Choosing Small Business Website Names

I disagree with the comment made by some web developers that all the good domain names are taken. Search engine optimization, or seo, does not depend heavily on the www name you select. For my clients just starting out the decision choosing small business website names has never been an issue. It is a fact that all the 3 character and 4 character domain names with the key extensions are taken. Furthermore, I agree that a vast number of choice domain names are no longer available; however, the selection of a suitable www domain for your small business is possible if you remain flexible The real value in the name you choose from a search perspective is how easy it is to spell and remember. Of the two types of visitors to your site, the human visitors and search engines, the ability of a person to remember your domain name and spell it correctly to pass it on to others outweighs any SEO value. Search engines are robots and don't care.

Using words like "greatest", "best", or other exaggerated terms in your domain name is thought by some to be a disadvantage and penalized by search engines. Search algorithms change often and likewise that theory, and although you may not be penalized for using such words, consider the reaction of your human visitors. They may not stick around if they feel you boast without the content to back it up. For a serious small business commercial enterprise, my advice is avoiding adjectives in the domain name entirely.

In some cases new clients approach me to redesign an existing website, and it surprises me that some of the basics are overlooked. For example, a commercial enterprise in business for profit should not select a dot ORG domain simply because the dot COM was taken. This was the case from a conversation with a client interested in a site makeover. Their ORG version was online for two years with little or no backlinks or serious indexing from search engines. The mindset of getting one particular name should be reconsidered especially if it's your first online venture.

Here's a breakdown of the most desirable domain extensions and the usual purpose of each:

COM - Commercial for profit enterprise
INFO - Information only related website
NET - Companies providing internet services
ORG - Non-profit organizations

Certainly there are many more like BIZ, US, WS, and others which are all reasonable choices, but for your commercial small business my recommendation is always acquire a dot COM www domain name. The client mentioned earlier did not realize a dot ORG was intended for a non-commercial enterprise, and they decided the poor website SEO performance was something that justified getting a new dot COM. We easily found an available www domain using their company initials and one key word about their target market which is medical. Despite my advice that they keep the existing site and simply change the theme, they decided to just let it go when it expired.

My commercial site choice was my first and last name, and very unique at that. Using your name is okay, and expected if you're famous. There is, however, little or no value as far as keywords in my www domain to attract visitors, so is that a mistake for search engine optimization? Certainly not. The fact that I have collected more than 100 screenshots of generic phrases relative to my business that made Google page one is evidence the content, not the domain, is key.

Here's some advice to help you when choosing a new dot COM small business website domain name.

Start out with a list of about 10 domain names that you would like to have. Next, make a list of market related single word terms about what you do and the customer base you service. If your market is localized, consider geographical terms that relate to where you sell or provide services. Spend 30 minutes brainstorming to come up with the initial names and additional lists of single word terms. You may want another list of significant initials.
Next, search for "WhoIs" in Google to find free online services that keep a database of available domain names, and follow the link in the search results. Each database has a search box which allows you to input the domain name and extension. Begin with your first choice and work down the list and keep track of available names for review later. It may not be easy, so try combinations of the key terms as you continue to search, and keep in mind you want a domain name that is easy to spell and remember. By the time you're done you should have a half dozen or more available names, so take your time and select the best one, and then register the name immediately.

Tip: The domain name may not be significant for search engine optimization, but the length of your registration can be. My advice is registering domains for 2 years minimum, and 5 to 10 years if that's in your budget. Search engines consider that the length of your registration reflects your commitment to be online long term, so at today's prices 5 years is practical and should cost less than $50 USD.

There's nothing wrong with getting the dot COM domain name you want, and then registering the other major extensions that are available for the same name. If you are highly successful in your online venture, having the other extensions registered in your name prevents others from attempting to take advantage of your reputation by association. In conclusion, the concept that all the good domain names are taken is a myth. You may not get exactly what you want, but practical options are available with a little research and due diligence.

sourece: http://www.selfseo.com/story-19403.php

How to rename my domain?

Unfortunately, it is not possible to rename a domain. You can only change/replace it with another domain name.

SiteGround customers can do this following the instructions below:

1. Order a new domain. This can be done from your Customer's area -> the Order tab.

2. Change the primary domain name of your account. This can be done from your Customer's area > Manage (next to the hosting account whose primary domain you wish to change) > Primary domain name change.

You can also do this from your HelpDesk > Domain name change.

source: http://kb.siteground.com/article/How_to_rename_my_domain.html

How to change the primary domain name and keep the existing one pointed to the site?

In this case we recommend the following steps:

1. Change your primary domain from your Customer's area > Manage (next to the account whose primary domain you wish to change) > Primary domain name change > Go.

You can also change your primary domain from your Customer's area > Get support > Report a hosting related issue > Domain name change;

2. Park your old domain name in cPanel, Parked domains.

This will allow your site to work by both your old and new primary domain name.

source: http://kb.siteground.com/article/I_would_like_to_change_my_primary_domain_name_however.html

What is domain name registration

Domain name registration is the act of reserving a name on the Internet for a certain period, usually one year. It is important to know that this domain will remain yours for as long as you renew it and there is no way to purchase a domain name forever.

Domain name registration is necessary for a web site, an email or another web service. However you don't have to register always a new domain name. Many companies allow you to use subdomains from their domain names for a website or you can have an email with they primary domain (ex. yahoo.com, gmail.com).

The most important thing about a domain name registration is that it gives you personality and recognized identity. Once you register a domain name, the information about its owner is publicly available.

The price for a domain name registration varies greatly on its extension. For example, the most common .com is the most affordable and varies about $10. On the other hand, some country-specific domain name extensions cost more than $50.

source: http://kb.siteground.com/article/domain_name_registration.html

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You may have started out with a Blogger blog, but now you feel as if you've outgrown it. You want to give your readers more. You've heard that WordPress offers lots of options, and that it's easier to optimize it for the search engines, so you'll have an easier time increasing your readership. If you own your own domain, it's easy to move your Blogger blog and make it into a WordPress blog. This three-part series takes you step by step through the process.Almost every new person starts a blog with Blogger (www.blogger.com), a free blogging service owned by Google. This seems to be a practical solution at first for the following reasons:

• It is free; users do not need to spend money on registering domain names and hosting services.
  
• It is very easy to use and does not need an in-depth knowledge of web programming, unlike building entire web sites with PHP and ASP.

However, as time goes by, your knowledge of building websites will increase; so will your desire (and demand) for more website features to improve your users' experiences. Currently Blogger cannot support a lot of website features vital for building a stable and professional website.

This is when people starting wanting to use WordPress (wordpress.org), an open source blog publishing platform. Using WordPress offers an entirely different experience from using Blogger because it can handle two very important things:

• Website templates (using the PHP programming language).
  
• MySQL databases.

I will assume this doesn't scare you because of your experience in that field, but you need to be aware of one serious problem that can surely affect the profitability of your website. Moving from Blogger to WordPress means that you risk losing TRAFFIC and SEARCH ENGINE rankings.

source: http://www.seochat.com/c/a/Search-Engine-Optimization-Help/How-to-Move-Blogger-to-WordPress-Using-Your-Own-Domain-Name/

How to Host Several Domains Under One Hosting Account

If you operate several websites, each with its own domain name, signing up of separate hosting accounts can be an expensive proposition. Even if your hosting company offers the add-on domain feature (which will allow you to add different domains to the same hosting account) you will be charged a monthly fee for each domain you add, sometimes costing almost the same as your full hosting fee. The solution is to open a reseller account.

Reseller accounts were created to allow web designers to offer hosting services to their customers so that they can become a one-stop-shop for all their web design and hosting needs. However, you don't need to be a reseller to buy a reseller hosting plan.

Reseller accounts are usually slightly more expensive than regular hosting accounts, but they will allow you to many different domain names without incurring in the add-on domain fees, making more efficient use of your space and bandwidth.

You want to choose a reseller account that offers no limit to the number of domains you can add.

The possibility of hosting your main website free, without using any of the space and bandwidth in your hosting plan. If you are a reseller, your main website will be your business website, and the space and bandwidth will be reserved for your customers. If you are not a reseller and just want to manage different websites, you can designate one of your domains as your main website (Tip: select the largest website and/or the one with most traffic).

The possibility of upgrading to another plan without any penalties or fees. To find out how much space and bandwidth you will need, first determine how many sites you are likely to host, how many pages each site will have, and how many visits will those sites most likely receive. If you plan to host 10 sites with 20 pages each, at an average of 50KB per page and 100 page views per site per day, you will need 10MB of space (10 x 20 x 50KB) and 1.5GB of bandwidth (also known as data transfer rate) per month (10 x 100 x 50KB x 30).

As far as pricing is concerned, there are reseller accounts costing as little as $10 / month up to several hundreds (or even thousands). It all depends on your requirements and the hosting company you choose, so shop around to get the best possible deal in terms of cost and reliability.

source: http://www.cyberindian.com/domain-registration/article.php?article_id=161

What is the Domain Redemption Period?

The redemption period is a Domain Registry period of up to 30 days that occurs when a domain name is deleted after having expired unrenewed. Instead of just getting deleted and returning to the pool of domain names available for registration, the existing registry keeps a hold on the domain name in a what is technically called as REDEMPTION PERIOD. During this 30-day redemption period, the original domain registrant (owner of the domain) is allowed to retrieve the domain name from deletion by contacting their Registrar. This process costs an additional fee.

This extra 30-day period - redemption period - extends the time available to renew expired domain names by 30 days. However, all names that enter the redemption period are removed from the zone files in the global DNS, as a result, any Web site or email services associated with the domain name gone into redemption period will stop working and would appear offline.

Pending Delete Phase

In addition, after the 30-day redemption period there is a 5-day Pending Delete Phase. When a domain is in Pending Delete Phase, no one is allowed to renew the domain and it cannot be yet registered because its still not returned to the public domain pool. After the 5-day Pending Delete Phase the Registry will release the domain name back into the public pool of available domain names enabling fresh registration.

Renew domain before redemption phase

It is strongly recommended that you renew your domain registration in time before the domain name is placed in redemption lock because once its placed in redemption, the zone files of such domain gets automatically removed from the Domain Name Service and associated website and email etc services will cease to work.

source: http://www.cyberindian.com/domain-registration/article.php?article_id=185

Domains Are Not Forever

recently heard a story about a young woman (we'll call her Sheila) who, on visiting the Web site she had set up for her deceased boyfriend - a victim of the 9-11 attacks - discovered that the domain had been taken over by a porn site. Anguished and appalled, she set out to recover the domain and return the site to its original, inoffensive, and informational state.

The person who did this awful thing is a jerk (we'll refer to him as Jerko). But he's also well within his legal rights. Sheila made a fundamental and, unfortunately, quite common mistake with her domain: She let the registration lapse.

There are, by some estimates, around 60 million registered domains, with millions more being held - often by commercial parties - until the owners actually launch Web sites to support them. Anyone can register a domain: Start by visiting InterNIC's Web site and looking up the desired domain through the organization's Whois service; if no one owns the domain, you can buy it through dozens of ISPs, site-hosting services, and even companies that simply "park" the domain for you until you're ready to launch a site.

But whether you pay a one-year registration fee of roughly $18 or buy three years at a time, you never truly own the domain. What purchasing a domain really means is you own the right to use that top-level domain (TLD) as a resolve for your IP address. The maximum amount of time anyone can own a domain is a decade; then you have to renew. Typically, people buy two-year agreements.

When the agreement ends, the domain reverts to the master list and becomes available for anyone to buy. This does not happen without warning, though: Most hosting services will begin sending you e-mail alerts up to three months before the registration expires.

Some years ago, I owned a commercial domain, but the planned business never took flight. Even though I wanted to maintain ownership, I made the same mistake that virtually everyone who ever inadvertently loses a domain makes: I stopped checking my e-mail.

I don't mean all my e-mail; I had set up a special account to receive administrative information on my domain. When you register a domain, you have to provide detailed contact information to the registrar (InterNIC or, more likely, your hosting service). The host will then send all domain-related info to that address.

So one day I went to check my domain and found it had disappeared. In this case, it hadn't expired. Instead, one of my partners had neglected to pay the domain registration bill.

Sheila's situation was slightly different. She did check her e-mail account, but it had become a huge spam repository since she launched the domain, and she was deleting countless messages without even reading them. Among the unread emails was, of course, the notification that the domain was up for renewal.

Our friend Jerko is one of the many cyber lurkers who pay a service as much a $65 per domain to be notified the moment the domain becomes available. Typically, you have to supply such a service with a list of most-wanted domains (a watchlist, of sorts), so it's unclear how Jerko targeted Sheila's. My guess, though, is that he took a look at the list of 9-11 victims and figured that there was enough name recognition there on a per-name basis to drive some decent traffic and visibility for his porn site business.

The very thought of what he did makes me sick. Unfortunately, even the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' (ICANN) Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy appears to back Jerko's rights, not Sheila's.

Three ICANN criteria must be met in order to win back a domain:

1) The domain name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which the complainant has rights.

2) [The new domain owner has] no rights to or legitimate interests in the domain name.

3) Your domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith.

Sheila can legitimately argue the second and third points, but the first puts her on shaky ground. Sheila's boyfriend was neither a celebrity nor a brand name. There are names, like McDonalds, Madonna, Eminem, and Brittney Spears, that are both, but it's unlikely ordinary people could ever start trademarking common names—imagine how quickly we'd run out of good ones.

I checked Sheila's domain a few days ago, and it was no longer pointing to a porn site. When I checked Whois, I saw that her domain is actually in a "redemption period." It seems as if Jerko had a change of heart. Will you be as lucky if you lose your personal or commercial domain? Why chance it? Here are some tips for maintaining control.

Start with a domain name that's clearly your own. Any time companies come up with a product name, they do a trademark search to make sure someone else isn't already using it. Go online, search the name or combination of names you plan on using. You don't want to get caught in a dispute later on—if it's brand name, you'll likely lose the battle.

Choose your ISP wisely. You can get a Web site and domain for as little as $20, but unless the provider spells out how they'll help you support and protect your domain, you could lose it without even knowing it. The best hosts, like ValueWeb, will offer to notify you of domain registration dues three months in advance and then follow up with monthly e-mails.

Pay ahead. Find an ISP that'll let you buy the domain for at least three years. Numerous excellent deals are available.

Keep track. Have more than one domain? Put notifications in your personal information manager that will alert you when each domain renewal is coming due. It also helps to make a spreadsheet that lists the domain, the actual IP address, and the main administrative contact's e-mail and phone number.

Don't miss the mail. ISPs and Web Hosting Services host too many Web sites to be able to call anyone when it's time to renew. They invariably use e-mail, which means you need to check the administrative account daily. If spam is swamping your mailbox, apply filters and antispam client software. Also, try to avoid using a free mail service as your administrative account, since such services are often spam magnets, have limited storage space, and can lapse or become locked if you haven't visited them in a while.

Keep records. Save all e-mails relating to administration of the domain(s). Store them in an off-line folder or print them out.

source: http://www.cyberindian.com/domain-registration/article.php?article_id=187

A,B,C domain names

Many of us browse the World Wide Web regularly and wonder how we can stake a claim on the internet, like many of others have done already, then web hosting is one term which can satiate your need. In this vast array of information, Internet is one word which can cater to all kind of genre as per their taste. And, by web hosting one can own a portion of the web. But, web hosting is not just getting a portion of the web, but also involves different other services. This article will give you an insight of the terms web hosting and web development.

www.

World Wide Web or the www written before every web address is the web of computers connected through a HTTP protocol. This network connects millions of computers all over the world through this single protocol. HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is a language through which the documents are transferred. HTTP is not a synonym to Internet, because it is a network of networks, where computers communicate with protocols other than HTTP. Web page is what you see on your Internet browser. These web pages have to come from a certain host and this is the area which talks about web hosting.

Web Hosting

Web pages are your source of information, whatever you see in your web pages has come from a web browser. All these web pages are stored in computers called web servers. A web hosting service is a kind of Internet hosting service that allows the individual or company to hold a stake of the internet and provide own websites accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosting gives the freedom of having own website services but it's restricted because of the space. One needs to have appropriate hardware and software to host web pages. Specific companies provide web hosting capabilities on their web servers. Moreover, one needs to register a domain name that exclusively identifies the website. Web hosts can also provide data centre space and connectivity to the internet.

Which Web Hosting is for you?

Web hosting is provided as per the need of the holder. It is basically divided into following categories:

• Free Web Hosting: it is done by large website companies, which provide limited space for free. This kind of hosting is limited when compared to paid hosting.
• Shared Web Hosting: This is the most economical hosting service where many people share the total cost of maintenance services.
• Reseller Web Hosting: This service allows the client to host websites. This needs an affiliation with the provider.
• Virtual Dedicated Server: This is dividing a server into virtual servers. Every user thinks he got a dedicated server but in real they all share a particular server.
• Dedicated Hosting: In this the user gets own web server and has full control over the server.
• Collocation Web Hosting: This is similar to dedicated hosting but in Collocation, the hosting company provides physical space. This is the most powerful and costly web hosting service.
• Clustered Hosting: In this service multiple servers host the same content for resource utilization.

source: http://www.e2solutions.net/articles/web-hosting-articles.html

COM, ORG, NET, etc?

One common question I encounter is from people who can't get the ".com" domain of their choice, but find the ".net", ".org" or other country-specific top level domains (TLDs) available (like .de, .nu, .sg, etc). Should they try for these?

The answer is not as straightforward as you might think. If your website or business caters to the local community, such as a pizza delivery business or recruitment agency or the like, then it makes sense to get a country-specific domain. You actually benefit from having such a local domain because the people in your country know that they're dealing with a local entity, which is what they want. After all, if they stay in (say) the United Kingdom, they're not likely to want to try to order pizza from pizzaparlour.com, which suggests a US or an international site. You'll have better luck calling it pizzaparlour.co.uk, ie, with a UK domain.

What if yours is a site or business that can benefit from an international audience? There are actually many schools of thought on this. I'll just mention a few common ones.

The first school of thought goes on the premise that it is better to have a domain name of your choice "myperfectdomain" even if it has a TLD of ".net", ".org" or some other country specific extension, than to wind up choosing an obscure domain name for the simple reason you can't get your first choice. Thus they would settle for domain names like "myperfectdomain.de" or "myperfectdomain.net" or whatever. Against this is the argument that if you get a country specific domain, people might think that your business only caters to that country.

Another school of thought finds that ".net" and ".org" extensions are actually quite acceptable domain names. For some, the ".org" extension actually describes the non-profit nature of their organisation. So, for example, the famous Apache web server can be found at "apache.org".

Others settle for the ".com" extension and no less. As grounds for their arguments, they cite the browser algorithms used to locate a website when a user simply types a name like "acme" into the browser. Apparently, the browser searches for a domain name "acme.com" before attempting "acme.net", etc. As such, people who do that will be delivered to your competitor's site if you do not also own the ".com" extension. Indeed, even if people do not rely on their browser to complete their typing, many simply assume a ".com" extension when they type a domain name, so if your business is "Acme", they'll just assume your domain name is "acme.com" rather than "acme.net" or some other such name.

As you can see, there are actually good grounds for accepting any of the above views. My personal footnote to the above arguments is that if you get a domain name with an extension other than ".com", make sure that you promote your business or website with the full domain name. For example, if your domain name is "dogandcatfood.net", make sure that when you advertise your site or business, call it "dogandcatfood.net" not "dogandcatfood". Otherwise people will assume a ".com" extension and travel to the wrong place.

source: http://www.thesitewizard.com/archive/domainname.shtml

Hyphenated Names?

Should you get a hyphenated name? There are a few things to consider here:

a. Disadvantage: It's easy to forget the hyphens when typing a name. Many users are used to typing things like freecpluspluscompilers.com but not free-c-plus-plus-compilers.com. They'll probably leave out the hyphens and wind up at your competitor's site.

b. Disadvantage: When people recommend your site to their friends verbally, having hyphens in your domain name leads to more potential errors than when the name does not contain hyphens. For example, how do you think your visitors will refer to your site if it is named "acme-books-and-videos.com"? They might say, "I visited Acme Book and Videos dot com yesterday. It was fabulous." Their friends, remembering that comment later, might type into their browsers "acmebooksandvideos.com". Oops.

c. Disadvantage: It's a pain in the neck to type. Enough said.

d. Advantage: Search engines can distinguish your keywords better and thus return your site more prominently in search results for those keywords occurring in your domain name.

e. Advantage: The non-hyphenated form may no longer be available. At least this way, you still get the domain name you want.

Personally, I prefer to avoid hyphenated names if I can, but I guess it really depends on your domain name and your situation.

source: http://www.thesitewizard.com/archive/domainname.shtml

Long or Short Domain Names?

Domain names can be of any length up to 67 characters. You don't have to settle for an obscure domain name like avab.com when what you mean is AcmeVideosAndBooks.com.

Having said that, there appears to be some disagreement about whether a long or short domain name is better.

Some argue that shorter domain names are easier to remember, easier to type and far less susceptible to mistakes: for example, "getit.com" is easier to remember and less prone to typos than "connecttomywebsiteandobtainit.com".

Others argue that a longer domain name is usually easier on the human memory - for example, "gaepw.com" is a sequence of unrelated letters that is difficult to remember and type correctly, whereas if we expand it to its long form, "GetAnEconomicallyPricedWebsite.com", we are more likely to remember the domain name.

Some of these arguments are actually academic. It's increasingly difficult to get short meaningful domain names. I have not checked, but I'm fairly certain that names like "getit.com" and "good.com" have long been sold. If you manage to get a short domain name though, the key is to make sure it's a meaningful combination of characters and not the obscure "gaepw.com" in my contrived example above.

Long domain names that have your site keywords in them also have an advantage in that they fare better in a number of search engines. The latter give preference to keywords that are also found in your domain names. So, for example, if you have a site on free C++ compilers with a domain name like freecpluspluscompilers.com, it might fare better in a search for "free C++ compilers" than my other site, thefreecountry.com.

Which would I go for? I'd go for the shorter name if I can get a meaningful one, but I'm not averse to longer names. However, I would probably avoid extremely long names verging on 67 characters. Aside from the obvious problem that people might not be able to remember such a long name, it would also be a chore typing it and trying to fit it as a title on your web page.

source: http://www.thesitewizard.com/archive/domainname.shtml

Generic Names Or Brand Name Domains?

I know that a number of people seem to think that your domain name really must be some generic name like "cars.com" if you are selling cars. Witness, for example, how much money those generic names are being sold for. But seriously, if you were looking for a car, you'll probably already have some brands in mind, and you're more like to try out things like generalmotors.com or toyota.com rather than just cars.com.

For that reason, I personally feel that a domain name that matches your brand name is very important. The very name that you use to advertise your product is the name that you will want for your domain, because that is the first thing that people will try in their browser. It is also the easiest thing for them to remember, and whatever that is easily remembered, will be more likely to be tried out than the obscure domain name.

source: http://www.thesitewizard.com/archive/domainname.shtml

Your Domain Name Should Be Your Website Name

Naming your site after your domain may seem obvious to some of you, but you'll be surprised to learn that not every website is named after the domain name even when the webmaster owns that domain name.

Naming a site after its domain name is important, for the simple reason that when people think of your website, they'll think of it by name. If your name is also your URL, they'll automatically know where to go. For example, when people think of thefreecountry.com, they don't have to wonder what URL to type into their browser to get there. The name of the site is also the URL.

Imagine if your business (or website) is called "Acme", but somebody else holds that domain name. Instead, you have some obscure domain name called, say, "mybusiness.com". What happens when your customers, recalling that Acme has a product they want, type "www.acme.com"? They'll wind up at your competitor's website. One lost sale.

In the modern world of the Internet, where people automatically turn to the Web for information, it pays to have a domain name that reflects your site or business. There are just fewer things for your customers or visitors to remember. Moreover, you don't seriously think that they'll try to memorise an unrelated URL just because you want them to, do you? The only people who'll memorise it are you and your competitors who want to compare your prices.

What if you cannot get the domain name of your choice? It really depends on how committed you are to that particular name. If you have an existing brand name that you're known for, you'll probably not want to ditch that name just because you couldn't get the domain name. After all, it took you a lot of time and money to establish that name. If so, you might simply want to try to buy over the domain name from the current owner. Check up the "whois" information for the domain, and contact that person listed to see if they're willing to sell it. You probably should be aware that they are likely to want to charge a higher fee than you'll normally get when buying new domains (assuming they want to sell it in the first place).

On the other hand, if you're just starting out, you might prefer the cheaper alternative of trying to obtain a domain name first, and then naming your website (or business) after the domain that you've acquired. So if you've acquired, say, the domain name "acme.com", then your website and business might be named "Acme" or "acme.com". I know this seems a bit like putting the cart before the horse, but that's the reality if you don't want to lose out on the Internet.

source: http://www.thesitewizard.com/archive/domainname.shtml

Best Domain Name Registration

Getting the best domain registration is important to setting up a website because the web address will draw site visitors and increase sales for Internet businesses. When looking for this service, do some research. Customers will want to look for a company that has been advertised a lot. There are many websites that claim they have the best domain name registration, but if it's not familiar, the customer should start with one that is known. This will help to set them on the right track in the search for the right website address. Customers should consider price when making any purchase towards a website. A good web site that offers the best domain registration will offer an affordable price. Don't settle for less. Webmasters should shop around and see what kinds of prices each site offers when it comes to the best domain name registration. They need to consider their reasons for wanting this service and if there is any concern about having a reputable company represent the website. Some webmasters just want to work with companies who only sell names to businesses. These services might have particular websites that deal with businesses and the best domain name registration that goes with them. A parent who wants to promote a magazine to other parents, might choose an address that caters to that. There might be company sites that offer the best domain registration when it comes to sites that parents might be inclined to visit. Come up with an address and see what company sells it. Not only will this be helpful to write down advice and personal anecdotes related to parenting, but it will allow other parents to search the site when they look for website address services as well. "The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot" (Proverbs 10:7). When selecting a website address, webmasters need to make sure that the name is easy to remember. Also, long names and names involving a lot of dashes should be avoided. The name should be short with little possibility of misspelling. Otherwise, customers will think that the website is down. Most just won't second guess their own spelling skills. The name should also be directly related to the websites and what it offers. For example, a site about persian cats should have a name like "persiancats.com." Businesses with particular services or products should have a website address related to this. A business that sells facial cream online might have a name like "facialcream.com." Unfortunately, good names aren't always available, but the best domain registration company will have lots of other options. Whatever the reasons, it is possible to attain a good website address. Webmasters just need to do some research on the type of company desired to get the best domain name registration from. These are things to think about when investing time researching this service. Customers can ask someone for some ideas on the top sites that offer this service. Check for them on popular search engines and other advertisements such as pop-ups on other sites. source:http://www.christianet.com/domainnames/bestdomainnameregistration.htm

What Is A Domain Name

Knowing how to register a domain name is the first step in launching a new business page on to the Internet. There are many different avenues for accomplishing this task, but perhaps before this is executed, one must understand what is a domain name. This article will serve to introduce new and beginner Web entrepreneurs in discovering the importance and the particulars associated with creating, registering, and maintaining the ever-important domain name of their website. Internet marketing is constantly changing as it evolves with the demands of consumers, the intensity of competition, and the protocol practiced to keep scams and false advertising to a minimum. Online sales and commerce are markets that are vastly different from conventional markets of geographical locations, so a tutorial on the Internet marketing basics should be helpful. Just as a geographical location needs an address as a means of identification or a retail store can be found by following directions to that address, so cyberspace e-tailers need a means to be found. So, what is a domain name and why is it so important? A text title, a domain name is series of alphabetic letters that directly correspond to the IP computer address which utilizes numbers. It's an Internet address. And, it's also the directions to the website online. A person who has logged onto the World Wide Web can access the desired site by typing in a domain name. Search engine spiders will crawl throughout the web, looking for key words and addresses that correspond to the letters that were typed into the search box. A search engine page will then offer lists of web sites that have those letters or words within them, giving the seeker an easy way to access the desired site. Once a domain name has been selected by the new or up and coming website hopeful, then the next step will be to determine how to register a domain name. Getting a web address registered can be easily accomplished with several agencies that offer this service along with other web maintenance and hosting services. These online website specialists can totally handle most of the tasks required with developing a web site, selecting names, keeping those names locked in for certain periods of time, and even putting the web site onto the Internet with hosting services. There are hundreds of these website support agencies throughout the Internet, and interested parties can easily browse online, looking for a company that offers the needed services at affordable pricing. Once an agency to work with has been selected, there are some tips that can make the process of discovering what is a domain name and how to register a domain name an easier task. First, it's very important to select words or phrases for the web address that are easy to remember. Marketing specialists tout the need to get creative, yet utilize simple wordings in creating the unique address that will be seared into the memory of customers and clients. The address title should also include, if possible, a form of the main website name within it's phrasing or wording. For example, a hair and beauty salon advertising online might want to have an address with the words "hair", "salon", or "beauty" within the title. Getting creative is encouraged, but remember, the words and/or phrases must be memorable, giving people instant recollection when wanting to look up a particular site. Another tip that can be utilized when discovering what is a domain name and the importance thereof, is to have several names written down when conducting a search of the domain names data base. Most instruction associated with how to register a domain name will support this suggestion. This way, if a title or address is already taken, then the seekers does not have to begin again, creating a catchy web title. Having two or three to submit will make the entire process transact more smoothly and with less frustrations. Also, if another company owns a title that the seeker wants, then the company holding the title may be contacted. There are cases where domain names have been sold or traded, making the whole registration process a market within itself. If there are titles or names that are currently under consideration, then go ahead and learn how to register a domain name, reserving this particular title for the future website. When setting up a new business online by posting a new web page, Christians will want to remember to conduct their business venture in a manner worthy of Christ's stamp of approval. "He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he. The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he." (Proverbs 16:20-21) It is important to be the light of Christ when working among non-believers or new believers. Consider all business ventures as your own personal evangelical mission! Also, be sure that the website and title selected contain honest and wholesome wording and images. source: http://www.christianet.com/domainnames/whatisadomainname.htm

Domain Registration

Domain Registration is the road that leads to the Internet. Registering an address is a gateway to enterprise on the Web. Having an address online allows others to access one's website and initiate contact. Acquiring an address online serves to identify a business to all Internet users. There are many domain extensions to choose from when choosing an address. Some popular extensions are .com, .net, and org. Low cost domains offer multi-year terms at a cheaper price. Choosing a name for a website is a

very important task. Choosing an address that is short and easy to remember may be a good way to decide on the name to use. Think about branding when choosing an address. Try to understand how a visitor may associate the name with a site. If possible include the name of a website in the address that is chosen. Domain registration is a good idea even if a website isn't up and running. When one comes up with a good name it is wise to go ahead and register it and work on the website later so it is possible to secure the name chosen.

Companies online that offer low cost domains may also offer web hosting and free website design software. Free website building tools may help in presenting professionalism on a website. Templates are included with software and the ability to add content and easy navigation features for visitors. Customize with a theme that matches the products and services offered. For a site that offers gardening supplies customize with colors of a garden by using greens and browns predominately. Choose graphics that highlight items sold. Software has many choices on design and features to build an attractive site.

Choose a company that offers domain registration at a reasonable price. Most sites offer rates based upon a yearly amount. There are many good choices online that offer low cost domains. Do a comparison of different companies before making a final decision. Consider using the same company that provides hosting for a website as well as registration of a name. Talk to others that use companies online and get some advice on the service they recommend.

Visiting various sites online will give one some good ideas on choosing low cost domains and how to choose an appealing name for a website. Sites that are less busy and have good designs are the ones visitors like to view. Check out the competition's website for some ideas. See what is bringing success to others by doing some surfing online. Use wisdom with an Internet business. Pray and ask God to provide guidance on the best ways to start up a business on the Internet and make it successful. "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success" (Joshua 1:8).

Bring in some extra income for a website by participating in affiliate programs through various companies. Affiliate programs will pay a commission to other companies who bring business to their site. There are many companies online that offer affiliate programs. Providing a link to another's website might be something to do that appeals to visitors. Say someone is surfing a website for garden supplies and on the site there is a link to information about gardening. By clicking on this link they will be visiting another site that one is an affiliate partner with. If this same visitor buys a product or service then a commission is earned and profit increases for both companies.

Look for a site that offers domain registration where making changes doesn't cost. Some companies online offer the ability to add, remove, and change an address at no cost. One that offers support with any difficulties encountered is very attractive to do business with. Many companies offer telephone support and live chat support when needing assistance. It is important to find out how long it takes a company to provide feedback to any questions asked. Doing business with a reputable company that cares about clients is the best way to go when deciding on whom to do business with on low cost domains.

Make a statement on the Internet by choosing a name for a website that is easy to remember and ties in with the business it is associated with. In other words, choose a name that makes people think of the products or services offered on the site. It would be wise to get some marketing advice when applying for domain registration. Some companies provide tips on how to choose the best address. Many of these companies offer registration services and have been in business for an extended period of time. Do some research online before making a final decision on an address for a website.

source: http://www.christianet.com/domainnames/domainregistration.htm

Tips on how to choose a good domain name

Before you rush out and choose your domain name or name your website, you might want to consider the following points:

1. Your Domain Name Should Be Your Website Name

Naming your site after your domain may seem obvious to some of you, but you'll be surprised to learn that not every website is named after the domain name even when the webmaster owns that domain name.

Naming a site after its domain name is important, for the simple reason that when people think of your website, they'll think of it by name. If your name is also your URL, they'll automatically know where to go. For example, when people think of thefreecountry.com they don't have to wonder what URL to type into their browser to get there. The name of the site is also the URL.

Imagine if your business (or website) is called "Acme", but somebody else holds that domain name. Instead, you have some obscure domain name called, say, "mybusiness.com". What happens when your customers, recalling that Acme has a product they want, type "www.acme.com"? They'll wind up at your competitor's website. One lost sale.

In the modern world of the Internet, where people automatically turn to the Web for information, it pays to have a domain name that reflects your site or business. There are just fewer things for your customers or visitors to remember. Moreover, you don't seriously think that they'll try to memorise an unrelated URL just because you want them to, do you? The only people who'll memorise it are you and your competitors who want to compare your prices.

What if you cannot get the domain name of your choice? It really depends on how committed you are to that particular name. If you have an existing brand name that you're known for, you'll probably not want to ditch that name just because you couldn't get the domain name. After all, it took you a lot of time and money to establish that name. If so, you might simply want to try to buy over the domain name from the current owner. Check up the "whois" information for the domain, and contact that person listed to see if they're willing to sell it. You probably should be aware that they are likely to want to charge a higher fee than you'll normally get when buying new domains (assuming they want to sell it in the first place).

On the other hand, if you're just starting out, you might prefer the cheaper alternative of trying to obtain a domain name first, and then naming your website (or business) after the domain that you've acquired. So if you've acquired, say, the domain name "acme.com", then your website and business might be named "Acme" or "acme.com". I know this seems a bit like putting the cart before the horse, but that's the reality if you don't want to lose out on the Internet.

2. Generic Names Or Brand Name Domains?

I know that a number of people seem to think that your domain name really must be some generic name like "cars.com" if you are selling cars. Witness, for example, how much money those generic names are being sold for. But seriously, if you were looking for a car, you'll probably already have some brands in mind, and you're more like to try out things like generalmotors.com or toyota.com rather than just cars.com.

For that reason, I personally feel that a domain name that matches your brand name is very important. The very name that you use to advertise your product is the name that you will want for your domain, because that is the first thing that people will try in their browser. It is also the easiest thing for them to remember, and whatever that is easily remembered, will be more likely to be tried out than the obscure domain name.

3. Long or Short Domain Names?

Domain names can be of any length up to 67 characters. You don't have to settle for an obscure domain name like avab.com when what you mean is AcmeVideosAndBooks.com.

Having said that, there appears to be some disagreement about whether a long or short domain name is better.

Some argue that shorter domain names are easier to remember, easier to type and far less susceptible to mistakes: for example, "getit.com" is easier to remember and less prone to typos than "connecttomywebsiteandobtainit.com".

Others argue that a longer domain name is usually easier on the human memory - for example, "gaepw.com" is a sequence of unrelated letters that is difficult to remember and type correctly, whereas if we expand it to its long form, "GetAnEconomicallyPricedWebsite.com", we are more likely to remember the domain name.

Some of these arguments are actually academic. It's increasingly difficult to get short meaningful domain names. I have not checked, but I'm fairly certain that names like "getit.com" and "good.com" have long been sold. If you manage to get a short domain name though, the key is to make sure it's a meaningful combination of characters and not the obscure "gaepw.com" in my contrived example above.

Long domain names that have your site keywords in them also have an advantage in that they fare better in a number of search engines. The latter give preference to keywords that are also found in your domain names. So, for example, if you have a site on free C++ compilers with a domain name like freecpluspluscompilers.com, it might fare better in a search for "free C++ compilers" than my other site, thefreecountry.com.

Which would I go for? I'd go for the shorter name if I can get a meaningful one, but I'm not averse to longer names. However, I would probably avoid extremely long names verging on 67 characters. Aside from the obvious problem that people might not be able to remember such a long name, it would also be a chore typing it and trying to fit it as a title on your web page.

4. Hyphenated Names?

Should you get a hyphenated name? There are a few things to consider here:

a. Disadvantage: It's easy to forget the hyphens when typing a name. Many users are used to typing things like freecpluspluscompilers.com but not free-c-plus-plus-compilers.com. They'll probably leave out the hyphens and wind up at your competitor's site.

b. Disadvantage: When people recommend your site to their friends verbally, having hyphens in your domain name leads to more potential errors than when the name does not contain hyphens. For example, how do you think your visitors will refer to your site if it is named "acme-books-and-videos.com"? They might say, "I visited Acme Book and Videos dot com yesterday. It was fabulous." Their friends, remembering that comment later, might type into their browsers "acmebooksandvideos.com". Oops.

c. Disadvantage: It's a pain in the neck to type. Enough said.

d. Advantage: Search engines can distinguish your keywords better and thus return your site more prominently in search results for those keywords occurring in your domain name.

e. Advantage: The non-hyphenated form may no longer be available. At least this way, you still get the domain name you want.

Personally, I prefer to avoid hyphenated names if I can, but I guess it really depends on your domain name and your situation.

5. Plurals, "The", and "My" Forms of the Domain Name

Very often, if you can't get the domain name you want, the domain name registrar will suggest alternate forms of the name you typed. For example, if you wanted website.com, and it was taken (of course it is), it might suggest forms like:

thewebsite.com
mywebsite.com
websites.com

and the like, if they were not already taken as well. The question is, should you take them?

My personal opinion is that if you take the "the..." and "my..." forms of the domain name, you must always remember to promote your site with the full form of the name. Otherwise, people are likely to forget to affix the necessary "the" or "my". For that reason, I always advertise my sites as " thesitewizard .com " and thefreecountry.com in their full domain name forms, rather than just "Free Country" or "Site Wizard" (without the article).

On the other hand, I would not take the plural form of the domain name (eg, websites.com) if I cannot also get "website.com", since the chance of the visitor failing to type the "s" in the name is very great. Think about the famous name tussle between etoys.com and etoy.com. Many people wanting to go to etoys.com were apparently going to etoy.com instead. If it happened to them, it can happen to you too.

source: http://www.thesitewizard.com/archive/domainname.shtml

Guide to Choosing Great Domain Names

When it comes to choosing your domain name, do not allow yourself to get stressed out or worry over choosing the perfect domain name that will make your website a success. When it comes down to it, there are several things you can do to ensure you choose the best type of domain for your business, and after that any number of domain names will work effectively for you. However, you need to read the following suggestions and follow them in order to avoid any costly mistakes to your traffic and business due to a bad domain name.

Tip #1 Short and Sweet
You will want a domain name that is short and sweet. There are many reasons for this, however if you have a short domain name it will be easier for people to remember and revisit not to mention tell others about. Also, if your domain name is short, other websites linking to your site will not have to worry about broken URLs and invalid web pages.

Tip #2 Make a List
You should definitely make a list of the domain names you like the most, but it is best if you make a list of themes rather than exact domain names. The reason for this is there are so many domain names on the Internet that finding an easy one is not so easy. So, come up with themes you are interested in and then start searching from there.

Tip #3 Be Open
Do not set your heart on one particular domain name, especially if it is a generic one because odds are it is taken. You will only be disappointed and unhappy with any other domain name. Do not set yourself up like this and realize ahead of time that you will need to be really creative with your domain name and open to new ideas and options.

Tip #4 Search for Options
Once you have your list of themes and ideas you want for a domain name you can start searching online. There are plenty of websites that will allow you to search and register different domain names. Most likely, several that you search for will be taken and the program might suggest you take that domain name with a really large number on the end or other variations that are available. In general, you do not want to do this because it is more difficult to remember your URL and you will get a lot of your traffic misdirected.

Tip #5 Dot Com
There are many kinds of extensions or suffixes available for URLs from com to .net and .biz to .info. While all of these are options and your particular desired domain might be taken under .com and available under tv you should consider long and hard before doing this. The reason for this is everyone knows about .com and if they are thinking of your website they will probably search for it as .com first. So, having a .com will keep people from getting confused. Also, if your keyword URL exists as a .com and you choose .net, you will probably lose customers and traffic to the other site because people know to go to .com.

source: http://www.selfseo.com/story-5030.php

Seven Frequently Asked Questions About Choosing A Domain Name

One of the most common questions I'm asked by my clients is "What domain name should I use for my website?". In response, I would recommend considering several factors. In the following article, I will go through these factors in a question and answer format:

1. Should I choose a country code domain name (like .CO.UK or .CA), or a global top-level domain like .COM?

If your target market is specific to one country, I would recommend using a country code domain name, especially if you sell physical products that can only be delivered within that country. Many people I have spoken to tell me that they are often uncertain of where online stores are located, and it is not until they reach checkout and are asked to pay in a foreign currency that they are not able to order the products in their shopping basket due to the website not selling internationally. Having a country code domain name instantly lets your potential customers know that you are located in the same country as them, and that your service is designed specifically for that nation.

Alternatively, if you have a website developed for the purpose of sharing information, with little or no content which is only relevant in one part of the world, my advice would be to choose a global top-level domain such as .com.

2. Should I break up words within my domain name with hyphens? Is 'widget-shop.com' better than 'widgetshop.com'?

There seems to be a general consensus within the search engine optimisation industry that using hyphens helps search engines deduce what the actual words within an URL are, therefore leading to those pages being ranked higher in the search engine results. However, there is also speculation that using 2 or more hyphens within the domain name incurs a penalty. With this in mind, I would advise anyone who plans to receive most of their custom from organic search engine results to use one hyphen in their domain name to separate their targeted search keywords.

However, if your business model is not heavy on search engine optimisation, my recommendation would be to not have any hyphens in your domain name, as the vast majority of internet users intuitively enter domain names in their browser address bar without any hyphens. In domain name value appraisal circles, the non-hyphenated version of a domain name is usually considered to be of greater worth.

For search engine optimisation, studies show that one hyphen may give you an advantage, but on the whole I would recommend not using any hyphens in your domain name.

3. Is it better to have digits (2, 3 etc.) or words for numbers (two, three etc.) in my domain name?

Generally speaking, I would dissuade anyone using word of mouth advertising from having any numbers, either as digits or as words, in their domain name. The reason for this is that a domain name should be easy to remember and easy to spell correctly. Lets say for example you had the domain name 'widgets4u.com'. If you meet someone that is interested in your product, and tell them to visit your website, you are going to have tell them specifically that the 4 is numeric and the U is just one letter. Otherwise, they may input 'widgetsforyou.com', 'widgets4you.com', 'widgetsforu.com' and end up at the website of one of your competitors.

If however you are prepared to accept this risk, in my experience the layperson tends to instinctively put the numeric version of a number in a domain name. Therefore, use 'widgets2.com', not 'widgetstwo.com'.

4. How long should my domain name be?

As short as possible. Long domain names are harder for your customers to remember, take longer to type, longer to spell out (you may find yourself having to spell your domain name letter-by-letter to some clients) and also may be harder to actually fit onto your business cards, print advertisements and similar. I have one client whose business name consists of four words, two of which are tricky to spell. My advice to him was to use a domain name with the first letter of each word only, which has proved very easy to remember.

If you are targeting specific search keywords, I would recommend that your domain name consists of those keywords and as little else as possible. If you were targeting 'purple widgets', my advice would be to use the domain name 'purplewidgets.com'. If that domain name is not available, I would recommend adding one extra word to the end. For example, I personally have a web site which targets the search keyword 'weight loss'. As one would expect, 'weightloss.com' and 'weightloss.co.uk' were already registered - so I opted for the domain name 'weightlossweb.co.uk'. Choosing an added word that begins with the same letter as your first keyword helps your visitors remember your domain name. So, going back to the purple widgets example: Alternative domain names could include 'purplewidgetpro.com', 'purplewidgetpower.com' and 'purplewidgetparadise.com'.

5. Are some domain name extensions better than others?

Yes. Generally speaking, the most desirable top-level domain is the .COM. Charitable websites may choose .ORG in order to declare that they are a charitable organisation, but there are currently no restrictions on who can register .ORG domain names or what they need be used for - and many commercial websites still use them.

My personal "league table" of favoured domain name extensions is as follows:

1 .COM
2 Country-code (.CO.UK, .CA, .IE etc.)
3 .NET
4 .ORG
5 .BIZ
6 .INFO
7 .NAME

I currently have in excess of 300 domain names registered, none of which are .INFO or .NAME. I would only recommend that one registers .BIZ, .INFO or .NAME domains if they have a large website with a brand name to protect. For example, my business trading name is 'Starsol.co.uk'. At the time of writing this article, 'Starsol.com' is currently registered by a domain name squatter, who is asking for an extortionate price. I have chosen to register 'Starsol.biz' to prevent a similar situation occurring in future. I feel it is very unlikely that anyone actually types the domain with the .BIZ extension into the address bar looking for my website - but if I didn't register the name myself - someone else might and go on to use it for purposes that may harm my brand.

6. What about .TV and .WS?

Although they may be marketed as such, .TV does not mean tele-vision and .WS does not mean web-site or world-site. .TV is the country code extension for Tuvalu and .WS is for Samoa. Tuvalu is small island country located in the Western Pacific Ocean with a population of approximately 11,000 in the Western Pacific Ocean that gained independence from the UK in 1978. Samoa, also in the Pacific, gained independence from New Zealand in 1962 and has a population of around 180,000. If these countries are not your target markets, I would personally dissuade you from using their country code domain names.

Other similar domain names include .FM (Federated States of Micronesia) which masquerades as the TLD for radio stations and .CC (Cocos Islands).

7. Why do some domain name registrars charge more than others? Are their domain names better?
Perhaps surprising, this is a question I have been asked on several occasions. Just like how some supermarkets which charge more than others for identical cans of fizzy drink than others, domain name registrars also charge differing domain name registration costs. Although some domain name registrars may provide extra tools with domain name registration, a domain name registered for $8.95 a year will work in exactly the same way and one registered for $35.00 a year. If I may give my own service a plug here, Starsol Domains offers .COM registration for what I believe are some of the fairest prices on the 'net.

I hope this article has helped you in your search for a perfect domain name. I would like to add however, that with domain name registrations being so cheap, that registering multiple domains and redirecting them all to your one "main domain" may prove to be a very good idea. If there is one domain that you will be heavily marketing, I would strongly advise you to at least also register the .COM version of that domain name too, and if you are outside the United States to also register the relevant country-code version of the domain name. Many of your customers may input the wrong extension when looking for your site, possibly leading to you losing their custom to a competitor of yours; or like my personal situation which I described earlier, may lead to a domain name squatter registering a domain similar to yours in the hope that you will spend many thousands buying it from them.

source: http://www.selfseo.com/story-7331.php

7 Strategies to Choosing an Effective Domain Name

A friend of mine calls me the "Domain Queen", since at one time I owned around 50 domains. I've let many of them go (I own only 22 now) as my business has changed and developed, or I've just simply lost interest in the project. I'm often asked how I go about picking effective domain names, so as the "Domain Queen", I'll share my thought process with you.

1.What's the purpose of the domain name? Are you planning on using this name as the main website for your company, as a one page sales letter site, or squeeze page site? If the domain name will be your primary company website, try and find the closest version to your company name that you can. If you're just starting out, choose your business name and domain name with care. When I started my virtual assistant practice, I chose the name SOHO Business Solutions, as I thought everyone knew that SOHO stood for Small Office, Home Office. I think I've run into 2 people in my 7 years in business who knew what that acronym stood for. If I had it to do over again for this business, I would choose a business name and domain name with virtual assistant in the title, like InternetMarketingVirtualAssistant.com, a name I just recently purchased.

If the purpose of a domain is for a one-page sales letter site or a squeeze page, think ahead as to how you might promote this site. Because content is king in today's internet marketing world, there's little chance that either of these types of sites would be picked up by the search engines on key words. Therefore, your best promotion strategy is PPC, or "pay per click", where you're buying keywords for placement in search engines. If you're buying keywords from Google, for example, the paid listings appear at the top of a search in a blue box, or down the right-hand side of your screen. You want to be sure that the info displayed there is compelling enough to get someone to click and visit your site. So, for example, I've created a squeeze page, GetMoreClientsOnline.com, which has a compelling solution to a common problem that my clients have, as a side door gateway to my OnlineBizCoachingCompany.com coaching website.

2. Brainstorm a list of ideas of the problem you're trying to solve or the solution that you have. A domain name that clearly indicates what you do, or a problem that you solve, or a solution that you have to a problem will give a visitor a fairly clear picture of what s/he'll find on your website. What I typically do is go to my domain registrar, www.UltraNetDomains.com, and just start plugging in the names I'm brainstorming until I come up with 3 or 4 that are available. If the domain name that you type in isn't available, the service will come up with 10 or so alternates for you to consider. I found this alternate listing quite helpful recently in picking the name of an article directory site that I want to create.

3. For SEO (Search Engine Optimization) purposes, it helps to have your keywords in your domain name. Marla Regan, who's a professional organizer, has put two keywords in her domain name, OrganizedTime.com. Retirement Coach Lin Schreiber has her keyword niche in her domain, RevolutionizeRetirement.com. Consultant John Reddish has the desired outcome keywords in his domain, GetResults.com. I own a domain that I haven't yet developed for house sitters, BecomeAHouseSitter.com. Before buying your domain, make a list of keywords that someone might use to find you online. This list could include your industry, your target market or niche, a problem your target market has, or a solution that you can offer.

4. Shorter is better, if it's to be your primary domain. I haven't always followed my own rules here, as I tend to have business names that are quite lengthy. If the domain name is going to be your primary domain where your primary email address will be housed, you want your domain name to be as short, catchy, and memorable as possible. After a few times of spelling out your lengthy email address, you'll come to appreciate the beauty of a short domain name. Your domain name can contain up to 67 letters and numbers, although I would encourage you not to have one of this length, and can contain no special characters other than hyphens.

5. Purchase your your given name as a domain name. I typically tell my clients not to try and brand their given name as their business name, as that takes many years, much money, and lots of hard work to have the name recognition of Oprah, for example. However, it still pays to purchase your given name as a domain name, as well as any common misspellings of your name. Many people think my name is Donna Gunther, with an "h" in the last name, but I've been unable to register that common misspelling of my name, as a photographer in Venice, CA, has owned in since 2000. Once you've purchased your name as a domain, you can redirect it to your primary website. This means that when someone types in a domain, they land at the website to which you pointed that domain. So, currently DonnaGunter.com redirects to OnlineBizCoachingCompany.com because I don't want to use my name as a website, although that might change in the future.

6. Buy the .COM version of the name if it is available. When people hear a domain name, they "hear" .COM whether it's .NET or .BIZ or .ORG or whatever. So, it pays to find a domain name that you like that is part of the .COM family. If you just can't get the name you want, try a hyphenated version of the .COM name. For example, when I was seeking a domain name for my Self-Employment Coaching Gym, I really wanted SelfEmploymentSuccess.com, but it wasn't available. However, Self-Employment-Success.com was available, so I grabbed that. Many SEO specialists state that search engines like hyphenated names, and many online business owners use hyphenated keywords in their domain names to be more attractive to search engines. I don't have a clear answer as to the validity of this theory, so I just advocate going this route before having to resort to the .NET or .BIZ of the name you desire. Some domain name holders may be willing to sell you the domain name that you want. You can find out who owns a domain name by checking the WhoIs Registry at Internic, http://www.internic.net/whois.html. For info about country codes (two-letter) top-level domains (.UK or .CA, for example) visit http://www.uwhois.com/cgi/domains.cgi?User=NoAds

7. Consider owning other versions of your primary domain name. If you are registering the .COM version of a domain for your business, you may also want to secure variations of the name, alternate spellings, common misspellings, and the .NET and .ORG versions of your domain and repoint them to your main site to keep them out of the hands of your competitors. You can also go broke very quickly by purchasing all of these variations, so exercise some restraint in your purchases and don't go crazy with purchasing every single variation of your domain name. For my coaching company site, I own both the OnlineBizCoachingCompany.com and OnlineBusinessCoachingCompany.com and decided that was good enough.

source:http://www.selfseo.com/story-13800.php

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