Domain name makes an Internet address of your web site that is why it has to be easy to remember and to type, it has to be representative and correspond with your web site. In other words it has to be effective.
To make it to be this way Ive prepared a couple of tips for you when choosing an effective domain name.
Make Your Domain Name Representative.
In order your domain name to be representative, make it to be accordant to your web site name. And make your sites name also be your URL. As your web site visitors will remember it by its name. So when they decide to return to your site again dont make them wonder what the URL to type in their browser to get to the site they need.
There is another problem when the web sites name and its URL spelled differently. Imagine your web sites or the companys name is, for example MySuperBusiness but some other company has such URL. The visitor who remembers your web site by its name would naturally type mysuperwebsite.com in his/her browser and will get to your competitors web site. And it would make a loss for you.
There are thousands of domain names are registered every day and that could be a problem for you to get the one you want.
In case you are just starting out it would be more comfortable for you to register a domain name first and name your web site only after you did that. And if you have a promoted brand name and dont want to change it only because the domain name that fits you is already taken by someone else you can check its owner through the Whois to see who owns it. And you can purchase it from its present owner.
Make Sure Your Domain Name is of Optimal Length.
In general domain names can be of any length up to 67 characters. There are a lot of disagreements about of what length the domain name is better to be.
A short domain name advantage is that its much easier to remember and its less compliant to typing mistakes.
A long domain name is usually easier to human memory instead of the one that was made short by all means. If it was, for example, replaced with its abbreviation it would be much easier to remember the complete meaningful name than the combination of letters and numbers that might have no sense.
So I guess it would be a perfect choice for you to use as short domain name as possible but only on condition of it remains meaningful.
Try not to use any symbols that carry no important information like slashes or hyphens. As its very easy to forget them when typing your URL.
Choose the Right Domain Extension.
Choosing a domain name extension depends on what exactly your activity is. In case it is of local scales, like pizza delivery, you can take a country- specific domain name. You also get in a good position with such domain name as the people your activity is targeted to know that they are dealing with a local entity.
The most common types of domain extensions are .com, .net and .org. These domain extensions are for your use in case you are planning to benefit from the international activity.
There are some domain names that require from the registrant to represent a certain type of entity such as .edu, which is reserved for universities or high schools, .aero, .biz, museum and some others.
So as you can see it is vitally important for you to get your own domain name. And it would be better if it corresponds with your activity and the web sites name. But the bottom line of the article is that you sure should purchase you own domain name.
Victoria Nikolayeva - writer and articles editor of hosting reviews sites , and .
Lets say that youre creating a website for Barbs Specialty Pet Products. Should the domain name be barbsspecialtypetproducts.com
Perhaps -- but dont stop there. Having the right domain name, or domain names, can bring more traffic to your site.
Why more than one domain name
One domain is all you need to set up a website. But with more domains directing to your site, you can have these additional benefits:
- Bring site visitors who type variations of your domain name
- Acquire traffic that might otherwise go to your competition
- Harness the marketing power of keyword domains
Your primary domain name
If its feasible, use your business or brand name in your primary domain. People will remember it and associate it with your business. Also consider the following factors when choosing your primary domain.
Domain name extensions
Should your primary domain end with .com, .net, or .biz, or with a country-specific extension such as .ca or .co.uk
If your website is aimed at people in a specific country, having a country-specific domain can help:
- Site visitors will recognize right away that the business has a presence in the country of the extension. They may therefore be more comfortable buying from you.
- Some country-specific search results include sites with the relevant country-specific domain extension even if the site isnt hosted in that country.
On the other hand, if youre targeting an international audience, a country-specific domain could work against you. People from outside the country of the extension may be less inclined to buy if the business looks foreign to them.
If you want to attract both people within your country and those in other countries, have both. Each domain could direct to the same site, with each audience seeing the domain intended for them. For country-specific search results, the primary domain should be the country-specific one.
Chances are that the .com domain you want is already taken. If you use the .net or .biz version, you risk having potential site visitors go to your .com competition instead. Be sure to use the full domain name on all promotional material to reduce this risk.
Domain name length
A short domain is easier to remember, it has less risk of being mistyped, and itll fit easily on your business cards and correspondence.
Conversely, if a short name doesnt represent your business, its more difficult for people to remember. The short names you like may already be taken anyway.
If your business name is up to three easy-to-spell words, itll probably work as a domain name. For a longer business name, the initials or just one or two words may be easier than remembering a combination of words.
Secondary domain names
Secondary domains directing to your site are for online use:
- For people who type your primary domain name incorrectly
- For people who search for your products or services online
Typing and spelling variations
How many ways can people spell and type your business name
barbsspecialtypetproducts.com
barbs-specialty-pet-products.com
barbspecialtypetproducts.com
barbsspecialitypetproducts.com
barbsspecialitypetproducts.com
barbspecialtyproducts.com
barbspecialtyproduct.com
Hyphens arent recommended for your primary domain. When people tell others about your site, theyre likely to omit the hyphens. They may also forget to type them.
For secondary domains, hyphens make long domains easier to read. Each word stands out when people see your domain. However, domains such as buy-keyword-product-now.com make some people view hyphenated domains, especially those with more than one hyphen, as spam-like.
Having the words in domains separated may help some search engines recognize keywords. With Google, though, hyphens dont make any difference.
Consider all of these variations for secondary domain names:
- With and without hyphens
- Different ways of spelling some words
- Singular and plural versions of nouns
- Extensions with .com and .net as well as a country-specific extension if relevant
What people search for
If you want to find the website for Time magazine, you might do a search for it, or you might try typing in time.com. If you do the latter, youll find yourself at the Time site.
This type of search behavior extends to generic words too. Searching for dog collars Try dogcollar.com, for example, and youll be redirected to dogidcollar.com. Do you want life insurance Lifeinsurance.com redirects to nmfn.com (and so does northwesternmutualfinancialnetwork.com).
While having keyword domain names may not draw a lot of site visitors, using them is a technique to consider.
How to use more than one domain
Set up your website with your primary domain, and use that domain on your correspondence and with your customers.
Point secondary domains to your site using URL forwarding (also called domain forwarding, domain redirect, or URL redirect). To have the secondary domain appear in the browser, use domain masking. You can set up these features when you log in to your account with your domain registrar (if your registrar offers these services).
With domains that are simply variations of your primary domain, you can expect additional traffic just from having set up these domains. With domains that contain keywords, you can get more from them by using them to list your site in online directories. When these domains appear in search results, searchers will see the keywords.
The next step
Once you decide on the available domains that you want, register them immediately. They might not be available tomorrow.
If you dont already have a business name, youll find it easier to market your business online if you choose a primary domain and a business name together. If your first choice for a business name doesnt work well with any available domains, consider a business name that you can easily market with an available domain. Once youve registered that domain name and your business name, register secondary domains and put them to use.
Is it worth registering multiple domains for one site That depends on your site, but any variations that you dont register will be available for competitors to register and use. If a domain is valuable to a competitor, its valuable to you.
About the Author: Lois S. is a Technical Executive Writer for , and with experience in the website hosting industry.