Your domain hosting name is not something to be chosen lightly. Your domain hosting name is your front line in your branding campaign for your online business (or your offline business's online presence). Careful consideration needs to go into choosing just the right domain hosting name to represent your business. The following are some key points to consider:
The Right Extension for the Right Site
Each type of site you want domain hosting for may serve a different market. Make sure the extension you use -- .com, .net, .org, .biz, etc. -- is the right extension for your market. If you are a business and there is no reason you cannot do it, get domain hosting for a .com. If you are a non-profit organization, consider .org. If you are building a personal website and are on a budget, consider .us or some of the other lesser-known extensions. When in doubt, however, go for .com. The part of a URL people most often first forget is the extension. And when they're in doubt, .com's what they type in: .biz and .net should only be considered if you're completely attached to a particular domain hosting name and the .com variant isn't available. But our best suggestion for that scenario is to vary the domain hosting name and get the .com extension.
The Shorter the Better
When picking domain hosting names for your website consider that people have to remember it to visit it. Not everyone is going to get to your website by clicking on a listing or an ad or a reciprocal link. Word of mouth leads increase when your domain hosting site's name is short and sweet. And people make less spelling mistakes and typos when trying to type in your URL directly.
Stay Away from What Doesn't Belong to You
Big companies with trademarked names seem like tempting targets for domain hosting names that generate loads of free (albeit unintentional) traffic. Heck, you could even sell the domain hosting name back to them for a hefty sum. More than likely, however, you'll just get sued. And chances are, if you're reading this article, they have better lawyers than you.
The More the Merrier
Admittedly this catchy tag line is a little misleading. Considering registering a group of domain hosting names in order to cover yourself for the inevitably of interested visitors typing in the wrong URL is an excellent idea. Try, if possible, to get the .com and .net variant of your domain hosting name, or a variant with hyphens as well as the one without (always go for without hyphens first). But don't buy more than you can afford or more than you need. Once you own the domain hosting names, whatever they are and of whatever number, you still have to get people to visit them.
U R a *, but Your Domain Name Can't Be
You can use neither symbols nor spaces in your domain hosting name (our apologies to “the artist formerly known as Prince”). And URLs are not case sensitive. So don't waste your time.
Do it Now
Have you ever heard the concept that if you have an idea then at least one other someone else somewhere else in the world is having or has had the same idea? Well that's certainly the case with domain hosting names, which is why you need to make all due haste in nabbing your ideal domain hosting name. Otherwise, you may wind up compromising with an alternate far inferior.
Domain Name With Hosting
1. Do It Now!
If you do think of or find a good domain name, don't procrastinate. Register or buy it now!
I've thought of a good name, checked it for availability, and then slept on it. When I went to register, the name was gone.
Years ago, one of my clients delayed in registering his company name and within a month someone else registered it.
The situation is even worse now. There is a lot of domain name speculation going on. Many simply register a name in the hope of selling it later to someone who desperately wants the domain.
It's really true in the domain name registration world: If you snooze, you lose.
2. Register Dot Com
There are practical reasons why you should consider registering a dot com name if at all possible.
When you go to sell, dot coms generally seem to go for more money than other Top Level Domains. Why is that?
It has been suggested that dot org or dot net are perceived to be second-rate because the owner either couldn't afford to buy the dot com name or their competitor had the foresight to register it first. (Obviously, an ISP having a dot net or a non-profit organization having a dot org would not necessarily be perceived in this way.)
Additionally, dot coms are easier for people to remember. If you have a dot org or a dot net, it is just one more thing for people to have to remember. First, people have to remember your website's name; then, they have to remember that your TLD (Top Level Domain) is not the commonly assumed dot com. You could lose some traffic to your dot com competitor.
3. Is It Practical?
Do you have a business use for the domain name? Is your name short and memorable? Does it describe or brand your business? Does it infringe on any trademarks? Is it free of hyphens, numbers, and other extraneous or confusing elements?
Give some careful thought to the above factors before registering or buying your domain name. It could be one of the best investments you ever made.
Both Sage Kalmus & Stephen Pope are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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