Domain Name Tips to keep in mind
1. Keep it short
Although some places allow you to register a name with up to
63 characters, you have to keep in mind that people need to be able
to remember it, and easily type it into their browser. Try to register
the shortest name that your customers and visitors will associate
with your Website. The general rule of thumb is, keep it under seven
characters if possible. (Not including the suffix.)
2. Dot What?
There are many different extensions available right now. For
businesses, we recommend a .com suffix. It is the first extension
that most people try when searching for a Website. Also, since it
is one of the oldest extensions, .com shows that your business has
been around for a while and that you have a well-established presence
on the Web. But lots of domain names are already taken, so
using another extension (.US, .NET, etc) are acceptable.
3. Avoid Trademarked Names
There are two really good reasons for this. First, it’s not very
nice. We have all heard the stories about the zany guy who thought
ahead and bought "some-huge-multi-million-dollar-company.com" and
sold it to the company for enough money to retire on. But, remember
that those companies, like yours, have spent lots of time and money
creating their brand, and what goes around comes around. Also, companies
are no longer opening their pocketbooks to get their names back.
They are calling their lawyers.
4. Register Your Domain NOW
Domain names are being snatched up faster than candy at the St.
Patrick’s Day parade. You must register soon unless you want to
get stuck with "the-domain-name-that-no-one-wanted.net". You do
not have to have a Webmaster or an ecommerce department or a Web
design consultant or... Heck, you don’t even need a Web page. Just
get out there and register before you loose the opportunity to get
the name you really want.
5. One May Not Be Enough
Sometimes, it isn’t a bad idea to register several similar domain
names. If you have "yourname.com", register "yourname.net" so no
one else takes it. You can register your full company name and a
shorter, easier to remember version. Some people even register common
misspellings of their company’s name. (You don’t need a separate
Web page for each. Several domains can point to the same Website.)
6. Character Types
Just a reminder. Domain names can only use letters, numbers,
and dashes. Spaces and symbols are not allowed. Also, domain names
are not case sensitive.
7. Ask Around
When you have settled on several available name choices, see
what your friends and clients have to say. A name that may make
perfect sense to you may be too hard for other people to remember.
Is your domain easy to say? Is it hard to spell? Do you have to
explain why you chose the name?
8. Don’t Shell Out Large Amounts of $$$
At one time, companies were able to get away with charging reservation
fees plus a "mandatory" $70 InterNIC fee. Recently, it was decided
that other companies should be able to compete to sell domain names.
This has lowered prices dramatically.
And remember, if you think that if you have found the right domain
name, but you're not quite sure if it's the one... register it anyway
before someone else does!
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