Getting Started Online: Your Domain Name

When you’re starting to build your business online, one of the first important steps to take is to get your own domain name.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEpY-kdGstE

What is a domain name?

A domain name is like your home address.  It’s how people can find your website’s home on the internet.

It’s the www.yourwebsite.com that guides people to your website.  It’s the first thing you need to start building and branding your online presence.

Domain names come in different extensions – .com, .net, .org, .tv and many more.  All work basically the same way.

Every domain name is unique.  No two people can own the same domain.  So you may need to get creative when deciding on your domain.

You purchase your domain name for a yearly fee.  Then it’s yours for that year.  At the end of the year you’ll need to “renew” your domain name by paying the yearly fee again.  Think of it like a lease.

Once you own your domain name you can “point” it to the computer server where your website is hosted.  A domain can point to a free website or blog, or you can purchase website hosting space for a professional website and point your domain there.  Your website and your domain name can be purchased through different companies.  And if you switch website hosts or move your website, your domain can be pointed easily to the new website.

What domain name should you choose?

To get started choosing your domain name, grab a piece of paper. Write down your business name and your name as well as a list of the products or services you offer. These are your starting points. Keep this list in mind as you go through the points below.

1) Your domain should be easy to spell and easy to remember.
Do not choose a domain name which is difficult to spell or people trying to access your site may be frustrated and confused when they misspell it and end up at a different website or no website at all.

2) Consider including your keywords or phrases.
Having a domain name that includes your main product line makes it easier for customers to remember and will give you a boost in the search engines. After all, if you use the domain JohnsAlaskanRealEstate.com the chances are pretty good that you are offering Real Estate in Alaska and your site would be relevant to a search for Alaskan Real Estate. Of course, a domain name alone won’t rank you #1 for the word or phrase you’ve used, but it does help.

You could also consider a domain name like keyword-keyword.com such as Alaska-Real-Estate.com (but don’t go crazy with four or five hyphenated words, see point 1 above and point 3 below!). If you do use a hyphenated domain I recommend also purchasing the non-hyphenated version, in this example that would be AlaskaRealEstate.com, for use in offline advertising and 301 redirect it to your main website.

3) Keep it simple. Shorter is better.
mywebsiteisawesomeandmybusinessnameismybusiness.com is not something people are going to remember or want to type out.

4) Check out similar domain names.
.net or.biz are fine domain extensions if the.com is taken for the domain you want, but keep in mind that some of your potential customers may mistype the domain to end it in.com and if the.com is a site you don’t want them visiting (such as an adult site), you need to reconsider your choice.

5) Be careful with numbers.
You can use numbers in a domain, but try to avoid 0 (zero) because it may be mistaken for an O (letter o). Be cautious with L, l, and 1.

6) Read it in various ways.
Have others look at your idea and read it… because sometimes the words can be combined differently and not quite as intended. You may have seen examples of domains registered by companies who did not have considered alternative readings and ended up with inappropriate words in their domain names (it’s widely circulated on the internet as a humorous forward email).

7) Check domain history.
You really don’t want to purchase a domain that was previously used by spammers or an adult site. Go to waybackmachine.org to find past sites on a domain. With these seven tips in mind, take that piece of paper and start brainstorming ideas. Once you’ve got a few you like the next step is to see what’s available for registration.

Additional Resources:

* Domain Privacy Protection–Do You Need It?
* Seven Ways to Keep Your Domain Name Safe

Michelle Shaeffer has been a work at home mom for more than 10 years and loves to share the tips and strategies she’s learned to help other home based business owners balance, manage, and market their businesses. Connect with her athttp://www.michelleshaeffer.com.