Choosing the Right Domain Name – .COM, .NET, etc

Website Tips No Responses »
Oct 112011

What should you do if the “.com” of your domain name is already reserved but “.net”, “.org” or other top level domains (TLDs) are available?

Some TLDs are restricted for specific use like .edu and .gov and .biz.  Your business or institution must qualify in order to reserve these extensions.  Recent arrivals on the TLD scene such as country designations like .us and .uk have become very popular.

Which one of these would be your best choice instead of .com?

There are different ways of looking at this situation.  I consider the domain name to be the most important aspect of branding and marketing.  In this case, choosing an alternate TLD to the .COM shouldn’t be too much of a concern.  If your domain name is memorable and easy to spell, it won’t matter which extension you use.

On the other hand, it is easy to think it should be “.com” and nothing else.  Online users assumes a web address is  .com and many would never think to use .net as an alternative when looking for a site.  That could result in a lost visitor.

As you can see, there are good reasons for both schools of thought.   In either case, there are two things I want to highlight.  First, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) success can happen regardless of the TLD.  Second, as long as you clearly communicate your www.domainname.NET (or other TLD), visitors will find you.

Remember to search for available domain names at www.comstar.biz

Next time:  Good Domain Names – Long or short?  Hyphenated or Not?

Posted by Bryn Kirk at 1:00 PM Tagged with: , , , ,

Choosing the Right Domain Name – Think Long Term

Website Tips No Responses »
Oct 062011

Deciding on a domain name seems pretty simple.  Just put a .com at the end of your company name, right?

It’s not as easy as it sounds.  You want a domain name that will be relevant to your business, your prospects, and Search Engines.  Here are some suggestions:

  1. Don’t make your domain name too long or say everything about you.  People may not remember it.  (e.g. JandSonsPaintandHomeDecoratingStore.com)
  2. Don’t shorten your domain name by dropping parts of words.  People will have difficulty recalling it. (e.g. John & Sons Paint and Home-Decorating Store to jspaintnhomedec.com)
  3.  Don’t end a word and start the next word with the same letter.  People will misspell it. (e.g. accountinggurus.com)
  4.  Don’t substitute too many letters with numbers.  People will get frustrated when typing it. (e.g. L0veP03m5.com)
  5.  Don’t be too generic.  (e.g. cars.com)
  6.  Do make your domain relevant to your brand and business. 
  7.  Do make it easy to spell.
  8.  Do make your domain name memorable.  How does it sound when you say it out loud? Does it rhyme (e.g. MoodFood.com) or glide off the tongue (e.g. WackyWeb.com)?

All this preparation won’t mean a thing unless the domain name is available.  Comstar offers a great domain search tool on their website, www.comstar.biz.  Click on the Hosting Services menu. Then click on Domain Registration.

Come back next week for our discussion on the pros and cons of .com, .net or .org!

Posted by Bryn Kirk at 3:00 PM Tagged with: , , ,

Who Owns Your Domain?

Website Tools No Responses »
Feb 022009

Domain registration can be an overwhelming task since there are so many different registration companies. A Google search alone brings up 5,740,000 results! Each company seems to offer the same service so what should you look for, and which company do you choose?

The most important thing is to make sure that when you register a domain, YOU are the owner. It is a common mistake to allow the person or company who registers it for you to be the owner. If you do not own the domain, it can be difficult if you ever want to move to a new hosting company. The good news is that there is a resource online called “whois” that can identify the domain owner. If you discover that you don’t own your domain, you should work to get that fixed right away.

If you are not 100% sure if you own the domain, go to www.whois.com right now.  When you get to the site, click on the words that say “WhoIsLookUp” located in blue above the search bar.  You will be able to see all of the contact information related to the registrant.  By the way, did you know all that information is public?  Be careful of what personal information you type in because if you’re not, anyone could start emailing or calling your personal information.  The good news is there is a way to hide this information.  Tell your registration company that you are interested in privacy and they can hide it for an additional fee.

Posted by Diana Myre at 5:54 PM Tagged with: , ,
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