You are allowed to have as many aliases as you like. We make domain name registration easy for you!
Should I choose a domain name that will get lots of direct requests?
Firstly we should define a direct request. A direct request is where you type the domain name of the site you want to visit directly into your browser, rather than following a link from a search engine or another site.
Yes you should choose to register a domain name that will get lots of direct requests. And naturally if you have an established brand or company you should also register your company name as a domain name.
Should I register my domain name with dashes, hyphens or without?
If you can afford to, then register both permutations. E.G. my-domain.com and mydomain.com. Generally you should be guided by what is easier to read. For Example: "bicycle-engineers.com" is easy to read but bicycleengineers.com is more difficult to read because of the double ‘e’ that appears when you join the two words. If your name contains more than one word and putting the words together would create a double letter, (particularly double vowels,) then consider separating them with a dash so that the domain name can be read more easily.
Hyphens do help to clarify a domain name that has more than one word in it. Hyphens are "read" as a space by some search engines. If you separate the keywords in your domain name with hyphens, the search engines will be able to read them more easily and your page could rank a little higher on relevance. If you are going to register a domain name that is hyphenated it could also benefit you to register the name as un-hyphenated – the theory being that some of your potential visitors may forget that your name has hyphens incorporated and type the unhyphenated name into either the search engine or their browser. If you have registered both permutations – then you will of course catch all your potemtial site visitors
Should I get a dot-com or a .net?
Dot-com domains are very popular and usually it is advisable to register both the dot-com and the dot.net if they are both available.
You are not limited to the standard 3 extension anymore, there are many other extensions to choose from. Here follows a little detail about some of these.
Generic Domains – Not Regionally Specific
| .com |
Commercial web sites the world over have adopted this extension and its still the most sought after. If you can a dot-com should be the first choice for any commercial web site.
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| .net |
Originally indented for Network Service Providers such as ISP’s or telecommunications companies, the dot-net domain extension gained popularity as a second choice for a dot-com and recently it is a fact that if the name you are seeking is not available as a.com, then a.net name is a good alternative.
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| .org |
This extension was intended for non-profit making organisations, a convention that has been reasonably well respected. You should only choose a dot-org if you are indeed a non-profit organisation.
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| .biz |
Due to the diminishing number of short catchy dot-com and dot.net domains this new extension was introduced.
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| .info |
Another domain extension, intended for information service providers such as portals and general information sites.
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Which extension should I choose?
Generally it’s advisable to get a Generic (None regionally specific) Domain as they are the most prevalent. However, if you only trade locally or nationally a good fall back is always your local country level domain.
How many Domain name variations should I register? e.g. .com .net
You should buy as many variations of your domain name as possible, to prevent competitors following in your footsteps.
Use different domain names – websites in order to target specific niche audiences.
Operating multiple niche websites can work better than having a broad range in one store It is possible that your business may grow into different areas of interest, or even change tack altogether. For this reason, it may be an idea not to make your domain name too specific to one area of your expertise.
Spelling Mistakes for Domain Names
Some people register the same domain but include common spelling mistakes and typing errors in order to capture as large an audience as possible.
Do I Need a Separate Website for every Domain Name I register?
You don’t need a separate website for each domain name that you register. Your web host provider can asssist you in arranging that several domain names are easily be forwarded to the same website. If this is done in the correct way – there will be no detriment to your web sites rankings in the search engines. One domain name is your primary domain.
