TOP TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE RIGHT DOMAIN

Ask any online marketer what their domain name means to them, and they will automatically tell you that their domain name is their company's identity. It tells surfer everything they need to know: who they are? What they do? What their product/service can do for them.

It essentially acts as a summation of your company's web identity, so making sure you pick one that accurately describes you is vital.

For this reason we recommend that you pick something that is memorable, distinct and original. One that stands out from the rest in your product niche, but also at the same time efficiently reflects your company's products/service.

So how do you decide which is the right domain for you?

Well the first thing we recommend, especially if you are interested in incorporating SEO into your web design, is to pick a domain name that is SEO friendly.

But as with all things, this in itself can lead to more problems when it comes to choosing your domain. You see, you are just one of many companies online, who have undertaken the task of finding a URL that is SEO friendly.

So trying to find one that is distinct to your product niche and that has also been left untouched can be difficult. The competition is fierce.

But you can overcome this. You can offer your domain a uniqueness presence. Take the following details for example. Each can help make your decision easier.

Brand: as we said before your domain name is your websites identity. It represents who you are to the entire marketing sector and what you are trying to achieve as a company.

Saying this, your brand essence can also play an important factor in what domain you decide to choose.

All your brand is, is an extension of your company's identity. It is another means of allowing your surfers to recognise who you are and what you do.

So if for example you are a property investment teaching company, within your domain name it needs to mention the phrases 'property courses' or 'property investment.'

Length: which do you choose? A short domain name that is easy to remember and type into your browser or a long domain name that will enable you to incorporate SEO and explain your product?

Both of these have got their benefits. It is just a matter of deciding which one would best benefit your website.

One way you can have the best of both these worlds is to set a word restriction of up to 67 characters. By doing this, you can give your domain name just enough description length so that it is not obscured, but a clear cut off point.

Saying this, if you can keep your domain name to under 67 characters that will prevent surfers from making any errors when come to type in your domain name.

Hyphens: similar to the length of your domain names, hyphens can bring both its advantages and its disadvantages.

On the one hand, using hyphens can help you to get the domain you want whilst making your keywords more accessible to SEO e.g. propertyinvestment to property-investment.

But then on the opposite end of the scale, if surfers forget to include them, they could either be taken to another company's website, or they won't be able to find your website at all.

Domain name type: when picking your domain name you need to decide what you want your top level domain to be.

All a top level domain is, is your domain names extension for example .com, .net, .org, .us or .biz.

Now most companies choose to go for .com but there is nothing necessarily wrong with using any of the others we have mentioned above. In fact, with .com being such a popular domain source, it can be quite competitive to get your domain name with them so choosing one of the others could ensure you get the domain you want.

So take the time to decide what domain name best suites your website, and make sure you consider all the above pointers. Do that and you can offer your website the best in domain representation.

BUYING DOMAINS (HELP GUIDE)

There is a dizzying array of domain name extensions (and more will be added this year and every year for the foreseeable future). When you are purchasing your domain names, it's hard to know which ones to buy - all of them? Just .com? This article shares some ideas for you to consider when you are investing in the domain names related to your business.

While the .com extension is certainly the most well recognized and the one that is the "best" to have for most businesses, it's not the only one. However, always try to get that one when it is available - whether for your business name, your individual name, a product name, or other intellectual property you want to have represented by a domain name.

The next most popular extension for businesses (and the one that was supposed to take the load off the .com extension) is .biz. If you own ONLY this extension (or any of the others besides .com) you have to take special care to ensure that others KNOW your website ends with .biz because by default, essentially everyone assumes when you tell them your website that .com is the extension.

The third one to consider is .info - and in some cases, fits quite well with particular domain names and certain products or features of your business. Again, remember to stress the extension if you are telling someone your URL.

The .name extension is one that you can get if you are using your own name but it's not very recognizable to most people as an extension.

An extension that is gaining in popularity for some businesses is .tv. Generally, it is limited to people who are broadcasting in some way. Look into this if you plan to use extensive video and other visual media.

.org is limited to groups who can demonstrate that they are an organization and not a business, so for most people reading this article, you have no need to even consider this extension.

The last two I'll mention here are .gov & .lib, which are limited to government agencies and libraries, respectively. Again, no need to worry about those extensions.

So, given all of this information, here are some suggestions for you when you are purchasing domain names (especially if some seems to have the one you REALLY wanted):


Find out if the person who owns it will sell it (and they might if they aren't using it). Many people buy domain names 'just in case,' and may be willing to sell it to you. All you can do is ask. If you don't ask, you'll never know.
Play with the domain name you want and try it in different formats; see if one of the others is available. It's one thing I love about 1and1.com (and most other companies that sell domains; they give you other suggestions if the name you want isn't available.
Try the domain name with hyphens (and when you get a really good one, consider getting it with hyphens, too anyway. Know that if you ONLY have a domain name with hyphens you will always be telling people where the hyphens go, so try some other alternatives instead unless you are prepared to repeat OVER AND OVER "There's a hyphen between every word."
When you find a domain name you truly love - and have a sense that it is "the one," then buy it in as many iterations as possible. Domains are cheap. You can always keep them for a year and let them go...but once they are gone, it's much more expensive and maybe impossible to secure the one(s) you want. Better safe than sorry!