I have been asked many times by new clients how to select a business domain name. Ive answered some commonly asked questions to assist you with one of the most important purchases you will make for your online business.
1. Should Your Business Name Be Your Domain Name
99.9% of the time, the answer to this question is Yes. We are living in the Internet age, and consumers are becoming savvier at purchasing goods and services online. When people think of your product (or service) theyll connect it with your website, which makes repeated visits to your site easier for your customers.
What if the domain name is already taken All is not lost. You have some options:
Offer To Purchase - If you are connected with a brand name then you may want to pursue purchasing this name from its current owner. The domain contact information can be obtained in the form of a Whois lookup. Inquire as to whether they are open to selling the domain name, but be aware theyll likely charge a higher fee for it than you would normally pay.
Back Order This is becoming a very popular trend. Domains can now be back ordered; meaning simply that when the current owners domain registration expires, should they not renew, the domain will become available for you to purchase. This may also carry a higher fee than a normal registration.
Alternate Ideas If your business is relatively new, it may be wise to consider alternative extensions. For example, mybusiness.com may not be available, but mybusiness.net or mybussines.biz might be. The Internet has exploded in the last year with alternate extensions and there are plenty to choose from.
2. Should My Domain Name Include Keywords
This is an excellent idea! Consider for a moment that you are a candle maker whose business name is Amys Jar Candles. Your business name already uses jar candles as key product branding. Registering amysjarcandles.com is a terrific way to target your incoming audience which results in a better chance for sales. For example, chances are that anyone shopping for candles would have a general idea of what type of candle they need, such as a jar candle, or pillar candle. Buyers are far more likely to try out phrases like jar candles or pillar candles in the search engine rather than just candles because it will produce relevant results quicker. Having a domain name that matches your product or service branding is crucial because the easier it is to remember, the more likely it will be tried in a browser and/or search engines.
3. What Extension.com, .net, .org
Domain names have been disappearing at a rapid rate and new extensions have been introduced to keep the pool of available names flowing. What if the .com extension for your domain name is not available In this instance its likely that you can register the .net or .org (or other) variation of your business name. Which do you choose Should you select a .net or .org extension, or consider a country specific alternative such as .ru or .co.uk
Does your business cater to the local community If so, then it might be wise to consider searching for a country specific domain extension for your area first. For example, .com is universally regarded as a US or international extension, while .co.uk refers to the United Kingdom. Should a UK buyer be looking for car parts in his neighborhood mikescarparts.co.uk is more likely to be a local websites than mikescarparts.com.
Businesses with an International audience can benefit from registering their name with the .net extension while .org can be useful for identifying a non-profit organization. Since the registration restrictions for .org have been removed however, this extension is open to anyone.
There are no rules on which extension to register, but should you decide to register a .com alternative, be very sure you market your company using the entire domain name. Most buyers assume a .com extension and without specific information may be unable to locate your site.
4. Long Domain NamesGood or Bad
This is a topic on which you will find wide variation on opinions. Your domain name can be up to 67 characters in length, thats a lot of space!
The argument for a longer domain name is mainly that its easier for the human mind to recall later. If your business name is I Design and Host Websites you probably wouldnt want to register idahw.com with the hope that someone would associate this with your company, product or service by remembering what that stands for.
For example, gacwh.com is a sequence of unrelated letters that could be difficult to type correctly; whereas if it that is registered as getacheapwebhost.com it is more likely to be remembered. Long domain names also have the added advantage of having room for your keywords. For example, if you have a site listed on Google with a domain name like jansartsupplies it may do better in a search for art supplies than a name such as mikesartstuff.com.
The other side of this argument is that shorter names are easier to remember and type, and thus less prone to errors. For example, websitedesign.com is less susceptible to typos than Icanbuildyourwebsiteaffordably.com
The issue with shorter or more general names is that ones like candles.com and tires.com are generally not going to be available. If you Sdecide to register a short name, possibly your companys acronym, be sure its a meaningful combination of characters that is easy to remember. I would recommend finding a domain name which represents your products in the shortest and most meaningful way possible. Businesses with long names may need to shorten their domain name down to assist users with remembering and typing long names; shorter names are also easier to fit in the title bar.
5. Should I use Plurals and Hyphenations
Domain registration engines will usually suggest an alternative if the name you are searching for is taken. Sometimes this will include adding a hyphen or even my or the to the name.
If you wanted the term design.com and it was taken, you may find yourself staring at alternatives such as mydesign.com, thedesign.com or even designs.com. Which should you choose
My rule of thumb for my clients is not to register designs.com if they cannot also register design.com The reason is that many times buyers may forget to type the s at the end of the name and your sale may go to someone else. There are those who will argue that this theory works in reverse, but why take chances If you decide to register a name as my or the remember to market using your entire domain name.
Hyphens are another popular way to successfully register your name when the non-hyphenated version is no longer available. An advantage is being able to get the name that you want; however, its my opinion that the disadvantages far outweigh this.
Hyphens are easy to forget. Users are comfortable with typing phrases like jarcandles.com but may have trouble remembering to include a hyphen if you registered jar-candles.com. This may result in a sale for your competitor and translates to lost sales for you.
Hyphens are also an issue with verbal recommendations. Consider a verbal recommendation for a store named anas-jar-candles.com. This may translate at some point to: Wow, I visited Anas Jar Candles dot com today and saw some really neat stuff. Later, you would probably type anasjarcandles.com into your browser hoping to visit. Ouch.
Prior to purchasing your domain name its important to carefully consider your business community, target market, and keywords. Just ten minutes spent jotting down ideas can mean the world of difference when it comes to success with your online business.
About the Author
Krista Garren is a website design consultant and webmaster who specializes in partnering with clients with building effective websites. Visit her website at for more details.
You go to work every day at the store you own, and one morning, your key to the door doesnt work. You look in the window, and the display items have changed. A stranger is behind the counter. But when you call the police, they cant do anything because the company papers now indicate that the store belongs to the stranger.
The above scenario isnt likely to happen with a bricks-and-mortar store. Because of insecurities in the domain registration system, however, information highwaymen could take over your online business.
As with identity theft, domain thieves steal your identity -- the identity used to register and configure your domain name. After that, your website, your email, your online business, and possibly your reputation are theirs.
Domain names at risk of theft
While theft is a risk with all domain names, domains most at risk are more valuable ones. Domains with dot com extensions have a higher resale value than domains with other extensions, and domains with high traffic or valuable keywords are also more likely to be targets.
The motive behind domain hijacking is usually monetary, but it may be personal. If anyone wants to attack you, stealing your domain name is one way to do it.
How domain theft happens
When domain hijackers steal your domain, they gain access to the domains Whois records. They can modify the domains nameservers so that the domain points to a different server. They can also transfer the domain to a different registrar.
Either way, site visitors will find themselves at the website of the domain hijacker instead of at your site. All domain email will go to or through the other server instead of to you. All youll have left is a website without public access because your domain isnt pointing to it any more.
How can this happen
Domain hijacking methods
Domain hijackers send forged faxes to the domain registrar, impersonating the registrants.
Domain hijackers hack into the accounts of free email addresses listed in Whois records and use those addresses to obtain domain account information.
Domain hijackers send out fraudulent email renewal notices, and registrants unknowingly transfer their domains to the thieves.
Registrar non-action
The gaining registrar (the registrar that the domain is transferred to) doesnt obtain approval from the domain name registrant or administrative contact as required by .
The losing registrar (that the domain is transferred from) doesnt notify the registrant of the transfer during the five-day pending transfer period. During this period, the registrant can cancel or deny approval of the domain transfer --- if the registrar notifies the registrant of it.
Registrant carelessness
The registrant forgets to update Whois details or to renew the account.
Someone with access to the registrants records steals the information.
Domain name disputes
If you discover that your domain has been hijacked, contact your registrar immediately. If your registrar is unable to resolve the situation, the ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) Transfer Dispute Resolution Policy (TDRP) applies.
By going the above arbitration route, you dont have to argue your case in person. On the other hand, all you can get back in the process is your domain (and not necessarily that). For a lot more money, you can take your case to court, where you can seek compensation for damages in addition to the return of your domain. This process takes more time, however.
You may be able to proceed both ways get your domain back via ICANN domain dispute resolution procedures and then go to court to collect damages. You can also appeal a domain arbitrators decision in court.
How to protect your domain name
Protecting a domain name is similar to protecting a bricks-and-mortar store from burglary. With a combination of precautions in place, thieves will find it difficult or impossible to gain access.
Your domain account information
List your name for the administrative contact, and use your full name.
Create a complex password with letters (both upper case and lower case) and numbers. Dont use any real words or personal information in it. Make it long. Make it unique dont use the same password for anything else. Change it periodically.
Keep your domain login name, account number, and password in a place where only trusted people can access it.
Use a valid contact email address that doesnt use the domain its for. Be sure that this email account also has a complex password. If youre going to be offline for more than a few days, have someone else check the email for this account.
Dont use a free email address such as a Hotmail or Yahoo address. Domain hijackers target domains with free email addresses in the Whois records. After theyve cracked your email account password, the support you need to get your email account back will probably be slow, giving the hijackers plenty of time to take over your domain.
Update your Whois record whenever the information in it changes.
Your domain account features
Choose a domain registrar that sends registrants transfer pending notifications when a domain transfer is taking place.
Consider protecting your Whois details with a registrar that offers a private domain name record. With this feature, your registrars data appears with your Whois record rather than your data. The downside of using this feature is that your business may have less credibility because youre hiding who you are.
Register your domain for a long time period, and set up calendar reminders to renew it before it expires.
Set up your domain to be renewed automatically if your registrar offers this feature.
Use the Registrar-lock mechanism if its available through your registrar. When a domain is locked, it cannot be modified or transferred unless the registrant unlocks it or follows the domain transfer process.
Other domain security measures
Set up a free and add your domain to your monitoring list. You will receive email notifications whenever the expiration date, registrar, or status of a monitored domain changes. (Whois does not have data on all domain extensions.)
Make sure that someone checks your website every few days, preferably daily.
Lois S. is a Technical Executive Writer for and with experience in the website hosting industry.