Choosing a Domain Name
By Stephen Bucaro
Choosing a good domain name is an important step in creating a website. Not only is your
domain name how people will find your website, but it can also be part of your branding. If
you already have an existing business, try to get a domain name that is the same or close
to the name of the business.
If your business name is, for example, Linda's Virtual Services, your first choice for
a domain name should be lindasvirtualservices.com. If you can't get the full name, try some
variations, for Linda's Virtual Services you might use linsvirtualservices.com, or lindasservices.com,
or virtuallinda.com.
If you still can't get get a domain name that is close to the same as your existing business
name, think of something that is closely related to it, or something that is memorable or catchy
and unique. For Linda's Virtual Services you might use lindacanhelp.com or maybe lindadoesitgood.com.
Another common practice is to place dashes in the name, for example lindas-virtual-services.com,
or to use an acronym, for example lvs.com. You might also find you can use the domain name
you desire with an alternate extension, like .biz, .info, or .ws. However, it's usually better
to stick with .com.
Some people advise to keep your domain name as short as possible, which is a good idea,
except that most short domain names have already been reserved by domainers - people who purchase
domain names for the sole purpose of marking them up Substantially and selling them to someone else.
someone who doesn't have an existing business can create a domian name and business name
at the same time, giving them a better opportunity to match the domian name and business name.
You'll want to find a domian name and business name that describes what the business sells or does.
Some businesses have achieved great success with domain names that have absolutely nothing
to do with their business product or service. For example the name google had little relation
to search before Google used it as a business name, and amazon had little relation to books
before Amazon used it as a business name. This proves that all you really need is a name that
is memorable and catchy.
If you're having difficulty finding a domain name, brain storm by writing as many alternatives
as you can think of and then arranging them in order which you think is best.
People and companies who register a domain name often say they "own" the domain name,
but in reality they are only renting the domain name. Domain names are actually managed by
ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), a nonprofit organization that
was created in 1998 to be responsible for the domain name system of the Internet.
To register a domain name you need to go to a domain name registrar, an ICANN-accredited
company that has the application to check a domain name's availability and to register domain
names. One of the easiest places to register a domain online is godaddy.com
If you want to register a domain, you would go to godaddy and start a domain search.
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