Domain Registration Decision: The first step you should take toward establishing your business online is to obtain a website address, also called a domain name or URL. If your obvious choice is not available, you may need to be creative in coming up with an alternative domain name. Be careful, however, to avoid confusion with similarly named companies.
Domain names comprise your unique name and a top-level domain (TLD), which are the three letters that follow the final period in any URL. The most common TLDs for domestic businesses are .com, .net, and .biz, while non-profit organizations typically use .org. In order to further protect the exclusivity of your website address, you may want to consider registering your unique name for each TLD. Domain registration sites allow you to register your domain from one year to 10 years.
The .com is the most popular and sort after. Try to register your domain name with .com first. If unavailable, try the .net. Thousands of names are registered every day. The longer you wait the higher the risk of losing the opportunity to purchase your desired name.
What’s in a Name?
Getting the right domain name is very important. Just like the name of your business is one of the most recognizable parts of your brand identity in the real world, your domain name will be one of the most important parts of your online identity. It is the first thing that your customers will type in their browser to get to your website or discover it through search engines such as Google or Bing.
What is the best domain for my website?
It really comes down to how you want your website and business to be represented online. When it comes to choosing a domain name the possibilities are endless. But there are few rules that we suggest you follow.
- Choose “.com” first – the majority of all websites are “.com” domains.
- Pick a name that is unique – avoid naming your site similar to existing sites.
- Make it easy to type – you don’t want your visitors to incorrectly type in your name.
- Try to make it brandable – your domain name will be your brand.
- Shorter is better – instead of MYToolShed.com go with MTShed.com.
- Avoid trademark problems – do the search before you register the name.
- No numbers and hyphens – stay away from them at all costs.
- Marry your domain name – make sure that you love your domain name.
- Check social networks – always check social networks for the same name.
