Choosing the right domain name
1. Think of as many keywords and key phrases as you
can.
These are what people will use to find your website.
Phrases are usually better, much better than single
words alone. You can now register domain names up to
67 characters that are rich in keywords and
dramatically increase your ranking on search
engines. Search engines love domain names that
describe the site and are loaded with keywords. For
example, 123-domain-name-registration.com. You can
use the "123-" part to get better placement by those
search engines who sort alphabetically. Also notice
that the words "domain name", and "registration" are
keywords that have been proven to be the most widely
used in our business.
2. You're looking for a domain name for a new
website.
Start by noting down what your site will be about,
in a paragraph or two. Then condense this
description into a maximum of 2 sentences. Don't
worry about covering all the details - just make
sure you're addressing the essentials of what the
site will be about.
Now take your short description, and underline all
the "key" words that describe your site. Let's take
a specific example:
"Our website will be the leading source of
information on weaving and knitting, providing
knitting patterns and design ideas, an introduction
to weaving, a guide to selecting and caring for
looms, and a store for people to buy wool, yarn and
books."
Now try to come up with a domain name that either
addresses the one fundamental concept of the site,
or that marries two or more key concepts in a single
name.
In our example:
weavingandknitting.com,knittingandweaving.com,
knittingpatterns.com, knittingworld.com,
weavingworld.com etc.
Once you've drawn up a short-list of domain names to
"test" for availability, it's time to look up our
domain name search program.
If you're having difficulty coming up with useful
domain name combinations from your keywords, try a
single keyword and add prefixes or suffixes. Not all
prefixes and suffixes are appropriate in all
situations - use your judgment when deciding which
to add.
Common Prefixes Common Suffixes
e, e-, my, i, i-, the, online, net, web, internet,
hot, cool, our, your world, links, site, web, net,
resource, business, company, corp, inc, shop, store,
mall, search, directory, guide
If you have a budget for your new domain name, then
you need not be restricted to available,
unregistered domain names. You may be able to buy
the perfect domain name off its current owner. Most
sales take place for a few hundred to ten thousand
dollars or more, although some have been known to
reach 7 figures for extremely desirable domains.
3. You're looking for a domain name for an existing
website.
In the case that you're looking to buy a domain name
for a website that is already up and running, your
options will be more limited than if you're starting
from scratch.
First, have you already been operating the site
under a clearly-recognizable "name" or "title"? Even
if your site is hosted on cheap space at an ISP, or
on a free host, you may have given it a short title
in large letters (or in a logo). This is the obvious
place to start when looking for a domain name.
If your site's name (as given in its title) is very
generic, you may well find one (or many) other sites
already using it - and the corresponding domain
name(s) long since gone. In that case, you have to
decide whether you will make a bid to buy the domain
name you want, look for an alternative extension
(such as .org or .net) or use the brainstorming
ideas mentioned earlier.
4. New rules for 67 character domain names.
This could present a tremendous opportunity in more
ways than one.
Because the rules have changed, you can register
names up to 67 characters long. This is including
the .com or .net or .org. The old rule limited you
to 23 characters.
What does this mean to you? Right now there is an
opportunity to make some big money in a short period
of time with a little investment. Why? Because you
can register names today in hopes of selling them
for big profits tomorrow. You have probably heard of
this before, well now it's happening again. For
example, business.com has been sold for 7.5 million
dollars! Do some brainstorming and register these
names while you still can. Here are some of the
reasons:
You can register domain names that abound with your
keywords and really improve ranking on the search
engines. Search engines just love names that
describe the web site and have lots of keywords. Not
very many people know this but the search engines
actually prefer names with hyphens. Most people
prefer names without hyphens but nowadays everyone
just searches and clicks, you don't usually have to
type in the name. Besides, all the one word names
are already taken.
In summary, if you want to appeal to the search
engines make sure you use hyphens and if you want to
appeal to the average person surfing the web do not
use hyphens. But do you know what the easiest way to
guarantee success is? Register both! There is no
better way to ensure that you are getting as many
visitors as possible than by registering the URL
with hyphens and the same URL without.
You can register a name that is better than what you
have now. Maybe your present domain name ends with a
.net or .org. You can get a .com name which will be
better for your business. If possible, by all means
register the .com name first, follow by .net and/or
.org.
If you now have a .net or .org, you are losing
visitors and losing business. Almost everyone
remembers .com before .net or .org and that's a
fact. Even most browsers will default to .com if the
extension is not entered. A good .com name will
always prevail and pay for itself time and time
again
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