Domain Name Information

Domain Name - How To Pick One


Picking a domain name should be easy, right? Why, I'll just use my business name. Not so fast, Sparky. A good bit of thought should be given to selecting a domain name.

A Cautionary Note

Picking a domain name is like getting married. You are going to have to stick with it till the bitter end. People that use your site will come to know it by the domain name. Repeat visitors will often simply type in the domain name to get to the site, better known as "type in traffic". As an example, do you search for "Amazon" when you want to buy a book or do simply type in amazon.com? If Amazon were to change its domain name to Desert, there would be a lot of confusion. The same goes with your domain. Once you pick something, stick with it.

Your Choices

Well, the obvious choice is your business name, but it may not be the best. There are four significant issues to consider.

First, is there something about your business name that makes using it as a domain an unwise choice? This situation typically arises if you have a long business name or have plural words. "Halstatt's Rip'n Marketing Campaigns, Inc." is going to be a horrible domain name. Clients are going to find it difficult to type in such a domain name.

Double letter problems are a second issue that is entirely unique to the Internet. What if Sams Salon wants to use its business name as a domain? The "s" at the end of first word and beginning of the second can cause confusion. Is the domain name Samssalon.com or Samsalon.com? Confusing your users is a bad way to run a site.

The third issue concerns the nature of your site and search engine optimization. If you are shooting for a particular keyword phrase, you may be better off using that keyword phrase in your domain name. Google, for instance, looks at the domain name when evaluating a site. If the words in your domain name are spaced with dashes, many believe it will help in the ranking process. This is why you see so many xxx-xxxx-xxx.com domain names on the net. If your business focuses on a very specific area, strong consideration should be given to using relevant keywords in your domain name.

Finally, your domain name should end in ".com" and I don't want to hear any argument or see any rolling of the eyes. The simple fact is that when people think of sites, they always type in .com. Yes, there are other extensions and .us, .net, .biz, etc., may seem unique, but it kills your traffic. Pavlov and his dog experiments had it right. People have been mentally conditioned to type in .com, so don't select any other ending. If you do, a smart competitor will register the .com version of your name to get some free traffic. If you are really lucky, a porn site will do it!

Take a breath before you select a domain name. Like a spouse, it can be either a good or bad choice.

Halstatt Pires is with http://www.marketingtitan.com - an Internet marketing and advertising company comprised of a search engine optimization specialist providing meta tag optimization services and Internet marketing consultant providing internet marketing solutions through integrated design and programming services.


MORE RESOURCES:

Verizon Sues DirectNIC for Parking Expired Domain Names
Domain Name Wire (blog)
Verizon has a filed a lawsuit (pdf) against domain name registrar DirectNIC and related companies, alleging that the defendants parked expired domain names ...

and more »



Stuff.co.nz

Domain names: Will sex still sell?
Independent
In a Manhattan auction room this morning what was once the internet's most valuable domain name goes under the hammer. Potential bidders won't be allowed in ...
Sex.com auction takes a cold showerCNNMoney.com
Owner Postpones Auction For "Sex" WebsiteAHN | All Headline News
Sex.com creditors: Name too hot to be soldThe Associated Press
Hard OCP -V3.co.uk -Gothamist
all 456 news articles »


Oneindia

'Dot Com' Internet Domain Name Turns 25
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
(RFE/RL) -- Today marks the 25th birthday of the "dot com" domain name -- the address that for many people defines the Internet. On March 15, 1985, ...
25 years of .com domain namesSan Francisco Chronicle
First .Com Domain Name Turns 25-Years-OldErictric
First dotcom domain names celebrate 25 year anniversarySeekBroadband
Zee News -Coolest Gadget Reviews -Techtree.com
all 198 news articles »


TFTS (blog)

Canon set to buy .canon domain name
V3.co.uk
Canon has announced that it plans to be one of the world's first companies to have a personalised top-level domain name. At the moment internet users can ...
Fact Check: UK Registrar World's Largest New Domain Name Supplier?Domain Name Wire (blog)
UK Company Confirmed as World's Largest New Domain Name SupplierNewsBlaze
Canon aims to register the .canon domain. Will others follow suit?Downloadsquad (blog)

all 45 news articles »


Domain Name Journal

VeriSign Drops Prices on Premium .TV Domain Names
Domain Name Wire (blog)
With steep, registry-set prices for premium domain names, the potential for investment returns was essentially wiped out by the registry. ...
eNom Backs Verisign's .TV Premium Domain Price ReductionsInternet Ad Sales (press release) (blog)

all 9 news articles »


The New .CO Domain Name Is Coming!
Web Hosting and Domain Name News (blog)
According to experts at Harvard University, the new dotco domain name will soon conquer the world. The experts say it might even defeat the currently most ...



Gambling911.com

Online Gambling Can Still Be Saved ….Sort Of
Gambling911.com
An affidavit of membership in the association and ownership of an affected domain name will satisfy the court's standing requirements. ...
Kentucky Court Rules Against Gambling Groups -- For NowMediaPost Publications
IMEGA Sees Victory in Kentucky Internet Casino Domain Case RulingOnline Casino Advisory
Kentucky USA Online Gambling Domain Issue Still UnresolvedOnline-Casinos.com

all 4 news articles »


Domain Names: How to Avoid Losing Your Invaluable Web Business Assets
Noobpreneur.com (blog)
I nearly lost Noobpreneur.com domain name due to my ignorance in… renewing it! Lessons well-learned, and if you DON'T want to lose your web assets, ...
Vigilance required to counter domain drop listsLexology (registration)

all 2 news articles »


Canon looks to cash in on liberalised domain name regime
Global Gold Internet Services
"Canon hopes to globally integrate open communication policies that are intuitive and easier to remember compared with existing domain names such as ...

and more »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006