I want my own domain!
by Anna-Marie Stewart
Choosing domain names, or web addresses is a major thing when you want to do business online. Whilst a great, or even halfway decent domain name may not guarantee success, it can most definitely have an impact on just about all aspects of your online biz.
When choosing a domain name, your best bet is to get one that is short, concise and easy to remember, as this will minimise confusion. If you are going for a domain that could possibly cause a bit of confusion, then it`s generally recommended that it falls into one of these categories: words that sound similar, common misspellings, hyphenated or non-hyphenated variations.
On the other hand, long domain names offer more flexibilty in choosing a domain name, allowing you to be more descriptive about what your site is about or what it does.
Don`t choose things like stuff4free.com or free-stuff-online though, as it makes it hard for the domain to be passed on to others through word of mouth. People can`t actually "hear" whether it`s 4 or four, and they can`t "hear" the hyphens. Again, joe_bloggs.com looks ok, but try telling someone to go there, joe underscore bloggs dot com is just hard to say.
Personally I`m not a fan of dots, dashes and numbers in a domain name, I think I prefer them as letters all in a row, like stuffforfree.com, freestuffonline.com and joebloggs.com (or whatever else the extention may be).
Try testing out names on family and friends, together you could come up with a really great name, one you wouldn`t have thought up on your own, and with a bit of luck it may not have been taken already.
Here are some various links that can be helpful to check out before trying to buy the domain name you want.
Domain naming idea generators:
http://www.nameboy.com
http://www.webmaster-toolkit.com/domain-name-generator.shtml
Domain name exchanges:
http://www.afternic.com
http://www.websitenames.com
http://www.thedomainexchange.com
Domain registration services:
http://www.networksolutions.com/en_US/name-it
http://www.easyspace.com/domains/domains.html
http://www.register.com/register.cgi
You can use a whois search to look up domains that are already in use. This can be particulary useful If you`re looking for information such as the name and address of the registrant, creation date, expiration date, billing contact, technical contact, administrative contact, and domain servers.
Domain search tools:
http://www.whois.sc
http://www.domainsearch.com
http://www.domainit.com/domain-search-engine.htm
Even if a domain name that you really want is taken, if no one actually has a site there they may just let the name lapse. So check the expiry on the domain name, and within a few months of it expiring you might just be able to grab it for yourself.
Happy hunting!
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