Articles. Its all in the name.
It all starts with the domain! Having your own domain name gives you unlimited opportunities on the net. Once you register your domain, you get a unique online identity, the chance to build your own website and have your own email accounts. But with so many different domain names available, which one is right for me and what do they all mean?
What is a domain and why do I need one?
Once you have made the decision to create a website, the next step is to register at least one domain name, an alphanumeric unique name that identifies individual web sites on the internet.
The domain can be of any length up to 67 characters, which includes the 26 letters of the English alphabet, numbers 0-9, and hyphens (-). The domain name cannot begin or end with a hyphen but, can contain one or more hyphens.
The domain names have a suffix or extention, called also TLD (Top Level Domain), which is based on the type of organisation it is associated with. Common suffixes include:
- .comGlobal commercial business.
- .co.uk UK commercial business.
- .netNetwork of organisations.
- .orgGlobal not for profit organisation.
- .org.uk UK based not for profit Organisation.
- .eduEducational institution.
- .govGovernment agency.
- .mobiDomains intended for websites aimed at mobile phones and PDA's.
Additional domain name extentions include: .biz, .info, .tv, .name, and .cc. Many domain registration agents offer a full list of domain extensions.
How to choose a successful domain?
More than 50 million domain names have been registered worldwide and thousands new ones are added per day. It might be hard for you then to get the name that you really like for your website. Do not get discouraged from that fact, but rather try to be creative.
Remember that you can use a combination of almost all characters (letters, numbers, hyphens) for your domain. The length of a domain name can vary, but generally speaking it should be a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 67 characters.
Shorter domain names are easier to remember and type, and far less susceptible to mistakes: for example lottery.com is easier to remember, type than playthenationallotteryonline.com
But sometimes there is an exeption to this rule. A longer domain can be easier to remember by human memory than the shorter one - for example tbrea.com is a sequence of unrelated letters that is difficult to remember and type correctly, whereas, if we expand it to its long form 'TheBestRealEstateAgency.com' we are more likely to remember the domain name.
Here are some useful tips when considering which domain(s) to register:
- Try to register a domain which contains a popular keyword applicable for your industry. This will help your customers remember your domain name better.
- Don't register a domain containing the digit "0" in it, unless it is going to be part of a recognisable word (like 1000 or 2000). This is because the digit "0" is often confused with the vowel "O".
- Try to avoid using domains that contain "2" for "to", "4" for "four", "u" for "you". Your customers will easily get confused. However, if you must register such a domain, register the expanded form of the domain as well, i.e. if you are registering only4you.com also you can register onlyforyou.com.
Hyphenated Domain Names
Should you get a hyphenated name? It is easy to forget the hyphens when typing a name. Many users are used to typing things like worldwildlifefund.com but not world-wild-life-fund.com. They'll probably leave out the hyphens and wind up at a competitor's site.
Having said that however, search engines can distinguish your keywords better and thus return your site more prominently in search results for those keywords occurring in your domain name.
Plus, the non-hyphenated form may no longer be available. At least this way, you still get the domain name you want.
Can I have more than one?
Of course. In fact, we usually suggest registering two domain names, one using your company name or abbreviation of, for use on your company's printed literature, and one keyword rich domain for use in search engine marketing. Both domain names will access the same website and emails sent to both domain names will be received by the same recipients.
Finally, how much are they are how do I register?
The costs of domain names vary widely depending the extension you choose i.e. .com .co.uk etc, and which registration agent you use. dentonscreative can regsiter your chosen domain name for you from as little as £12.00 ex VAT. Domain names are always registered for an initial two year period and are renewed for subsequent periods of two years. It is possible to register any domain for longer periods if desired.
Whichever agent you choose to register your domain, be sure that the domain is registered to you and that you retain complete ownership. Also be weary of hidden charges such as email accounts, cheap web hosting, redirection charges (pointing your domain to an existing site) and release fees (moving the domain from the registration agent).
dentonscreative are authorised resellers of .uk domains by Nominet.
