A rose is a rose by any other name – or so we’ve always believed. However, when it comes to your domain name, a domain name is not a domain name by any other name. Your domain name is unique!

A domain name is how others identify and get to your site. However, a domain name is not actually required. Your visitors could use the IP address that it attached to your domain name instead, but this can get very confusing. Remember, an IP address is a unique number that identifies the computer that your webpages are hosted on to other computers.

Choosing a Domain Name

When choosing a domain name, it is ideal to choose one that is memorable. This has been the case since the earliest days of the Internet. Some people believe that choosing a name that is easy to remember is not as important as it once was, with the advent of social networking sites and the power of today’s search engines – but in the grand scheme of things, your site will do better if visitors can easily remember the domain name.

Short domain names are preferable over long domain names. For example, it is easy to remember www.website.com, but very difficult to remember www.myawesomesiteaboutwebsitesandwebdesign.com. It is also easier to type www.website.com for your visitors.

The problem is finding a suitable, memorable domain name that describes your website that has not already been taken by someone else. Remember that domain names must be unique. This means that you cannot use a domain name that someone else is already using. You may, however, use a domain name that has a different extension. For example, instead of www.website.com, you might see if www.website.net or www.website.org is available. If the domain name you want isn’t available, the domain registrar will provide you with all of the available extensions you can use with your selected name.

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

Domain names are managed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN. This is the company that is internationally recognized as the authority for the management of IP addresses on the Internet – globally. This company handles all domain names that have the extensions of .com, .net, .org, .edu, etc, and domain names with these types of extensions are called top-level domain names.

Domain Name Registrars

You do not have to actually contact ICANN to register a domain name. There are literally thousands of domain name registrars in the world, who are all regulated by ICANN. You can choose any one of these registrars when you are ready to purchase a domain name.

Some of the most well known registrars are Register.com, Network Solutions, GoDaddy.com and NameCheap.com. They have varying prices, and are in competition with each other, even though they are all regulated by ICANN. You can easily register a new domain name from any of their websites, and pay with a credit card, an electronic check, a money wire, or even a PayPal.com account.

NameCheap.com is an example of a domain name registrar.

 

Finding a Good Domain Name

All of the registrar sites have tools that make it easy to see if a domain name is available. Simply type in the domain name that you would like to purchase and the service will query the www.whois.com database to see if the domain name is available or not. If it is not, you can use the www.whois.com database to find the owner, and you may be able to purchase the domain name from them.

Don’t become discouraged if you find that it is taking longer to find a good name that is not taken than you expected. This is something that everyone goes through, and while it may seem like all of the really good names are taken, there are millions still available – you just have to think things through to find it. Also note that just because a domain name is held by someone else today, this does not mean that it won’t become available in the future. Domain names are registered for a certain number of years, at which time they must be renewed. If they are not renewed by the owner, they become available again.

Most registrars also offer tools that allow you to get on a waiting list for a domain name. You simply type in the name that you want, which is already taken, and you will be notified when that domain name is about to expire.

Your Domain Name Should Reflect Your Website

Above all else, your domain name should reflect what your website is all about. For example, if your website is about grooming a dog, you certainly wouldn’t want to select a domain name like ‘mybusinessname.com,’ as this would have nothing to do with your website’s focus. You would want to select a domain name that tells the world what your website is all about — something like ‘doggrooming.com.’

Your Domain Name Should Contain Your Website’s Keywords

Another consideration of great importance is your keywords. Try to select a domain name that contains your most relevant keyword phrase, as some Search Engines place relevancy on them. A keyword phrase is two or more words that best describe your webpage. If your webpage is focusing on grooming a dog, your best keyword phrase will be “dog grooming.”

Your Domain Name Should Easily Remembered

With millions of websites accessible on the Internet, it is also very important to select a domain name that will be easily remembered. As in the ‘doggrooming.com’ example above, ‘doggrooming.com’ is very easily remembered, contains the most relevant keyword phrase and describes the website in explicit detail. It is the ‘perfect’ domain name for this particular website.

Best Domain Extension

Another consideration of importance is the domain name extension. Although there are many new domain extensions available, .com is still the best choice, unless your website belongs to an organization or government office. When typing in a web address, Internet users automatically want to type in a .com extension, as this is the extension that has been embedded into our brains from the start.

Avoid Using Numbers

Although you may be tempted to do so, avoid using numbers within your domain name. Including a number within your domain name can cause problems, as when you tell someone your web address, you will continually have to tell them it’s a number and not the word. For example, if you selected a domain name like number1host.com, if you were to tell someone your web address, they may try to type it as ‘numberonehost.com’ instead of ‘number1host.com.’ This type of domain name would cause confusion.

Avoid using Dashes and Underscores

Although many people do it, don’t make the same mistake I made when I first started out. Avoid using dashes, underscores or any other characters within your domain name that may cause confusion. When I registered my domain name, Web-Source.net, I actually wanted websource.com; however, it had already been registered. So, I settled for Web-Source.net. Now, when I tell someone my domain name, I have to say it like this: web dash source dot net.

Don’t get me wrong, www.Web-Source.net is now a high traffic website, but I can only imagine how much traffic I’ve lost over the years due to my domain name. I have received many emails over the years from visitors who had a hard time finding my site. They said they couldn’t remember the domain name and kept wanting to type in websource.com.

Avoid using Abbreviations

Although well-known companies, such as IBM, can get away with using abbreviations within their domain name, most companies can’t. As a rule, try to avoid using abbreviations or anything that will be difficult for your visitors to remember. Not only will this cause confusion, but it can also cause your potential visitors to make spelling mistakes when trying to type in your web address.

Avoid using Long Domain Names

Although you may now register long domain names, it’s really not a good idea. I learned this lesson the hard way. I registered ‘www.workfromhomebusinessguide.com‘ and the sad thing is … I can’t remember the domain name half the time. How can I expect my potential visitors to remember it? Try to keep your domain name as short as possible. The longer the domain name the harder it is to remember and the more apt your potential visitors are to make a typo when typing it into their browser.

Ensure Your Domain Name is Not a Trademark Infringement

Prior to registering a domain name, you may want to consider searching the Trademark Electronic Search System, http://www.uspto.gov/main/trademarks.htm to ensure your potential domain name isn’t infringing on any trademarks.

Please don’t take this point lightly, as trademark infringement could cost you your entire business. It is your responsibility to ensure that your potential domain name doesn’t infringe on any registered trademarks, as the trademark laws that apply in the hard copy world also apply on the Internet. Any company that registers a trademark has the right to protect their trademark and has the right to notify you that your domain name is infringing upon their trademark.

When you’re ready to begin, create a list of a dozen or more potential domain names, as chances are, your first choice will already be taken. With any luck, one of the domain names on your list will be available.

Take your time and select a quality domain name that will grow with your business. It will be well-worth your time and effort in the long run.