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When you select a domain name, obviously you want a name people will remember. If you have a business that is already well known, you'll want that name to be your business name. If you're selling a specific product, you would like your domain name to reflect that product. And, ideally, you want a domain name that everyone will choose as a search keyword when searching for your product. Unfortunately, it isn't always that simple. Selecting a domain name for your website may be more difficult than choosing your business name. It is definitely more difficult than choosing a name for your child, even though the in-laws usually aren't involved in the process. It doesn't matter how many other children are named "Mary"; if you want to name your daughter "Mary," you can do so without restrictions. That's not true of domain names. Since they establish a "unique" identity in the world's economy, domain names are regulated. If someone else already has the name you want, you will have to choose another name for this "new baby" website unless you are able to buy it from the registered owner. So how do you start naming your website? First, make a list of words -- your business' or organization's name, the products or services you offer, and all the generic or alternative terms people might use to search for you and your product. Then decide which words the majority of potential customers will use to find your business or organization. Write those words down, because you'll need them later when you start developing themes or keyword based content for your website. Then, go shopping. There are many domain name sellers out there, so it pays to shop around. Do a search for "domain names" in any search engine and you'll have more choices in domain registrars than you can shake a twig at. Check them out, check their prices, and then check to see if there is any negative feedback for the ones that seem to have the best prices on domain name. Then use their handy tool to try out the various domain names on your list. If one you want is available, do a quick check of the US Government's trademark database, http://www.uspto.gov, just to make sure it isn't a registered trade name. That step could save you from being involved in legal problems later on. Once you've found your domain name, buy it, that minute, even if you're not yet ready to build your website, because it might not be available later, and $10/year is probably less than you'll spend on lunch, and if you think of a better name later on, you can buy it and redirect one or the other to the ultimate website domain. If the name you want is available as .com and .net, buy both so you don't have a competitor using the same name. But first a few words about what you're buying. You are not actually buying the name, you're buying a license to use that domain name on the world wide web. Domain name licenses, like car license tags, are bought on a yearly basis, although you can now buy up to ten years at a time. The cost of a domain name varies with different name providers from just under $10/year to $35/year, so it pays to shop around. In the past year, some registrar's have advertised domain names as low as $5.95. You should always do a little "web research" to find feedback other people have given on that domain name seller.
MORE FAQs How do you make website design decisions? How do you determine web page layout? URL, IP, Domain Name... What does it all mean? How do you optimize a website for search engines?
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What's in a name? A rose is a rose
is a rose, and a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but is a
rose a rose if you called it a petunia?
