Registering a domain name

A domain name is absolutely essential for any kind of web presence. In fact, a web site is most definitely considered amateur, regardless of how good it is, until it is referenced by a unique name. Even more importantly, it is very possible that your site will not succeed at all unless you have purchased some kind of domain name. Why is this? 

• Generally, a domain name is the first thing that a web surfer will see when he stumbles upon your site. Since a unique domain says "professional", a web surfer is more likely to visit a site with a unique domain name.

• Many search engines will not spider sites which do not have their own domain names. This means until you own a name, your site may not appear in search engines, which means you will not have as much traffic (by far) as you could.

• A domain name looks better when printed or displayed. It's easier to read and understand.

• A reasonable-length name fits better in emails and tends to be less likely to wrap and thus cause confusion.

• If you move your site, you will find it is much easier if you have your own domain name. Why? Well, the references to your site in search engines and other places will "change" with your domain name change.

A domain name is an inexpensive investment - a new one will cost you between $7.95 and $35.00 per year. Unless you are looking for a specific name or are using a domain-name-driven marketing strategy, there really is no good reason to spend more than that for a new domain name. However, if you are looking for a specific or special name for some reason, than you should be prepared to pay for it in the resell market - and sometimes this can be quite expensive.

There are many different services that will accept your payment for these names. You could use the old standby (Networksolutions) or you could find one of the newer, smaller registrars. It really does not matter - choose one that gives you good service, costs as little as possible and makes it easy to maintain your names.

What name should you choose? Well, sometimes a good domain name can mean the difference between a successful site and a failed site.  However, as many dot coms have found out, even the best domain name cannot make up for a bad business model, a terrible site or poor customer service.

Some tips when choosing domain names:

• It's best to choose a domain name which reflects your site's personality and contents. Something which instantly communicates what your site is all about.

• If you own a trademark, it's a good idea to try and get your trademark in your domain name. Note, however, that this can be very expensive as you may have to attempt to purchase the domain name from someone else.

• A name which is consistent with your marketing strategy is ideal. Something which helps brand your site and company is excellent.

• Shorter is better. Don't listen to the hype from people who want to make money selling you those long domain names. Just ask yourself if you've ever typed a domain name longer than a dozen characters?

• Some experts do claim that long domain names can contain keywords (separated by dashes) which helps with search engine ranking. If you believe this argument, then you may want to consider purchasing more than one domain name for your site. A short domain name for human beings and one or more long ones for automated spiders.

• Remember that you can own as many domain names as you like. All of them can lead to your site.

• In spite of the recent failure of the dot coms, the "com" domain name is still the most valuable suffix. If you can find your domain name with "com" on the end, then buy that one first.

• Remember to buy the ".net" and ".org" suffixes as well. If you do not, then someone else may which could drive traffic away from your site.

• If you really want to do a thorough job, pick a few alternate or mis-spellings of your domain name(s) and purchase those also.

• Don't forget the foreign domain names. These can be expensive but if you have a non-American audience you may find them worthwhile.

• I would recommend using a reputable domain registrar instead of purchasing the domain from your host or ISP. This way you maintain more control over the domain - it will be easier to move your site if and when it is necessary.

• Remember that owning a domain name requires a yearly fee - so factor that in your cost calculations. Only purchase what you need and keep an eye on the traffic from each. If some of your domains are not generating enough traffic, then feel free to drop them when it's time to renew.