Choosing a Domain Name

What is a Domain Name?

A domain name is a fancy phrase for a web address (examplename.com) used to access a particular website. Domain names are sometimes called URLs (Universal Resource Locator). Domain names aren't owned, they're registered. A domain name is yours as long as you make payments to keep the registery of that particular domain name. Minimum registration periods are for one year. You must renew your domain name registration every year, or you could possibly lose it to someone else.

Keep it Short

Some registrants allow you to register a name with up to 63 characters, but you should keep in mind that people should be able to remember your domain name, and it should be easy to type into the address bar of the browser.

Dot What?

Suffixes (.com, .net, .org) are explained on the Register.com site. Choose the appropriate suffix (or extension) for your business or line of work. For businesses, we recommend a .com suffix.

Domain Name Availability

Go to Nameboy.com and type in desired words or phrases to see if a domain name made with those words is available. If it is not available, alternatives will be suggested. It is better to use more than one word for your domain name for SEO purposes; incorporating hyphens may help also.

Character Types

Domain names can only consist of letters, numbers, and dashes. Symbols and spaces are not allowed. Domain names are not case sensitive.

Registering a Domain Name

A well known site to register: Register.com. Domain names are $35 per year for a .com .net .org. An alternative for cheaper domain names is Nameboy or Namecheap. Others: Network Solutions and Go Daddy.

You must point your domain name to the location where your site is hosted. When you register, you'll create a user name and password to set up your domain name. Print this information and keep it for your records and for your website designer.

Avoid Trademarks

It’s not professional. We've all heard the stories about Joe Schmoe who bought some "million-dollar-company.com" and sold it back to the company for enough money for his retirement. Those companies have spent time and money creating brands. Moreover, companies are no longer opening their checkbooks to get domain names back; they're calling lawyers.

Register Your Domain Name Now

Unless you want to get stuck with the "domain-no-one-wants.bit". You don't need a Webmaster or an IT department; you don’t even need a website. Register the domain name you want before you lose the opportunity to get it.

One, two, three?

If you have money to spare, it isn’t a bad idea to register several similar domain names. If you obtain "yourname.com", register "yourname.net", so no one else does. You can register your full company name and an easier-to-remember version. You don’t need a separate website for each domain name you register. Several domains can point to the same website.

Get Feedback

When you have settled on a couple of available domain name choices, check your friends and/or your clients reactions. A name that may make perfect sense to you may not make sense to other people. Is it hard to spell? Do you have to explain the domain name you chose? If so, you may need to re-think it.

Don’t Spend a lot of Dough

At one time, companies were getting away with charging reservation fees plus a "mandatory" $70 InterNIC fee. Recently, it was decided that there should be competition in domain name selling; prices have dropped dramatically. The fee for registering a domain name for 1 year ranges from $10-$35, depending on the registrant. Read the small print to be sure you'll have complete control over your domain name registry.