Domain Names

Archive for March, 2010

Domain companies would love each of us to by 10 domains but the reality is we are wasting our money buying more than one possibly two. Don’t get fooled; here are the facts.

Though the companies that sell domain names would have you believe that it is essential for you to own multiple domain names for your business it is likely to be a complete waste of your money.

The argument for buying multiple domains is to stop other companies from getting a name like your name. While this may have been an interesting idea, reality is that most people will type in the name that you advertise.

This being the case, if you advertise [http://www.yourcompanyname.com.au] it is unlikely to be any benefit to you owning http://www.yourcompanyname.info or [http://www.yourcompanyname.net.au]. After all why would people suddenly use that name.

If you have a product that you are marketing here in Australia, if at all possible secure the domain name with a .com.au ending. This is the most commonly recognised domain name within Australia. If someone was unsure of your domain name it is most likely the ending they will put after your name.

Having said that, they are increasingly difficult to achieve and that is why there are so many combinations of names. This includes .biz or .info and a number of other so combinations. If your primary marketing is via search engines then this is fine, however if it is traditional marketing means, then try to get the .com.au if gives people confidence in your business being an Australian company.

Many “junket” websites by the “alternative” ending domains simply because they save some money when purchasing them. Like most people, I am always cautious, even a little skeptical, of such domains and will always chose a .com.au where I know they have a registered Australian business name and ABN. I immediately know they have been through a checking process because you can’t buy a .com.au name within a registered business name and ABN.

The people who are selling domains names will tell you stories about how buying many domains protects you and is better for your business, reality is that it is better for their commissions and their business. I would suggest putting your money into where if can make you money – a good website.

Warning

Don’t work with or believe web development companies who try to sell you multiple domain names with the intention of setting them all up to point to your website. This is specifically stated by Google as one of the areas that they do not consider acceptable within the terms and conditions of using Google – in plain and simple English, you can end up getting your website banned from Google.

Domain names are one of the most important aspects of your website. A good domain name will enhance your business as people get to recognize and identify with your organization. But, for this to happen, you need much more than a domain name, you need a great domain name. It might be easy for some people to come up with names that are excellent but, if you find that you do not have an idea, it is best you take some time to really think about a name that will launch you on the internet. Firstly, you need to understand what exactly a domain name is. A domain name is the address that you give to somebody if you want them to access your website. If you have a business that you want to grow, the name will play a major role in determining your success.

While you take time, you need to get information on how domain names should be like. You will find so much information on the internet and some of the guidelines on creating great domain names include the following. The name should firstly be very short, clear and concise. This is because you do not want to suffocate your customers or clients. Employing simplicity will be very vital to deliver clarity to your clients. The names should reflect the kind of business you are engaged in. Some people are comfortable having their domain bear their personal names but, when a potential client wants to find your site, most likely, they will not type in your names. They will search the particular business you might be dealing in. Therefore, make sure that your domain names show the customer what they expect.

Domain names are easy to register and all the information you need will be found on the internet. When you are sure of the name, you will have to find out whether it already exists and there is a provision for this on all sites of domain name registrars. If your desired domain names have been taken, you do not have to give up. The use of hyphens can create a totally different domain which will be available for you to register. But, do not be in a hurry to register a name that you are not totally content with. Some people ask their friends of what they think about the name and if they receive it positively, many more people are likely to do the same. Getting a second opinion will provide that perspective that you are missing.

However, this is not to say that you depend on the opinion of friends. They can mislead you and make the process of deciding very slow. When you are sure, go ahead and find a good registrar to register your domain. You have two options when you are undertaking your registration. You can choose to do it the normal public way, or you can have a private domain name registration. This means that when you choose a private domain name registration, you will have your personal details protected from the public. When you want to register the name, the internet governing body requires that personal information be made available. When you consider all this, you will be happy with your domain.

You have created a domain name for your website and now you need to drive customers to your website. No one recognizes that your website even exists unless you promote your business and what you have to offer.

In order to do that you will have to be prepared to devote some quality time to get your name out to everyone you can. There are a couple of things you need to settle before you get started.

Decide if your business or products will help the young, teens or adults. Will it help women or men? Will it provide a short term result where someone will be buying from you often or will it provide a long term solution.

These questions need to be resolved in order to provide the best domain name and to reach the most compatible customers.

Once you have answered the questions it is time to begin marketing your website by using your domain name. You will need to advertise on other sites that are related to yours.

Most of these websites require that you pay for advertising, but the cost is usually affordable and you get your business advertised to twice as many people than if you tried another method of advertising.

If you don’t want to pay for advertisement you may want to try email marketing. When you are devising your email to send, make sure you display your domain name someplace in the subject so your email recipient will know who the email is from and who may be sending subsequent email to them.

The most beneficial marketing system will be influenced by your business and what you want to offer.

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority commonly called the CIRA is an association which sustains a register of all domain names ending in “dot-ca”. This big association comprises of around hundred and fifty verified Registrars who aid in registering, renewing, transferring and amending the registration data of customers who have registered in the “dot ca” domain name.

Canadian Domain names are supposed to be the most trust worthy and reputed domains in the whole world. This is due to the fact that all “dot-ca” are directly controlled by Canadian Laws. If you are interested in registering your domain name in this, there are some points to be kept in mind before you do so.

First make a list of domain names that you want to buy. For all you know your company name may not even be obtainable. Try and add other manes which will actually portray your venture or service.
Make use of CIRA “WHOIS” in order to check out whether the domain name is obtainable. Remember to add “ca” at the end. Just press the search button to find out if the domain name is already in use. If it is already registered, then the person or company who is registered in the similar name will be displayed. Otherwise, there will be a message telling you that this name is accessible.
The next step is to choose a registrar from the CIRA list to enter your name. Make sure that the Registrar is directly verified by CIRA to register Canadian names for their clients. Search and find out which website offers you reasonable rates and bargainable offers. After you have decided the website in which you are going to register, then follow the directions that are given in order to register your name.
The final step is to authorize your acquisition. CIRA should authorize the registration of all the Canadian domains. But this process will depend on the registrar. If the registration does not include authorization, then you will get a mail from the CIRA which will give you the directions to validate your registration.
As you can see registering a ca domain name in the CIRA is one of the best ways to promote your venture and do go for it immediately of you have not already registered your name in there.

When choosing a domain name, short, catchy and trendy should not be underestimated. There are many benefits of having a good domain name, but before you start choosing there are some things that you need to know pertaining to registration. Finding information is not that difficult and there are many free, online resources that provide valuable facts about domain names.

There are millions of domain names already in use and just as many others are already registered by those hoping to sell them and earn some extra money. It is easy to check and see if your domain name is already reserved or in use and if it is, you can always test and see if a different extension would work. Extensions are at the end of the URL, such as .com or .de or .net. Once you have the right combination, then immediately register your internet marketing domain before someone else does and then you will have to purchase it back from them.

The domain name IS important! It should be the same as your company name, but if that is not possible it should at least be similar. It is a basic principle of marketing to have a catchy, easy-to-remember name that is as short as possible. If your website has an easy-to-remember URL then the chances of visitors coming to your site increases dramatically, and along with them, the probability of making sales. More sales will mean more money for you and that is the whole point of internet marketing.

Another advantage of having the proper domain name is that advertising will be more effective. If you set up banner advertisements throughout the internet or even send emails or just write articles or newsletters that contain your link, then it is best to have a name that will stick to your readers’ mind. Banners and emails get deleted or go away and that means that you as an internet marketer will have to rely on the memory capacity of potential customers. Only an appealing, relevant and short name will stand a chance !

While choosing the ‘right domain‘ name costs nothing and requires only some careful contemplating, the gains made can be enormous. It is not hard to find the right name for your website, but taking time to do this first step correctly will have long lasting impact on all the other marketing strategies you will ever employ.

Searching on various forums on website development and domain names, I’m just amazed to see how many people are searching for absolutely free domain names. Now one thing to note, is that there isn’t really such a thing as an “absolutely free domain name.” There always seems to be a catch. In fact, the brick and mortar offline world is really no different than the online world. Is there really such a thing as things really being “being free?”

Free domain names, usually means that you’re going to have web-hosting that has some form of advertising on it that you won’t be able to control. Not only that, you won’t be able to make money from these advertisements either. Dealing with restrictions may be a hassle as well. Just like we’ve discussed, there’s really so such thing as absolutely free domain names.

Here are 3 drawbacks of absolutely free domain names:

1) ITS USUALLY A SUBDOMAIN

The first drawback of using a “free domain” is that it is usually a sub-domain. Meaning the site looks this:

your-subdomain-name.theirname.com or theirname.com/your-subdomain-name, rather than:

subdomain.com

Do you really think you come across as having a professional presence online with a subdomain? Probably not.

2) YOU’LL EVENTUALLY LOSE TRAFFIC

You know hard it is to develop traffic to a website? Now think about what is going to happen when you have you’re absolutely free domain name, and then decide to register your own “paid for” domain. What do you think is going to happen to all the traffic you’ve worked so hard to attain? What’ll happen to all the links pointing to your site? When you pay for your own domain, and transfer your files, you’ll loose all the work you’ve worked so hard to achieve. An absolutely free domain name doesn’t sound so “free” now does it?

3) NO CREDIBILITY

If you’re doing business on the net, an absolutely free domain name will not give you the professional presence that will inspire trust and credibility with your business partners or customers. If your site is simply for expressing or pursuing a hobby, then that’s one thing. You can probably get away with a free domain. If, however, your site is for business, then you really have to inspire confidence in your sphere of influence online, but getting your own, professional domain name. It’s what will separate you from the many millions of other sites out there.

While it’s true that absolutely free domain names exist and that you can acquire one, you’ll probably pay for it short and long terms by loosing credibility, traffic, and links. Bottom line, unless your site is strictly a hobby site, you’ll want to have your own professionally hosted domain name for profits, credibility, trust, and longevity. Good Luck.

Creating a website isn’t just a matter of picking a subject and getting it up and running, you often have to put a lot of consideration and research beforehand when choosing a domain name. There is a lot of controversy about domain names, people say that having the keywords in the domain name will give you a small advantage opposed to not having them in – don’t get me wrong, you can rank a domain name for anything you desire but if the little boost is there, why not go take advantage of it?

However one thing is for sure, having the domain name targeted to the sites niche will make it more user friendly. For example if you were to have a website on long term care insurance and your domain included that phrase, people would be able to identify the nature of the website before they have even looked at the site, this could reduce your bounce rate as you wouldn’t have people visiting unless they were genuinely interested. If you find out that the perfect domain name is taken, for example ‘longtermcareinsurance.com’ you could try different variations including hyphens (-). If you have your heart set on that domain you could contact the current owner and see if they would be willing to sell the domain name.

The next question is where do you actually buy a domain name from? There is no simple answer, there are hundreds of different places you can buy domain names from so you need to look around to ensure that you get the best deal. Asking friends and family is a good idea because you need the company to be reliable yet affordable. Don’t just assume that the cheapest place is the best as you will save the most money, you have to look into the support given if required and more importantly the charges when it comes to renewal or domain transfer. You would hate to find a good deal when buying a new domain name then one year later have to pay an extortionate renewal fee.

Once you have found a reputable company you should check if they accept any discount coupons, these can save you a great deal of money if you plan on buying a number of domains in the near future and trust me, it can be very addictive because if you find a domain that you believe you can develop – you have to buy it before it goes. The process of checking if the domain name is available is very simple, on the chosen website there is often a search facility where you can simply type in the domain name and within a few seconds it will come back whether it’s available or not. Be sure to double check the domain name is spelt correctly because if you rush through the application and then realise that you have misspelt the desired name, there is nothing you can do about it.

It’s that simple in today’s world that some companies actually allow you to buy a domain in just 3 clicks! Don’t be afraid to buy domains from different companies if they are holding various offers at the time of purchase, on the other hand you may want to keep everything in the same place so that managing and checking domains can be done with ease.

Any new website venture online will include a domain name. Sometimes the domain is purchased from a domain broker – someone who specializes in reselling them. The majority of the time, however, it will be registered through a domain registrar. No matter how it is purchased, in all cases, the domain name (or names) for a website should be carefully considered. The basis of the marketing for the website will be the domain name chosen.

Having been an appraiser for a few years now, I can tell you that the choice of names for your site is critical to marketing. When I appraise a domain for value (in both dollars and marketability), I use basic criteria for my judgment of the domain. The most important of those criteria is length and readability. If the domain is too long or too hard to read (for a human), its value is very low. If it cannot be spoken and typed correctly (most of the time), it’s also of low value. A well-thought-out domain name is the first step in a successful marketing campaign.

When choosing and registering a domain name for a new website, there are three basic steps to follow to ensure a marketable name for your site. Follow them every time and you’ll have successful domains every time.

Step 1: The Name

Choosing a name may be as easy as “your business name dot com” or it may be more difficult (especially if you have a common name for your business). In all cases, your business’ name should be your number one pick for your domain name. If your business name is difficult to spell easily, try to register misspellings of it as well.

For instance, my business name is “Aaronz WebWorkz,” so I obviously own “AaronzWebWorkz.com.” Since this is regularly misspelled by potential clients, I also have “AaronsWebWorks.com” registered so that all email and web requests go to the original AaronzWebWorkz.com site. In addition to this, I purchased “dotcom-it.com” as an alternate domain and use that when giving out the URL on the phone or in situations where I can’t hand someone a business card with my URL printed on it.

If your business name, as an example, is “Widgets, Inc.,” however, you’ll have a hard time getting the domain name “widgets.com” or “widgetsinc.com” and will have to find alternatives. I have a simple process I use and recommend when this is the case. Even if your product or product type isn’t in your business’ name, it’s a good idea to purchase domains with that product in the name to use for marketing purposes.

First, make a list of words or short phrases that have something to do with your business. Six to ten of these is good to start off. Once you have the list, remove all of the ones that have more than twenty characters in them (this keeps them short). Then create new additions to your list by replacing empty spaces with “-” and “_” characters. Finally, compress the spaced words into one word (e.g. “widgets galore” becomes “widgetsgalore”) to ad to the list.

Now that you have this list, prioritize it by numbering the entries from 1 to 10 (or so). Now see if these domains are available (step 2).

Step 2 – Domain Availability

This step is easy and will take just a few minutes to do. Take your list from Step 1 and begin with #1 on that list. Go to any domain registrar (see list below) and enter the domains in the order they are numbered on your list. Usually, you can just enter the domain without a suffix (.com, .net, etc.) and find out if any of the variations are available. Most registrars will also produce a list of alternatives you may want to consider as well.

As you proceed through the list, check off any domains that “.com” is available for. Don’t worry about most alternatives since, for business, dot com is where it’s at. Cross out any names on your list that aren’t available. Once you’re finished, you should have a short list of available, good domains for your business.

Step 3 – Register the Domain

Now that you know what’s available, begin registering those domains! Domain registrars are all over the Web with varying prices and services. A good registrar is worth any extra money that may be spent since a registrar going out of business could easily cause headaches and nightmares for you. I have used, worked with, and recommend the following registrars:

http://www.101Domain.com

http://www.Rwgusa.net

http://www.bluesit.com

Brandable Domains are the second type of domain name. Brandable domains are domains that mean nothing at first glance, but after the company puts the marketing behind it, it becomes a household name. Yes, that would be the ideal outcome, but most people don’t have marketing teams. Examples of Brandable Domains are Google, Yahoo, and Digg. The word Google had nothing to do with search engines before the company made it the number one search engine in the world. Yahoo was just some random slang before the company made it into the extremely popular site.

Some other examples of Brandable Domains are very short domains. 2, 3, and 4 Letter domains are very brandable, you just need to be creative. Xfep.com as turned into eXtra for Every Publisher. You may not think of it at first, but extensions other than .com are considered brandable. Tell someone to go to “Choose A Domain“, and they will head to ChooseADomain.com. That is why when you brand a domain that is not a .com, you will to include the extension when you talk about the domain. ProBlogger.Net was not created overnight, but when his reputation grew, people instantly thought ProBlogger = ProBlogger.net.

With the availability of short domains in little supply (there are no available 4 letter or less .coms), the value of these are rising quickly. These short domains are the only ones that are really valuable. If you would have bought Google.com before Google actually did, the domain would have been worthless. Google might have bought it from you, but you would have had no leverage, and you would have not made a lot of money.

For this reason, brandable domains are good only for creating websites. Unless you buy a short domain, you will not be able to make much money trying to resell it. I personally don’t mess with short domains, but I have sold a few for a decent profit. But with the market disappearing more and more everyday, I would stick with just buying these to build a website, an image, on them.

People sometimes wonder as they are picking out a domain name if it’s really important or can you pick any name and have success. Let’s look at domain names and what is best for you. Always pick a domain name as the same as the name of your web site. This is important for a number of reasons, but the most important part is recognition of your web site. one thing you want a domain name to do is when they say it they know exactly what your web site is. It’s just smart business to have a domain name that reflects the kind of business that your into. It works out better and will build your business quicker because they know what they are looking for.

Should you use a generic name for your domain or get a name that is recognized. Generic names should be avoided at all costs if possible. A regular domain name that reflects what you and your web sites are doing is crucial to your success. many people will tell you to have a very short domain name as it gets to the point and people tend to remember it easier than a long name. I will agree with that assessment to a certain extent. Longer names are usually harder to remember, but if it’s a catchy phrase people will always remember it. For the most part though go with a short name compared to the long name.

Sometimes hyphenated domain names are something that you may want to consider if the main domain name you want is gone. Their are several drawbacks to it though. The biggest drawback is many people will forget to put it in which means that they won’t get to your web site. When people talk about your web site they don’t usually talk in hyphens so that could be a problem and you could lose a lot of traffic because it. Now it’s not all bad news with hyphens though. Search engines can easily determine keywords better and you could get a good search engine rankings because of it. The hyphen also gives you a closer chance to get the domain name that you want. My opinion though is stay away from hyphenated domain names as much as possible. Domain names now come in many different ends such as com,org.us,tv,net and even more it seems. The bottom line with all the names is if you can get a .com than that is the one you want to go with. More people seem to relate to .com names than anything else so that should be your first choice.

Simple things to remember is that domain names should be bought before you get your web site. Try to get the domain name you want if it’s available. If it’s not than try to get another extension if possible. Short names are usually best and try to stay away from real long ones if all possible. Hyphenated names should be avoided if possible. They usually don’t work out real well so that’s an idea you should consider. Domain names can make a real big difference in your business and if anyone tells you different don’t you believe it. How many domain names can you name off the top of your head. It’s simple people remember domain names and web sites they love. Getting the perfect domain name is crucial and you should always keep that in mind. if you do that than you shouldn’t have any problems getting your business going very fast without any trouble at all