Choosing a Domain Name
By Anita Sabot - Fri Mar 11, 10:01 am
The domain name you choose can make or break your website, so think about it carefully!
A well chosen domain name can completely describe what you sell or do. Or it can be a name that matches or nearly matches your company name. For example, I can advertise my company by simply putting SabotSites.com on a t-shirt or bumpersticker. Not only have I advertised my company name, which is Sabot Sites, but I have also told people where they can find Sabot Sites.
I hope these domain name tips will help you choose the perfect name for your website!
- It needs to be something people can easily remember. Try to focus on the name of your product, service, business, association, family… or whatever it is you are promoting on the website.
- If you are an organization (non-profit, community service, group or club…) DO buy a .org domain. Not only does it invoke a status of service and respect, but .org domains are often cheaper to buy!
- If you are a vendor of a product or service and the .com domain of your dreams is not available, seriously consider NOT buying the .net of the same domain to use as your main domain. Not only will this cause confusion to both companies clients, it will be a constant source of annoyance to your clients who will continually type yourcompany.com in their web browser. The only exception to this would of course be if you are trying to make your business on the fact that you own a domain so similar to a known brand!
- No matter what domain extension you do end up buying, if you expect your website or brand name to become reasonably popular, DO consider buying the other main available domain extensions as well. The top ones to consider would be .com, .net and .org.
- After reading the basic domain rules below use this domain checker tool to see if your desired domain is available.
Here are some of the most used domains:
- .COM – originally intended for commercial sites, anybody can register these domains.
- .NET – originally intended for companies involved in Internet infrastructure, but now anybody can register these domains.
- .ORG – originally intended for not-for-profit organizations, but anybody can register these domains.
- .INFO – anybody can register these domains.
- .BIZ – anybody can register these domains.
There are some basic rules for domain names that you will also have to consider before buying your domain name:
- You can only use only letters, numbers, dash – , or underscore _
- Your domain name cannot begin or end with a dash or underscore
- Your domain name must have AT LEAST 3 characters
- Your domain name can have NO MORE than 63 characters (this does not include the .COM, .NET, .ORG, .BIZ .INFO, or whatever domain extension you decide to buy)
So do some serious thinking about your domain! But remember, domain names are not very expensive, so if you buy one today and decide in a month on another, it’s no great loss! Just buy the additional domain! SabotSites.com sells domains for the lowest prices possible. Check if your desired domain is available here.
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