'Build your website' tutorial 2: Domain names02 August 2005
Choosing the right domain name can mean the difference between success and failure for your company website. The way you research and choose your domain name will be dictated by the nature of your business and what you want your website to achieve. Read the following tips to make sure you get your domain name right first time.
Get your keywords right
There are different schools of thought regarding the use of keywords in your domain name. The traditional approach is to keep it simple, with as few words as possible e.g. www.flowers.c om so the website address is easy to remember.
Since the length for domain names was extended to 67 characters, many companies have included keywords in their domain names. The reason for this is that many links are clicked on from search engines, rather than simply typed in to the address bar of a web browser. Search engines often favour domain names that describe the contents of the website in the title.
Using numbers at the start of your domain name i.e. www.123 flowers.com can also mean your site is placed higher in the results list of search engines that list results alphabetically.
Selecting your keywords
Start by writing down what your website is about, then pick out all of the key words i.e. flowers, plants, gifts, florist, bouquet, roses etc. Choose your favourite combination of key words, then check to see if your chosen domain name is available.
If your chosen domain is already taken
If your chosen domain is already taken, you could consider using prefixes or suffixes in your name i.e. e, e-, my, i, i-, the, online, net, web, world, links, site, web, net, resource, business.
Buying a domain for an existing business or website
If your business name or website is very generic, you may find one (or many) other sites already using your chosen domain. In that case, you have to decide whether you will make a bid to buy the domain name you want, look for an alternative extension (such as .org or .net) or use the brainstorming ideas mentioned earlier. If you choose to bid for the domain name you want, you can often contact the domain owner directly - many domain searches offer a facility where you can view the owner details.
Many website owners find it easier to have their website hosted by the domain name provider. Check with your domain name provider whether they offer web hosting as part of - or in addition to - their domain name provision.
