Domain Tips

This article covers some basic tips on domain names. If you are thinking about getting your own site or have your own business then getting a good domain name is a great way to get noticed.

What is a domain name?

A name that identifies a computer or computers on the Internet. These names appear as a component of a Web site's URL, e.g. skiffie.com. This type of domain name is also called a host-name.

The product that domain name registrars provide to their customers. These names are often called registered domain names.

Why get a domain name?

Branding

First and foremost, most large companies have a dot com. It embodies what a company is all about. It adds branding to the company or product and can be a great source of information and support for potential or current customers.

Easy To Remember

The most common types of domain names are host-names that provide more memorable names to stand in for numeric I.P. addresses.

This is a lot easier to remember than http://63.247.72.133 for example. When inquiring about a product or company many if not most people with web access will try www.<insertname>.com. Failing that, they will search.

Presence

A presence is a must if you want continued success. Enough said.

What's the right domain name for me?

There are a few steps you should take to try to get a domain name that is right for you, your company, your product - whatever you are making the site for.

Keep it short
Use your brand name, but avoid registered trademarks if they don't belong to you
Choose a top level domain that suits your product *
Consider getting more than one domain **

* Investigate in depth the purpose of the top level domains (TLD). For example, .com is for business web sites, .mobi for mobile sites. .com is oldest and most established TLD - most people will search for this first but don't forget country level TLDs too - such as .co.uk or .com.my.

** This includes getting the .net equivalent and the afore mentioned .mobi. Another option is also to try to catch misspelled words. For example have you visited gooogle recently?

Be Careful

In a similar vane to the previous comment, consider the following domain names. You can work the rest out for yourself. Needless to say: think about hyphenating when required.

therapistfinder.com - a site to find therepist
penisland.net - a pen vendor
powergenitalia.com - an Italian power generator company
expertsexchange.com - coding experts forums

Where do I get a domain name?

You can register a domain online at various sources. I have all my domains registered through godaddy but others provide a service too. My hosting providers also provide the service and there may well be deals to reduce the cost if you take up hosting there too. Check it out now!

Look out for future articles on what to do next after you have purchased a domain name.