Choosing a Domain Name
Choosing a Domain Name
Got
your dot com?
Reading to choose a domain name for your business? Before
grabbing the first domain name that comes to mind, take
some time to carefully select your name. Your domain name
will be how people find you online. It can also serve as
a tool to boost your search engine rankings. Below are some
tips for selecting a domain name.
1. Be creative - If the name you want is taken,
try different variations of that name.
If, say for instance, UltimateShoeShop.com is taken, you
may want to try TheUltimateShoeShop.com or Ultimate-Shoe-Shop.com
or UltimateShoeShoppe.com instead.
You can also use synonyms. If The UltimateShoeShop.com
is gone, try The UltimateShoeStore.com or The UltimateShowShack.com.
Brainstorming might even help you to find a better name
than what you had originally chosen.
2. Keep it short - Make sure it's easy to say, spell,
and remember.
Ex: ABCPlumbling.com is better than ABargainCompanyPlumbing.com
3. Get the .com if it is available - People think
of .com first when they look on the web. If you buy .net
and your competition has the .com, you are risking losing
your business to them if people type the wrong extension.
4. Avoid trademark or brand names - Although you
may get a lot of initial traffic by buying a name that is
close to a major company name, visitors may not like the
deception. Additionally, you may end up with a lawsuit on
your hand.
5. Consider buying multiple domain names - You may
want to purchase a domain name with your company name,
one with keywords related to your products, one with common misspellings, one that is shorter and
easy to remember than your full company name. You can also
get one with your personal name like JaneSmith.com.
Examples of domain name variations to choose:
TerrisBabySupply.com company name
Baby-Clothes-Furniture.com keywords
TerrysBabySupply.com misspellings
TBSupply.com shorter
TerriAnderson.com name
You can park and point several domain names to point to
your main web site often with a one time fee and avoid paying
additional monthly hosting fees.
6. Choose something catchy - Choose names that have
a nice rhythm, exude a nice feeling, that make you smile.
It can act as a silent sort of "jingle" for your company.
Is my domain name available? There is an easy to use domain
availability service at: http://www.betterwhois.com/
7. Choose something at the beginning of the alphabet
or that starts with the number 1 - These domain names
will be listed frist in cases where companies are listed
alphabetically.
Ex: A1Babysupply.com or ABetterBabySupply.com
8. Buy your domain name from a reputable domain name
vendor. Watch out for bargain shops. Although you may
get a good deal from a bargain domain name vendors, watch
out! You get what you pay for. When it comes time to make
administrative changes to your domain such as switching
web hosts, or changing your contact email, address, or other
info, some of the smaller vendors bargain can make it difficult.
9. Think about getting your toll free number
NOTE: This article may not be republished without the
express permission of author, Kristie Rimmele..
Now that you know that before grabbing your dot come, you need to carefully select your domain name choice, you are ready to read the related Making Your Website Sell articles below:
Choosing
a Domain Name
Websites
with a Big
Company Look and Feel
10 Costly Web Site Mistakes
Branding
on your Website
7 Essential Web Maintenance Tips
4
Tips for Better Proofreading
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