The Importance of a Good Domain Name

Every business with a website needs a good domain name. Choosing a good domain name is the first step in creating a successful online presence for your business. Considering that a top level domain name costs under $20 a year, it is a small investment for something that will affect how your company is perceived on the Internet. A good domain name is the same as having a good physical location for your business. Both can affect the amount of visitors that you receive and make it easy for these visitors to refer others to your location.

Domain names are the easy to remember representation of your websites numerical IP address. A domain name server (DNS) is used to translate a domain name into the numerical address of a websites page. A domain name can be obtained by using a domain name registrar company. An accredited domain name registrar is allowed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to assign top level domain names to their customers. The most common top level domains in the United States are .com, .net, .info, and .org.

The most common top level domain for a commercial business is .com, followed by .net. The .info suffix usually denotes an information only site. A .org suffix usually denotes a website run by a non-profit organization, school or other such entity.

Choosing a domain name should be done carefully. Changing your domain name after your website is established is not recommended. You will lose customers that have bookmarked your website and links to your site will no longer be valid.

Domain names can contain up to 67 characters, but you should try to use as few characters as possible. Longer domain names are harder for your potential visitors to remember and spell properly. Ideally, your domain name should reflect the name of your business in seven characters or less.

Short domain names are easier to market. Your domain name should not require two lines on a business card. Consider how your domain name will look and sound in all forms of marketing. Domain names are not case sensitive. What looks good as separate words may form brand new words when written as a website address. Do not make the same mistake as Therapist Finder. The name is excellent, you know you can locate a therapist at this website. However therapistfinder, written as a domain name in print advertising can scare visitors away. Say your potential domain name out loud. It should be clear and easy to understand both on the telephone and in radio commercials and other audible marketing.

Unique, fun names are also memorable. Google and Yahoo are perfect examples. Neither name suggests that the website is a search engine, but both names are instantly recognizable. Pairing two unrelated words together such as GoDaddy can also produce a memorable domain name. These companies have spent a substantial amount of time and money for marketing. If you are unable to do so, select a domain name that reflects the nature of your business.

Your domain name choice should be appealing to your target customers. Including keywords in your domain name is an excellent way to let potential customers know that you offer the product or service that they are searching for. For example, a business serving a limited geographic area can include their location in their domain name. A keyword rich domain name can also give you a slight boost in search engine results if your websites content reflects your choice of keywords.

Most website owners prefer a .com address if their desired name is available. Many potential visitors will try your company name, followed by .com as a means of accessing your website. A .com name also implies that your business is well established and has had a presence on the web for a long time.

Your domain name registrar will offer other suffix choices if your desired .com name is not available. They may also offer the plural of your name as a choice, a similar sounding name or a hyphenated version of your desired domain name..

Using hyphens in your domain name is not recommended. Hyphens are often forgotten by visitors typing or otherwise mentioning your website address. Potential visitors may end up at another website with the same name that did not use hyphens in their domain name.

If you are determined to have an unavailable domain name, the owner of your desired domain name may be willing to sell it to you. Type the domain name into your web browser. Domain names purchased for profit may be parked. A parked domain will most likely have links to companies that are related to the domain name. There will be and an offer to sell the domain name with a link to a company that specializes in selling domain names.

Your desired domain name may be taken but not being used at all. The current owner may have simply forgotten that they purchased the name, or they may no longer need a domain name. The WHOIS database is a list of every domain name on the Internet. It lists the name and address of each domain name owner. This information is free and available to anyone. You can contact the owner of the domain name and see if they are willing to sell the name to you.

Purchasing both the .com and .net versions of your desired domain name is recommended. If your business becomes successful, owning as many versions of your domain name as possible will keep others from trying to capitalize on your good name. It is possible to have several domain names that point to your website, so purchase any typical misspellings of your domain names also.

A memorable and easy to spell domain name is highly desirable. A good domain name is one that can be easily spelled correctly after hearing it spoken one time. Don't use trendy spelling substitutions in your domain name such as kewl for cool.

Once you have your desired domain name, hold on to it. Keep good records of where your domain name is registered and note the expiration date of your name. Unethical domain name registrars will use the WHOIS database to find domain names about to expire and send a renewal notice to you. In your haste not to lose your domain name, you may find that you have renewed your name with another domain name registrar. Domain theft can occur in the same manner. You may receive an email stating your domain name registration is about to expire. By clicking on a link provided, you may be transferring your domain name to another party instead of renewing the name. Always renew your domain name through your original domain name registrars' website.