What's In A Domain Name?
Contributed by Elaine Landau
If only William Shakespeare was around today to ask that question about domain names. He’d probably come up with some good ones. But, since Bill isn’t here, and you need a name for your web site now, maybe some of these thoughts will help.
- Although working online is second nature to you, some people do not have basic computer education or basic Internet training. Some take a free Internet lesson. Keep that in mind when choosing a web name. If your name will only appeal to computer geeks and the Internet savvy, you are definitely limiting the number of people who might want to visit your site.
- Come up with a list of names that best reflect you and your business. Do not come up with one and fall in love with it. Chances are that your first choice may not be available. There are more than 18 million domain names that have already been taken.
- Choose a name that includes a benefit the consumer will expect from your web site. JoesCrows.com will tell the consumer that this site may be for bird lovers. ExoticWings.com adds a little romance and helps the consumer visualize the glorious plumage of the birds offered on your site.
- Letters, numbers, and hyphens, oh my! Those are the only characters you can use in domain names. Any other symbols, spaces, or special characters are not allowed.
- Domain names are case sensitive. JoesCrows.com is not the same as joescrows.com.
- If your company name has a hyphen in it, register a domain name with a hyphen and without a hyphen. Your customers may or may not remember the hyphen. In either case, they will be able to find your site.
- Dot com or don’t bother. Most web browsers will default to the popular dot com domain names. Try to register a domain name with the dot com. Then you may want to register the name with many extensions such as dot net, dot org, and dot cc to cover your bases.
- You get what you pay for. In this case, there are those who think registering for a free domain name is very cost-effective. Well, you may not put out any money for the name, but you will never know how many consumers you lost because of that choice. Free domain names tend to be longer and harder to remember. With the word “free” in the name, that may be sending a subconscious message to the consumer that your domain isn’t really worth visiting. Free domain name sites are littered with annoying pop-up ads and often, are never even on the radar of the Search Engines.
- Pick a domain name first, and then develop your web site. Because domain names are being plucked right and left every minute of the day, it is best to secure your domain name before spending a lot of time on your web site. Simply secure the name to be used in the future.
- Keep your domain name easy to remember. Short and simple wins the race every time. Understand that you are entering the global market; so if your name is spelled differently in different countries, try to secure all differently spelled versions of your domain name.
- Registering your domain name is a vital step. There is a fee to buy a domain name and a required amount of time (possibly two years) that the domain name is yours.
- As soon as you have registered your domain name, be sure it is repeated on your letterhead, signage, business card, and just about everywhere you think your customers will see it.
- If the name you want is already taken, the party that owns it may be willing to resell it. Reselling domain names is actually a burgeoning business. It might be worth exploring if the domain name is really dynamic.
One last thought, some search engines still display domain names in alphabetical order. If zzzzylo.com is still available, there’s a good reason.
About the Author:
Elaine Landau is a freelance writer, publicist, web site editor, and television writer with more than 15 years of experience in marketing, advertising, and publicity.
This article is intended for general informational purposes and does not provide legal or other professional advice. All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. Please read our disclaimer for additional terms and conditions governing access to and use of this article. |
|
