Purchasing Domain Names
All new website ventures online include a domain name. Sometimes the domain is purchased from a domain broker - someone who specializes in reselling domain names. Most of the time, however, it will be registered through a domain registrar such as godaddy or venuecom. No matter how it is purchased, in all cases, the domain name (or names) for a website should be carefully considered. The basis of the marketing for the website will be the domain name chosen.
There are four basic steps to follow to ensure a marketable name for your site. When choosing and registering a domain name for a new website, follow them every time and you'll have successful domains every time.
Step #1: Choose a name. Choosing a name may be as easy as "your business name dot com" or it may be more difficult (especially if you have a common name for your business). In all cases, your business' name should be your number one pick for your domain name. If your business name is difficult to spell easily, try to register misspellings of it as well.
Step #2: Make a list of words or short phrases that have something to do with your business. Six to ten of these are good to start. Once you have the list, remove all of the ones that have more than twenty characters in them (this keeps them short). Then create new additions to your list by replacing empty spaces with "-" and "_" characters. Finally, compress the spaced words into one word. Now that you have this list, prioritize it by numbering the entries from 1 to 10.
Step #3: Check for domain availability. Go to any domain registrar and enter the domains in the order they are numbered on your list. Cross out any names on your list that aren't available. Once you're finished, you should have a short list of available, good domains for your business.
Step #4: Register your domain. Domain registrars are all over the Web with varying prices and services. A good registrar is worth any extra money that may be spent since a registrar going out of business could easily cause headaches and nightmares for you.
There are four basic steps to follow to ensure a marketable name for your site. When choosing and registering a domain name for a new website, follow them every time and you'll have successful domains every time.
Step #1: Choose a name. Choosing a name may be as easy as "your business name dot com" or it may be more difficult (especially if you have a common name for your business). In all cases, your business' name should be your number one pick for your domain name. If your business name is difficult to spell easily, try to register misspellings of it as well.
Step #2: Make a list of words or short phrases that have something to do with your business. Six to ten of these are good to start. Once you have the list, remove all of the ones that have more than twenty characters in them (this keeps them short). Then create new additions to your list by replacing empty spaces with "-" and "_" characters. Finally, compress the spaced words into one word. Now that you have this list, prioritize it by numbering the entries from 1 to 10.
Step #3: Check for domain availability. Go to any domain registrar and enter the domains in the order they are numbered on your list. Cross out any names on your list that aren't available. Once you're finished, you should have a short list of available, good domains for your business.
Step #4: Register your domain. Domain registrars are all over the Web with varying prices and services. A good registrar is worth any extra money that may be spent since a registrar going out of business could easily cause headaches and nightmares for you.
