Things To Consider When Selecting A Domain Name:
Types Of Domain Names:
As you look for a your new domain name, you will notice that there are many different types of extensions such as: .com, .net, .org, .info, .name, .biz, .us, etc. The list of extensions continues to grow as more as the number of internet sites continue to grow. There simply is not enough names to go around for every one to have a .com
Logically, the type of extension should reflect the type of business or organization your online entity is. There's no sense buying a .com name when you are a non-profit organization. A .org extension would make more sense.
For example, you would want to use a .com for a commercial site, a .net for a network, a .org for an organization. Unfortunately, everyone seems to want a .com extension even when it is not needed, or relevent to their use. For this reason, new extensions are constantly being released. I often use .us extensions, as my companies are all based in the United States. It just makes sense, and works just as well as the other extensions.
Some out there are of the belief that a .com extension ranks higher in the search engines than other extension types (.net, ,org, etc.). In my 6 years of website development and search engine optization, I have found no ranking advantage in a .com name. All domain name extensions can rank equally as well in the search engines. There are many factors that effect ranking, but domain extension does not seem to be one of them. Sure, it's nice to pick a nice .com name over say a .biz. Unfortunately, good .com names are hard to find.
Where To Purchase A Domain Name:
Buying a domain name is very easy. There are a large number of domain name resellers on the web, such as godaddy.com, namesdirect.com, network solutions, etc. As mentioned earlier, alot of the the good, short .com names are already taken. However, there is a secondary market where domain names are available for sale by the present owner.
Domain Renewal:
Once you have found yourself a good domain name, make sure that you keep it renewed. You see, one never actually "owns" a domain name. Instead, it is more like a open ended "rental" of the name. As long as you continue to renew the name, you can use it. Should you fail to renew by the deadline, you will have to pay a penalty to get the name back. I recently had to pay $80.00 on behalf of one of my hosting customers who forgot to renew their domain name by the deadline. Eventually, expired domain names go back on the market and become available for sale. At that point, anyone can buy them.
How To Choose A Good Name:
Picking a good domain name is very important. It lets web visitors know what type of business you have, and can actually help you in the search engines. I like to use relevent keywords in my domain names, words that web visitors might type when searching online. You see, search engines such as Google actually pick up on domain name keywords. You may see them highlighted in your domain name when you do a Google search. Google acknowledges these words, finding them in your domain name in the search results. For this reason, pick domain names that contain good key words. For example, if you wanted to sell sterling silver, a good domain might be: sellsilver.us Think like your customer. They probably don't know your company by name, but they know what they are searching for. What words would they be using in theor search? Make these your keywords. For example, if you are a jeweler located in Tampa, FL , you might name your site tampajewelers.com, for example. Keep the name as short as possible, even if you have to use a domain name other than a .com. They are simply too hard for web visitors to type in. I also try not to use dashed (-) and underscores (_) in my domain names. It just makes them that much harder to type in.