Things to Consider Before Choosing a Domain Name</h1> <article> <h1>Things to Consider Before Choosing a Domain Name</h1> <p>MySolutionSpot Editor — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:39:20 GMT</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">Establishing an online presence for your company is vital in today’s competitive business world. The marketing opportunities available via the Internet are endless, and brick-and-mortar businesses are increasingly being supplemented or replaced by online e-commerce stores. With so much of today’s business being conducted through the Internet, one thing is clear: In a sink or swim world, businesses without an online presence are taking a huge risk.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">One important factor in setting up a successful website is choosing the right <a href="http://www.networksolutions.com/domain-name-registration/index.jsp">domain name</a>. Your domain name can be just about anything you want, but for optimum results, there are a few guidelines you should follow. The main thing to keep in mind is to choose a domain that’s easy—easy to obtain, easy to remember, easy to spell, and easy to type. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">Before you do anything, research potential domain names to see what is available. Since there are so many domain names being used today, this is the easiest way to narrow your list down to fewer choices. Also avoid using anything too similar to anything that is copyrighted or trademarked. The more uniquely-yours the domain name, the better chances you’ll have of branding your business in the future. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">The next thing to decide is which domain (.com, .net, .us, .biz, etc.) you want to use. The most popular of these is obviously .com. Because of its popularity, however, the .com domain names can sometimes be more expensive than the others. If the .com version of your preferred domain name is available, great; however, if someone already has the .com version, you might want to avoid that domain name completely. The other website, not yours, could end up receiving a lot of the traffic you’ve worked hard to achieve. To further avoid this problem, it is not a bad idea to find a domain name with .com, .net, and other domains available for purchase. Purchasing multiple versions of your site will help assure that no one will mistake someone else’s site for yours because of a domain mix-up.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">Try to choose a domain name that is either exactly the same or very similar to your site name (for example, “Jill Rafalowski’s Website” could use the domain name JillRafalowski.com or JillRafalowskisWebsite.com). It is often easiest to first find a domain name and then choose a site name. A domain name that includes some of your website’s keywords is also great for search engine visibility. Strive to pick a domain name that is descriptive and relevant to what your website offers. Although there are plenty of websites whose domain and site names have little relevance to their services, this option may not work for everyone. Often these companies fuel their websites through expensive mass-advertising campaigns that help their websites gain public recognition. While irrelevant yet catchy domain names work for some, not all companies can fit the needed aggressive advertising into their budgets right away. For a smaller company, its best to choose a domain name that lets prospective visitors know what kind of site they will be entering without any research.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">Always keep in mind how your domain name will be typed out. Funky spelling can be attractive and catchy, but your potential visitors could easily forget your spelling varations and search for a domain name using the traditional spelling. If your store name or site name contains punctuation, such as hyphens between words, consider leaving these out of your domain name. Typing punctuation when entering a domain address into a web browser can be awkward, and since hyphens are only seen and not heard, many people will forget to include them. Avoid using an acronym as your domain name unless the acronym is commonly known or is used more often than the full name. Odds are, if your business is small or only known throughout a small region, your acronym will not be very well-known in the global Internet world. Short domain names are great, but acronyms can be difficult to remember if the full name is more commonly used. When it comes down to choosing between a longer name and a short yet unknown acronym, often the longer name will prove to be more successful. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:small;">The above guidelines are just a start as to how to find a domain name for your new website. Try not to rush the process, and gather input from your business colleagues and friends. Finding a domain name may seem like a difficult task, but if you keep your options open and think creatively, the perfect domain name will make its way onto your website.</span></p> <p> </p> </article> </main></body></html>