Keep it short
Although some places allow you to register a name with up to 63
characters, you have to keep in mind that people need to be able
to remember it, and easily type it into their browser. Try to
register the shortest name that your customers and visitors will
associate with your Website. The general rule of thumb is, keep
it under seven characters if possible. (Not including the suffix.)
Dot What?
There are many different extensions available right now. For
businesses, we recommend a .com suffix. It is the first extension
that most people try when searching for a Website. Also, since
it is one of the oldest extensions, .com shows that your business
has been around for a while and that you have a well-established
presence on the Web.
Avoid Trademarked Names
There are two really good reasons for this. First, it’s not
very nice. We have all heard the stories about the zany guy
who thought ahead and bought "some-huge-multi-million-dollar-company.com"
and sold it to the company for enough money to retire on.
But, remember that those companies, like yours, have spent
lots of time and money creating their brand, and what goes
around comes around. Also, companies are no longer opening
their pocketbooks to get their names back. They are calling
their lawyers.
Register Your Domain NOW
Domain names are being snatched up faster than candy at the
St. Patrick’s Day parade. You must register soon unless you
want to get stuck with "the-domain-name-that-no-one-wanted.net".
You do not have to have a Webmaster or an ecommerce department
or a Web design consultant or... Heck, you don’t even need a
Web page. Just get out there and register before you loose the
opportunity to get the name you really want.
One May Not Be Enough
Sometimes, it isn’t a bad idea to register several similar domain
names. If you have "yourname.com", register "yourname.net"
so no one else takes it. You can register your full company
name and a shorter, easier to remember version. Some people
even register common misspellings of their company’s name. (You
don’t need a separate Web page for each. Several domains can
point to the same Website.)
Character Types
Just a reminder. Domain names can only use letters, numbers,
and dashes. Spaces and symbols are not allowed. Also, domain
names are not case sensitive.
Ask Around
When you have settled on several available name choices, see
what your friends and clients have to say. A name that may make
perfect sense to you may be too hard for other people to remember.
Is your domain easy to say? Is it hard to spell? Do you have
to explain why you chose the name?
Don’t Shell Out Large Amounts of $$$
At one time, companies were able to get away with charging reservation
fees plus a "mandatory" $70 InterNIC fee. Recently,
it was decided that other companies should be able to compete
to sell domain names. This has lowered prices dramatically.
And remember, if you think that if you have found the right
domain name, but you're not quite sure if it's the one... register
it anyway before someone else does!
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