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:
www.101Domain.com
www.Rwgusa.net
www.bluesit.com
In addition, you may wish to use the international domain tools
offered at any of the above. Especially if you register a lot of
domains are in need of "extras" that aren't normally offered by a
registrar at http://www.101domain.com
Good luck with your new venture!
Copyright 2007 Jessica Mousseau
