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| How to Choose a Domain Name
for Your Business Website |
| Posted: 13-04-2006 | Views: 90 |
| Author: abul kashem |
By: Paul Coulter
A website’s domain name (also know as a website address
or URL) is an important consideration when developing
your online presence. Choosing an appropriate domain name
is the first step in the process of building online credibility.
Remember to choose carefully because this online address
may be where your business resides for the rest of its
operating life. Now, some important tips to consider before
choosing your domain name:
Choosing Your Domain Extension
A domain extension or top level domain is simply the suffix
of your website address: (.com, .net, .org, .ca, etc.)
Most Internet users are familiar with the “.com” extension,
and will generally use this extension by default when
typing an address into their browser. Choosing a “.com”
extension should be your fist choice in case your potential
customers forget that your address is “www.mybusiness.NET”,
and visit your competitor at “www.mybusiness.COM” by mistake.
Choosing the “.com” extension gives your website the most
credibility in the eyes of your customers.
If your business only caters to the local community, then
it makes sense to get a country specific domain name,
such as the “.ca” extension. A country specific domain
benefits you in two ways: both your customers and search
engines such as Google will know that your website is
registered to a Canadian and operates in Canada. Potential
customers will feel more comfortable knowing that they
are dealing with a Canadian company, and not a U.S. based
business pretending to be a Canadian company. Also, search
engines will give your website higher placement in the
search results when a user is performing a Canadian specific
search.
I personally recommend that my clients, if possible, register
both the “.com” AND “.ca” extension. This way, your Canadian
based website will benefit from using the “.ca” extension,
while at the same time ensuring that they reach your website
if they accidentally type the “.com” extension into their
browser.
Using Your Business Name
The first choice for any domain name would be your business’
name. This ensures that your customers will remember your
website’s address. You can’t expect your potential customers
to remember a phrase that just relates to your business.
Choosing Choice Keywords
Including specific keywords in your website’s address
will help your rankings in popular search engines such
as Google or Yahoo. It is best to choose a keyword that
you think your potential customers will use to search
for your business. A search engine optimization (SEO)
professional such as Cost Effective Design can assist
you in choosing your keyword(s). These type of domain
names are used in instances where the client does not
want to use the business name because it is either already
registered by another company, or the company name is
simply too long. Any company that is serious about generating
traffic through search engines should acquire a domain
name with a keyword in addition to your business name.
Don’t Confuse Your Customers
If possible, try not to use domain names that include:
“2” for “To” or “4” for “For” or “u” for “You”. These
may make your domain look “cool” or “hip”, but in reality
they are not very practical. These domain names create
a problem when directing your clients to your website
verbally or over the phone. For example, if you owned
www.UsedCars4U.com, every time you verbally directed someone
to your website, you would have to specify that the URL
uses the actual number 4, and letter U.
To Use, Or Not to Use Hyphens
Given that more and more businesses are registering domain
names every day, getting the website address you want
is becoming increasingly difficult. One or two word domain
names are usually already registered, forcing new registrants
to choose URLs containing three or four words. To some
people, these URLs can look like a big mess of words.
Using hyphens in between the words can make them visually
more appealing. For example, “www.used-cars-for-you.com,
looks better than “www.usedcarsforyou.com. The jury is
still out on hyphenated domain names. The advantages are
that they look better and search engines can easily distinguish
the separate keywords for better search placements, but
the disadvantages are that they are difficult to verbally
communicate and type.
The best solution would be to register both the hyphenated,
and the un-hyphenated version of the domain name to ensure
that there is no confusion.
Domain Name Length
Even though you are allowed to use 67 characters for a
domain name, the general rule of thumb is: shorter is
better. Although, in some instances, the website address
may be more memorable if it is more descriptive. For example
a domain consisting of initials only, such as “www.waa.com”,
may not create a lasting impression compared to the domain
name “www.windsorautoassociation.com”. Therefore, it is
best to choose a name that, while short, contains enough
description for your customers to easily remember.
Buying an Existing Domain Name
Maybe the domain name you really want is already registered,
either by a legitimate company, or by a “domain squatter”
who merely registered the name to sell for a profit at
a later date. You can make an offer for these types of
domains, although they make cost several hundred, or even
thousands of dollars. There are advantages to purchasing
an existing domain name. In addition to getting the domain
you want, it may also rank highly in the search engines
for certain keywords and / or generate topic specific
traffic that you will benefit your business.
About the Author
Paul Coulter owns and operates a full service, custom
web design company in Canada. Contact Him by visiting
his website at: Custom Web Design.ca
This article is free for
republishing
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/ |
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