Domain Names - 8 Tips for Choosing a Domain Name - Free Article Courtesy of ArticleCity.com

8 Tips for Choosing a Domain Name
 by: David Cooper

If you’re just starting out on the Internet, choosing a domain name is one of the first major decisions you will have to make. I won’t say that choosing a name for your site will determine the overall success or failure of your online business. It will, however, affect almost every aspect of your business. Finding a good domain name requires extensive planning.

I would like to offer some tips for successfully choosing a domain name:

1) Use the .COM extension. This is still the number one choice for the majority of online businesses. While, .NET,.ORG,.INFO,.BIZ, and .US are viable alternatives they are not as widely recognized as .COM. The .COM extension will immediately give you and your business more credibility. Also, because we are creatures of habit many people automatically include .COM when typing in almost any web address, so why not capitalize on human nature?

2) Keep it Short. Whenever possible your domain name should not be longer than 13-15 characters, numbers, or hyphens. It is much more difficult for the average person to remember longer variations of a web address.

3) Make it Sticky. You want your domain name to be easy to remember. Make it stick out in people’s minds. Be creative. Be Unique.

4) Minimize Confusion. You should never lose a prospective customer because they misspelled your domain name, or they used the wrong extension. If you can afford it, register other variations of your domain name and have them redirect to your main site.

5) Include Keywords in Your Domain Name. Try to include at least 1 and if possible 2 keywords in your domain name. Many of the experts believe this can help with the way some of the search engines index and rank your site.

6) Be Descriptive. Your domain name should have something to do with your business. Make it descriptive of your site, your product offerings, or your service.

7) Search for Deleted Domain Names. Domain names that were once registered but have expired turn up every day. With some research you might be able to find one of these names that would be a good fit for your business. You can search for deleted domains at http://www.deleteddomains.com

Check for Trademarks. You should do this before registering your domain name. Search as many existing trademarks as possible and look for possible conflicts. Obviously you want to choose a name that is unlikely to cause you any legal problems. Trademark research can be done at the following sites:

U.S Patent and Trademark Office – http://www.uspto.gov

Thomas Register – http://www.thomasregister.com

The Trademark Association – http://www.inta.org

Nameprotect – http://www.nameprotect.com

If you need help with researching your domain names try the following websites:

1)Nameboy – http://www.nameboy.com

2) GoDaddy – http://www.godaddy.com

Both Nameboy and GoDaddy are well-known registrars and will allow you to search for and register domain names.

You can register a domain name today for less than it costs for a nice lunch. There is really no reason not to put forth the effort and money to register a domain name that you can begin building your online presence with.

Your domain name is your first chance to build credibility with your visitors. Keep in mind that you never get a second chance to make a great first impression.

Remember, choosing your domain name is one of the most important first steps you will take in building your online presence. Make it a step forward. Happy Hunting!

About The Author

David Cooper is the editor of the 1Source-WebMarketing Newsletter. David specializes in helping people with their internet marketing efforts by offering real world tips and strategies. Subscribe to his FREE newsletter at: http://www.1source-webmarketing.com

dave@1source-webmarketing.com

Domain names are basically like your online address. When people enter it into the address bar it takes them to your website, which is your space on the web. Anyone can purchase their own domain name as you do not need a special license, and they are usually very cheap.

Many webmasters or bloggers choose not to get their own domain names, and would rather operate their business or blog under a subdomain. This is fine, but if you are serious about making money online, then you should definitely consider to invest in a domain name.

So Why Should You Get Your Own Domain.

There are many reasons why. The most important reason why, is because it just simply looks more professional, whereas a subdomain may tell your users that you are not very serious about your business.

Plus having your own domain name will be much easier for others to remember as opposed to a subdomain, which contains your domain, plus the domain of the site where your blog or website is hosted. For example, your own domain name would look like this: “yourdomain.com” where as a subdomain would look like this: “yourdomain.mydomain.com”. Do you see the difference? Your own domain is much shorter, plus it will be easier to remember.

Another great reason why you should invest in your own domain is because the site which is hosting your free site may decide to shut down in the future. This means that you would have to start all over again. You could always use redirects, but the hassles would not be worth it. So it is best to start it off right.

You cannot get a hosting account unless you have your own domain name. This means that you have to use the free hosting of the sub-domain name provider. This hosting often is not reliable which means your site could be down a lot. This looks very bad for a business when a customer is trying to make a purchase, but is unable to, because the site is down. This can ruin your reputation, and cause you to lose lots of money.

But when you have your own domain, you can get your own hosting with a reliable hosting company. Most of them have a 99.9 percent up time guarantee. This means that your site will hardly ever be down, and you can build a reputable business online.

Where To Get A Domain Name

Domain names can be purchased at domain name registrars. Just use the search engines to help you find one that you like. Personally I prefer Godaddy, simply because they also offer very cheap web hosting which makes it super easy to get started with them.

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Article Source:

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