Domain Names

Your domain name is the center of your Internet identity. So what type of things should you take into consideration when choosing the name that will represent you on the Web? Here are 8 quick tips you want to take into consideration:

1. Keep it short

Although you can now register a name with up to 63 characters, you have to keep in mind that people need to be able to remember it, and easily type it into their browser. Try to register the shortest name that your customers and visitors will associate with your Website. The general rule of thumb is, keep it under ten characters if possible. (Not including the suffix.)

2. Dot What?

There are many different extensions available right now. For businesses, we recommend a .com suffix. It is the first extension that most people try when searching for a Website. Also, since it is one of the oldest extensions, .com shows that your business has been around for a while and that you have a well-established presence on the Web.

3. Avoid Trademarked Names

There are two really good reasons for this. First, it’s not very nice. We have all heard the stories about the lucky guy who thought ahead and bought "some-huge-multi-million-dollar-company.com" and sold it to the company for enough money to retire on. But, remember that those companies, like yours, have spent lots of time and money creating their brand, and what goes around comes around. Also, companies are no longer opening their pocketbooks to get their names back. They are calling their lawyers.

4. Register Your Domain NOW

Domain names are being snatched up faster than candy at the St. Patrick’s Day parade. You must register soon unless you want to get stuck with "the-domain-name-that-no-one-wanted.net". You do not have to have a Webmaster or an ecommerce department or a Web design consultant or... Heck, you don’t even need a Web page. Just get out there and register before you loose the opportunity to get the name you really want.

5. One May Not Be Enough

Sometimes, it isn’t a bad idea to register several similar domain names. If you have "yourname.com", register "yourname.net" so no one else takes it. You can register your full company name and a shorter, easier to remember version. Some people even register common misspellings of their company’s name. (You don’t need a separate Web page for each. Several domains can point to the same Website.)

6. Character Types

Just a reminder. Domain names can only use letters, numbers, and dashes. Spaces and symbols are not allowed. Also, domain names are not case sensitive, mydomain.com is the same as MyDomain.com

7. Ask Around

When you have settled on several available name choices, see what your friends and clients have to say. A name that may make perfect sense to you may be too hard for other people to remember. Is your domain easy to say? Is it hard to spell? Do you have to explain why you chose the name?

8. Don’t Shell Out Large Amounts of $$$

At one time, companies were able to get away with charging reservation fees plus a "mandatory" $70 InterNIC fee. This has now changed completely. There are so many companies registering domain names, you should be able to get a good bargain. Active-Domain offers one of the lowest price you could find, on top of the free services you get which most companies are charging extra fee for them. Don't just look at the price, see what other features you get with your domain. You shouldn't have to paying anything extra for email/web redirection and even subdomains.

And remember, if you think that if you have found the right domain name, but you're not quite sure if it's the one... register it anyway before someone else does!

1. Think of as many keywords and key phrases as you can.

These are what people will use to find your website. Phrases are usually better, much better than single words alone. You can now register domain names up to 67 characters that are rich in keywords and dramatically increase your ranking on search engines. Search engines love domain names that describe the site and are loaded with keywords. For example, 123-domain-name-registration.com. You can use the "123-" part to get better placement by those search engines who sort alphabetically. Also notice that the words "domain name", and "registration" are keywords that have been proven to be the most widely used in our business.

2. You're looking for a domain name for a new website.

Start by noting down what your site will be about, in a paragraph or two. Then condense this description into a maximum of 2 sentences. Don't worry about covering all the details - just make sure you're addressing the essentials of what the site will be about.

Now take your short description, and underline all the "key" words that describe your site. Let's take a specific example:

"Our website will be the leading source of information on weaving and knitting, providing knitting patterns and design ideas, an introduction to weaving, a guide to selecting and caring for looms, and a store for people to buy wool, yarn and books."

Now try to come up with a domain name that either addresses the one fundamental concept of the site, or that marries two or more key concepts in a single name.

In our example: weavingandknitting.com, knittingandweaving.com, knittingpatterns.com, knittingworld.com, weavingworld.com, etc.

Once you've drawn up a short-list of domain names to "test" for availability, it's time to look up our domain name search program.

If you're having difficulty coming up with useful domain name combinations from your keywords, try a single keyword and add prefixes or suffixes. Not all prefixes and suffixes are appropriate in all situations - use your judgment when deciding which to add.

Common Prefixes	Common Suffixes
e, e-, my, i, i-, the, online, net, web, internet, hot, cool, our, your	world, links, site, web, net, resource, business, company, corp, inc, shop, store, mall, search, directory, guide

If you have a budget for your new domain name, then you need not be restricted to available, unregistered domain names. You may be able to buy the perfect domain name off its current owner. Most sales take place for a few hundred to ten thousand dollars or more, although some have been known to reach 7 figures for extremely desirable domains.

3. You're looking for a domain name for an existing website.

In the case that you're looking to buy a domain name for a website that is already up and running, your options will be more limited than if you're starting from scratch.

First, have you already been operating the site under a clearly-recognizable "name" or "title"? Even if your site is hosted on cheap space at an ISP, or on a free host, you may have given it a short title in large letters (or in a logo). This is the obvious place to start when looking for a domain name.

If your site's name (as given in its title) is very generic, you may well find one (or many) other sites already using it - and the corresponding domain name(s) long since gone. In that case, you have to decide whether you will make a bid to buy the domain name you want, look for an alternative extension (such as .org or .net) or use the brainstorming ideas mentioned earlier.

4. New rules for 67 character domain names.

This could present a tremendous opportunity in more ways than one.

Because the rules have changed, you can register names up to 67 characters long. This is including the .com or .net or .org. The old rule limited you to 23 characters.

What does this mean to you? Right now there is an opportunity to make some big money in a short period of time with a little investment. Why? Because you can register names today in hopes of selling them for big profits tomorrow. You have probably heard of this before, well now it's happening again. For example, business.com has been sold for 7.5 million dollars! Do some brainstorming and register these names while you still can. Here are some of the reasons:

You can register domain names that abound with your keywords and really improve ranking on the search engines. Search engines just love names that describe the web site and have lots of keywords. Not very many people know this but the search engines actually prefer names with hyphens. Most people prefer names without hyphens but nowadays everyone just searches and clicks, you don't usually have to type in the name. Besides, all the one word names are already taken.

In summary, if you want to appeal to the search engines make sure you use hyphens and if you want to appeal to the average person surfing the web do not use hyphens. But do you know what the easiest way to guarantee success is? Register both! There is no better way to ensure that you are getting as many visitors as possible than by registering the URL with hyphens and the same URL without.

You can register a name that is better than what you have now. Maybe your present domain name ends with a .net or .org. You can get a .com name which will be better for your business. If possible, by all means register the .com name first, follow by .net and/or .org.

If you now have a .net or .org, you are losing visitors and losing business. Almost everyone remembers .com before .net or .org and that's a fact. Even most browsers will default to .com if the extension is not entered. A good .com name will always prevail and pay for itself time and time again. Ask any of the experts.

Next, check if your domain name is available. If the name is available, you should seriously consider registering it now.