July 17, 2006; 09:00 AM
A website's domain name (also know as
a website address or URL) is an important consideration when developing
your online presence.
Choosing an appropriate domain name is the first step in the process
of building online credibility. Remember to choose carefully because
this online address may be where your business resides for the rest of
its operating life. Now, some important tips to consider before
choosing your domain name:
Choosing Your Domain Extension
A domain extension or top level domain is simply the suffix of your
website address: (.com, .net, .org, .ca, etc.) Most Internet users are
familiar with the ".com" extension, and will generally use this
extension by default when typing an address into their browser.
Choosing a ".com" extension should be your fist choice in case your
potential customers forget that your address is "www.mybusiness.NET",
and visit your competitor at "www.mybusiness.COM" by mistake. Choosing
the ".com" extension gives your website the most credibility in the
eyes of your customers. If your business only caters to the local
community, then it makes sense to get a country specific domain name,
such as the ".ca" extension. A country specific domain benefits you in
two ways: both your customers and search engines such as Google will
know that your website is registered to a Canadian and operates in
Canada.
Potential customers will feel more comfortable knowing that they are
dealing with a Canadian company, and not a U.S. based business
pretending to be a Canadian company. Also, search engines will give
your website higher placement in the search results when a user is
performing a Canadian specific search.
I personally recommend that my clients, if possible, register both the
".com" AND ".ca" extension. This way, your Canadian based website will
benefit from using the ".ca" extension, while at the same time ensuring
that they reach your website if they accidentally type the ".com"
extension into their browser.
Using Your Business Name
The first choice for any domain name would be your business' name. This
ensures that your customers will remember your website's address. You
can't expect your potential customers to remember a phrase that just
relates to your business.
Choosing Choice Keywords
Including specific keywords in your website's address will help your
rankings in popular search engines such as Google or Yahoo. It is best
to choose a keyword that you think your potential customers will use to
search for your business. A search engine optimization (SEO)
professional such as Cost Effective Design can assist you in choosing
your keyword(s). These type of domain names are used in instances where
the client does not want to use the business name because it is either
already registered by another company, or the company name is simply
too long. Any company that is serious about generating traffic through
search engines should acquire a domain name with a keyword in addition
to your business name.
Don't Confuse Your Customers
If possible, try not to use domain names that include: "2" for "To" or
"4" for "For" or "u" for "You". These may make your domain look "cool"
or "hip", but in reality they are not very practical. These domain
names create a problem when directing your clients to your website
verbally or over the phone. For example, if you owned
www.UsedCars4U.com, every time you verbally directed someone to your
website, you would have to specify that the URL uses the actual number
4, and letter U.
To Use, Or Not to Use Hyphens
Given that more and more businesses are registering domain names every
day, getting the website address you want is becoming increasingly
difficult. One or two word domain names are usually already registered,
forcing new registrants to choose URLs containing three or four words.
To some people, these URLs can look like a big mess of words. Using
hyphens in between the words can make them visually more appealing. For
example, "www.used-cars-for-you.com, looks better than
"www.usedcarsforyou.com. The jury is still out on hyphenated domain
names.
The advantages are that they look better and search engines can easily
distinguish the separate keywords for better search placements, but the
disadvantages are that they are difficult to verbally communicate and
type. The best solution would be to register both the hyphenated, and
the un-hyphenated version of the domain name to ensure that there is no
confusion.
Domain Name Length
Even though you are allowed to use 67 characters for a domain name, the
general rule of thumb is: shorter is better. Although, in some
instances, the website address may be more memorable if it is more
descriptive. For example a domain consisting of initials only, such as
"www.waa.com", may not create a lasting impression compared to the
domain name "www.windsorautoassociation.com". Therefore, it is best to
choose a name that, while short, contains enough description for your
customers to easily remember.
Buying an Existing Domain Name
Maybe the domain name you really want is already registered, either by
a legitimate company, or by a "domain squatter" who merely registered
the name to sell for a profit at a later date. You can make an offer
for these types of domains, although they make cost several hundred, or
even thousands of dollars. There are advantages to purchasing an
existing domain name. In addition to getting the domain you want, it
may also rank highly in the search engines for certain keywords and /
or generate topic specific traffic that you will benefit your business.
About the company: Paul Coulter owns and operates a full service, custom web
design company in Canada. Contact Him by visiting his website at:
Custom Web Design.ca
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