Buy/Sell Domain Names! Is it Profitable? I've just recently stumbled across a few web sites like namepros.com and dnforum, websites that focus solely on the buying and selling of domains. And I "gotta tell ya" I was quit impressed to hear some of the success stories. Now from my understanding, ... Choosing the Right Domain Name What's in a name? Everything! A domain name is the first thing that pops up when people are exploring through a search engine or directory, so it's important to come up with something clever that also spotlights the focal point of your business. By ... Domain Name Scams: Have You Fallen for One? Have you received information regarding your domain name through postal mail? Did you receive numerous invoices regarding your domain name? Ever been stuck in a contract for well over a year? If any of the above apply to you, you may have fallen for a ...
10 Sensible Steps to Take When Choosing Your Domain Name
With such a huge growth in the number of websites and the resulting difficulty in finding an available domain name, it is tempting to grab the first one that sounds like it might do the trick. However, a small amount of homework will pay big dividends – follow the ten steps below to obtain the optimal domain:
1. AVAILABILITY If it's not available you can't have it – simple!
2. COPYRIGHT Ensure that you do not breach copyright or infringe trademarks with your choice of domain.
3. EXTENSIONS It's widely acknowledged that the best TLD (top level domain) is .com. However, in the UK, web users are more than used to .co.uk so this is equally acceptable for UK websites. If .com isn't available and you use .net instead (for example), check that .com isn't either a competitor or that the .com site content is acceptable! Always try to get the .com, your country TLD or .net in that order. Web users are still not used to .biz or .info.
4. BE GREEDY! If more than one TLD variant is available, buy as many as you can afford and set them all to point to your website. This is a form of brand protection and prevents unscrupulous competitors trying to cash in on your hard-earned web traffic.
5. BE MEMORABLE Make sure that potential web users will remember your domain name and that they can spell it properly.
6. BE PRONOUNCABLE Try telling people your web address over the phone – can they understand what you tell them? Or do they give up and try someone else's website.
7. BE DESCRIPTIVE If you are a new business, very few people will remember or search for your domain name if it is your company name. Try choosing a domain name that is descriptive of your products instead e.g. cheap<>.com. Try testing it with a hyphen as well as using just one word.
8. OFFLINE MARKETING Use your domain name in your offline marketing literature and ensure that it is as visible as possible. However, if your domain name consists of more than one word, that isn't hyphenated, try using capital letters e.g. which is easier to read – littlefishwebdesign.com or LittleFishWebDesign.com? Domain names are not case sensitive so your clients will find your site whichever version they use.
9. BUY YOUR DOMAIN FOR LONGER Search engines are now looking at less obvious information such as how long you have bought your domain name for. Domain names owned for less than two years are though to be penalised, so buy your domain for as long as possible.
10. OWN YOUR DOMAIN NAME If you use a web designer or third party for your domain names, ensure they are registered in your name and that you have a signed agreement with the company that they will release all the details (including password) to you, quibble free, if you choose to move to another design or hosting company.
About the Author Emma Kalson is the owner of www.littlefishwebdesign.com and has been designing websites for about 10 years. She doesn't believe in unnecessary bells and whistles on websites and wants to help remove some of the myths surrounding website design and search engine activity.
Domain Names News
.Tel Domain Names Go on Sale (ReadWriteWeb) Starting today, companies and trademark holders can start registering their own .tel domains. However, unlike most domain names, .tel domains are severely restricted by Telnic , the main registrar for these domains. Users and companies can only put up their contact information on these sites and they can only do so through Telnic's own forms. In some respects, these domains are similar to ...
New .tel Top-Level Domain Goes on Sale (CircleID) Telnic Limited, the Registry Operator and Sponsoring Organization for the new sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) .tel, has announced that domain name registrations are now being accepted (see previous coverage ). "From today until February 2nd, trademark owners can register .tel domains for their brands and company names, providing them with a 'live' comprehensive listing in the first global, ...
.tel domain sales begin today (The Inquirer) Emma Hughes the Inquirer , Wednesday 3 December 2008. 12:30:00 Contact central TODAY, .tel domain names go up for sale. The domain is designed to allow companies or individuals to display contact details such as phone numbers, email addresses or even GPS data. The new domain encourages the owners of .tel domains to cough up the details of how they can be...
