Naming Your Website
Published: Friday, October 10, 2003
Deciding on the name
A website name (also known as website address or the domain name) often speaks a lot on the internet. It is not uncommon to choose a long name with more than 15 characters to describe the content or speciality of your website. For example, a domain name consisting of initials only, such as f1r.com, may not create a lasting impression compared to a domain name FormulaOneRacing.com. Visitor's will be able to remember the name easily rather than searching on the internet for finding your website for a second visit.
When selecting a domain name, here are the tips to consider:- Do you already have a company name? If yes, try to find a domain which includes your company name.
- What are your website topic keywords? Can you include at least one in your domain name.
- Does the domain name describe your website content?
- Can your website content be categorized in a web directory such as DMOZ.org based upon the domain name only?
- Does the domain name include words that are spelled differently in different parts of the world (such as color and colour, humor and humour). If you choose such a name, you might have to register both versions of the domain name.
Domain Names
With the ever growing population of new websites every day, and record new domain name registrations every month, it might be hard to find a domain name of your choice. Therefore, keep a few domain names in mind, or a combination of words while searching for a domain name. Buying your choicest domain from a broker company may be expensive in case you do not find one that is available.
Domain Name Extension
Choosing the right domain extension is also essential. The .com extension is the most popular and very widely
referenced domain for commercial websites. .net extension is mainly for service providers such as hosting companies and network providers. Country specific domains (such as .co.uk, .us) are also popular within individual countries. For example, if you do business in the United Kingdom, getting a .co.uk will create a local branding and attract more visitors from U.K. Sometimes advertisers look for such country specific domain extensions for promoting their products.
Tips & Tricks
It is wise to choose a domain name that is not used by any other company with another extension. There might be legal issues later where you might have to give up your domain due to trademark or other violations. Domain registration is very cheap nowadays (only $8.95/yr at GoDaddy.com).
Therefore, if you have the budget, registering as many extensions as you can will save some grief later. No one will be able to register the other extensions with your site name when your site becomes popular.
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Planning For Your Website
