The domain name is the address (like www.domain-name.com) most commonly used
to visit a web site. Other terms that mean practically the same thing are URL
(Universal Resource Locator) or Internet address. Domain name registration is the process
whereby you pay a fee in order to reserve a name for current or future use.
Once you register a domain name you can keep it as long as you continue to
renew it.
Selecting a domain name, or web address, is an important step in setting up a
web site. This will be a large part of your internet identify.
Here are some guidelines to help you choose the right domain names for your site:
- Do it as soon as you are ready. Don't wait for your website to be
finished, register your preferred name(s) now or someone else might. You
do not need a website to register a name, and many people register names
just for resale.
GreatDomains.com, Afternic.com & BoxDomains.com are domain name auction sites where hundreds of thousands of names are listed for sale by
resellers, eager to turn a quick profit. You can do the same, or maybe
purchase a name you really want for a few hundred dollars (plus
registration).
- The only characters that a domain name can contain are letters, numbers, and hyphens.
Domain names are not case-sensitive and will show up in most search engines
in all lower case. If you use a name with a hyphen (better for search
engines), you should also
consider getting the same name without the hyphen (better for people).
- Dot com names are still the commercial standard on the Internet. Millions of advertising dollars
are spent promoting .com names. Some web browsers will even default to
.com if no extension is given. It is always best to register the .com version of your
name if at all possible. Many people also choose to also register the
.net version of their name.
If you plan to attract visitors from outside the United States, you should
also register your country-specific domain. (i.e. .uk for United Kingdom,
.au for Australia...) Use our Multilingual Translator
or Multilingual
Registration tools for help with languages other than English.
- Pick a name that matches your business. It can be your company, your
product, or the benefit your product provides. www.TonysPizza.com
is better than www.Tonys.com because it
not only helps build name recognition but it describes your business. If you have a company name that is long or hard to spell, consider using an acronym.
Keep it as simple as you can.
- If you can get hold of a generic domain name for
your business, you have a great marketing edge. Generic names are not only easy
to remember, but visitors immediately understand what your site is
about. This is especially important if you are looking to get traffic
from search engines. The most common ones are usually taken (www.Pizza.com),
but many creative ones are available (www.MainStreet-Pizza.com)
- Domain names can now be up to sixty seven characters
in length, but the only good case of a name anywhere near that is an easy to
remember slogan (www.PeterPipersPickledPeppers.com). Most good names are as short
as possible -- domain
names that people can easily remember and just as easily type into their
browser. Very short .com names are hard to find, but many 4 and 5 character ones are still
available.
- You can have multiple domain names. Only one will be "on your
site," but as many others as you want can "point" to your
site and send any visitors directly there (they usually can not even tell).
Here is an example of how this works: www.VillageMotorsAutoSales.com
is the long business domain name that redirects to the website at www.Village-Motors.com.
Click on both and you will see that the same website is opened in both new
windows.
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