Domain Name Registration - Choosing Your Domain Name
A domain name is the first item on the agenda when you start a business on the Internet. Many people think that as long as the domain name is easy to remember and reasonably relevant to your website it is sufficient. Remember, your domain name is your Internet Identity. You may have a great product or idea for your website but when you have to decide on an appropriate name for your site it can be rather challenging.
Here are 6 reasons why careful consideration should be given to the Domain Name you choose.
1) Your domain name is also your URL
People often type a keyword of what they are looking for straight into their browser, for example (www.landscape.com) and it is therefore stands to reason that your URL should reflect the product or service you are offering. Having a keyword rich domain name also helps with search engine rankings. However don't base it purely on keywords as you may want to expand with more products or services on your site.
2) Hyphenated or not?
Disadvantage: Spelling typos occur easily. If I say to a friend i visited the "books-are-great" site and he should try it. He may try "booksaregreat". It is easy to forget the hyphens and generally it can be a pain in the neck.
Advantage: Search engines can distinguish your keywords better if they are hyphenated as they stand apart and the name you want may no longer be available in non-hyphenated form.
3) The shorter the better
A shorter name is easier to remember, less chance of spelling mistakes when typing it into the browser and good for word of mouth.
4) It MUST be relevant to your website
If you choose a domain name that represents your product or service you are offering, you are setting a solid foundation for the success of your business.
5) Trademarks
Be careful not to choose a name that belongs to someone or a company. It could result in a legal battle!
6) Choose the right domain extension for your market or country
For example .co.uk for United Kingdom, .CA for Canada, .com.AU for Australia and .com for International
Once you have decided on your domain name you must find a domain hosting company. This is a debatable topic and I will leave it for another article.
However, I must add that I prefer having my domain name registered with the same hosting company.
Do a domain name search and good luck with finding the most appropriate one for setting up your online presence.
To find out how and where to start searching just follow the link below. There is step by step information on how to get your domain name and to have it registered.
You will also find great information about hosting companies and how to set up your website.
I have a great eBook I would like you to have which will make your domain registration a piece of cake.
http://www.websitecreationreviewed.com
Francis Joubert
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/
Added: May 11, 2009
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