Winning The Domain Name Game

Topic: Domain Names Guides |

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What makes a domain name right for your Web site? If you are trying to figure out what’s the best available Web address for your new on-line presence, here are some key items to consider.
First of all, it should be memorable. That’s sounds obvious but most poorly branded Web sites have a domain name that isn’t appealing or logical and so it’s very hard to remember. It’s far more valuable to have a domain name that makes sense so people can easily remember it. This builds immediate credibility for your business, enhances your brand image and can be leveraged to market your site.

If you are launching a new business, you have the flexibility to base your company name on the availability of the corresponding domain name. For example, let’s hypothetically say your new on-line business is as a discount ticket broker for wild animal safaris. You’ve brainstormed a list of potential names and your first choice is the Discount Safari Company. So now you need to check if www.discountsafaris.com is also available as a domain name.

A convenient way to search for availability and buy a domain name is through a Web hosting company in conjunction with a Web hosting package they offer. There’s no cost just to check if a particular domain name is available.

Let’s say you check and, unfortunately, your first choice www.discountsafaris.com is not available. You could try emailing the webmaster of the domain name you want and initiate a dialogue to buy it from them.

Many domain names that are already taken but do not point to an active Web site are already for sale. Also, check to see when the registration expiration date is for the domain you want - you may be able to check back and “grab” a domain when someone else lets the registration expire.

If that doesn’t work out, all is not lost. If you are a new company, you could simply try a second choice for your company’s name. Using our example, suppose “Wild Safaris Online Company” is your second name choice and www.wildsafarisonline.com is available. Buy it, your done!

But you may not have that luxury if you are an existing company with too much equity in your established name. You don’t have the flexibility of renaming your business based solely on domain name availability. Consider the tactic of using a memorable phrase instead of your company name as your domain name. In the Safari Company example, you could choose a domain name such as www.supersafarisforless.com. Just make sure that the phrase you choose relates closely to your business. You could even think of using it as a tagline i.e. “Wild Safaris Online Company - Super Safaris for Less!”

One other consideration is rich keyword phrasing. A domain name that includes keywords that people are likely to use in search engine queries to find a business like yours could net a greatly increase amount of visitor traffic for your site.

Above all, use common business sense as you contemplate your domain name selection. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and make sure what you do will make sense to them.

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