The Value of a Good Domain Name

Domain names to the internet are the as necessary as wheels on a car. All websites need a domain name; it is how your website is found on the internet by your potential customers. It is your unique identifier and two organizations can not have the same domain name. Your domain name is not really purchased or bought; it is actually leased for a year to 10 years.

Choosing a good domain name requires some thought, because picking a good name may be an important factor in getting return visitors to your site. You will want to keep it short and to the point, no more than 14 letters. This can help reduce the chance of a visitor mistyping your site and ending up on another site.

It is a good idea to choose a domain name that reflects the type of business you plan to do. You will use the name often in your website and if done right it can help you with promote your site with the search engines. What are some tips for choosing a domain name?

Tip 1 - Buy it early. Take a day or two to decide on your name. Think it through, but, don't procrastinate. Over 30,000 domain names are sold a day. Don't let someone else beat you to a good domain name.

Tip 2 - Buy your name in .com and .net. Let's say you buy domain name KCBBQ.com. Your competitor, who also sells Kansas City BBQ sauce, knowingly buys KCBBQ.net and maybe even KCBBQ.biz. Why would he do that? Isn't he limiting his own business by getting a name similar to yours and won't he confuse his customers? Don't think your competitor is innocent. He has just engaged in a domain name trick! He is not planning on conducting his primary business under these names. He bought those names to TAP into your business! Avoid this common newbie mistake and buy all the necessary domain names to protect your interests.

Tip 3 - Buy alternate domain names. Domain names are so cheap that it is affordable to practice this tip. Let's say you decide that you want to also buy KCBBQ.com and .net why not purchase KC-BBQ.com and .net. These other sites won't go to waste. You can point these sites to your main domain name KCBBQ.com and increase the traffic to your site.

Tip 4 - What if all good domain names are taken? You should consider buying a previously owned domain name. As we mentioned before domain names can be purchased for multiple years. Sometimes the lifecycle of a website comes to an end and the domain name already has a good page ranking with search engines. You can effectively buy yourself traffic without any work.

Tip 5 - If at all possible don't choose a domain name that is close to competitors, just because you like the name. For example, if there is a web hosting company called domainexpress.com, it is not recommended that you pick domain-express.com. Take some time think it out, but, don't wait too long picking your internet identity. It is a necessary exercise in defining your buisness and it can be fun. If you don't like it, the worst thing that can happen is that you -sell it; There are profits to be made in doing that too!

Tariq Giaziri
Head Developer
http://www.iamtq.com


AddThis Social Bookmark Button

In The News:


Regulator cools attempt to control Uganda domain name
NetworkWorld.com, MA - 15 hours ago
The country code is registered to and controlled by Charles Musisi, an Internet entrepreneur who has managed Uganda domain names over the past 12 years. ...

Computerworld

Alliance forms to fix DNS poisoning flaw
Register, UK - 3 hours ago
Microsoft has fixed a few vulnerabilities in the way Windows handles domain names - issues that could have lead to easier eavesdropping or simpler phishing ...
Time to patch DNS servers and clients InformationWeek
DNS at Risk From Multivendor Cache Poisoning InternetNews.com
Security flaw prompts major web alert guardian.co.uk
ZDNet UK - CNET Newsall 197 news articles

PC Magazine Middle & Near East

Internet Governing Body Loses Own Domain Name
FOXNews - Jul 7, 2008
The attack was quickly noticed, and ICANN's domain names were restored within 20 minutes. However, because many Internet directories retain information for ...
ICANN Domain Names Attacked WebProNews
ICANN attacked, domain name briefly stolen FierceTelecom
DNS management becoming critical to businesses but poorly understood Search Networking
bMighty.com - ZDNetall 41 news articles

Best Syndication

Understanding the fundamentals of Domain Name Registration
Best Syndication, CA - 10 hours ago
One of the many vital aspects of internet is “Domain Name Registration”. One must understand the concept optimally to use the internet power, ...

In brief: Big rise in .ie domain names
Irish Independent, Ireland - 3 hours ago
The IE Domain Registry (IEDR), which manages .ie web domain names for Ireland, said that registrations rose 29pc in 2007. A non-profit organisation, ...

Chinese, Arabic and Hindi domain names to go up for sale – finally!
The Industry Standard, CA - 18 hours ago
Specifically, that international domain names (IDNs) will soon be able to include non-Roman characters. This was by far the more important announcement. ...

5 Important Things to Consider In Choosing And Registering A ...
Domain Informer (press release), IL - Jul 8, 2008
Recommendation: At least buy at least two domain names. One of these domain names should contain your desired search term. As a personal example, ...

The Billion-Dollar Domain Babies
Alarab online, UK - 2 hours ago
In contrast, for over a decade, and after toying with nickel-and-dime registration fees and fighting over domain names, this mature approach will alter the ...

Forget the domain name hype; just protect your name
SmartCompany.com.au, Australia - Jul 7, 2008
So somebody can apply to create a .smartcompany or .australia domain to replace the boring old .com or .com.au. I have to admit my first reaction was “this ...

Sweeping Changes To The Internet On The Horizon
Mondaq News Alerts (subscription), UK - 4 hours ago
On 26 June 2008 the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ('ICANN') – the body which manages the domain name system – concluded its 32 nd ...
domain names - Google News

Games at Buy.com

Holiday Home Store at Buy.com

Why El Cheapo Domains Will Cost You Money

You want your own online business? Good because it's one of the most fun things you can do with your spare time and can be very profitable.Remember... Read More

Domain Names - How to Choose, and Register One

What is a domain name?A domain name is the address of your website and it looks like this: (http://www.ebizmodelsyoucancopy.com/). Website addresses are unique, just as your personal... Read More

All-time Record of Domain Registrations

The number of registered domains has reached an all-time high of more than 60 million domain names worldwide.Figures show that country code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs) are... Read More