will be? (There’s more on ‘keywords’ a little later on.)
If you can’t answer these questions, have another think or you
might have to buy another domain if you change your idea at a later
date. If you do have to change it, don’t just forget about the domain
and let it expire, try and sell it at www.sedo.com or www.sitepoint.com
for a profit; or at least to break even on the cost of the original
purchase.
Try hard to think of a name that people will remember and do your
best to make it catchy! Even though some of the most successful online
businesses, such as ‘Google’ and ‘Yahoo’ have names that in no way
relate to their services, their names are very easy to remember and as
a result they can be successfully promoted as a brand. However, trying
to find a good unregistered 5 or 6 letter .com domain is almost
impossible. You could buy one but it will probably cost you in excess
of $10,000 so only take this risk if you are 100% sure your idea is
going to quickly turn a profit.
Finding a free .com extension:
Trying to find any name that hasn’t already been taken can be
surprisingly difficult let alone finding a good ‘.com’. The vast
majority of quality .com extensions were taken long-ago so you might
have to look at a few other options. Here’s a list of some other
extensions you can use but having said that, try your utmost to get a
.com if you possibly can:
.org - Non-profit organizations.
.biz - For business and Corporations.
.pro - For Professionals such as lawyers.
.info - For information based websites.
.us - United States.
.co.uk - United Kingdom/England.
.tv - Vanity domain from the island of Tuvalu in the south pacific.
.net - General internet usage.
You will also need to make sure that your domain extension relates
to both your website genre and your location. For example, if you’re
creating a website for selling beds in Washington DC, you obviously
don’t want to use a .cn (China) extension. Obvious I know, but the
mistake is often made. If the .com isn’t available go for a .net, .biz
or a .info.
As I’ve just mentioned, the other option is you can buy an already
registered domain name at www.sedo.com. It’s certainly something to
consider and I’ll tell you why a bit later on. I will also tell you how
to make thousands of dollars using Sedo.com with only a few hours work.
Here are ten more questions to ask yourself once you have thought of a domain name for your business or website:
1. Is your name short and memorable?
2. Does your name promise a benefit?
3. Does your name accurately reflect what you’re selling?
4. Does your name distinguish your business from your competitors?
5. Does your name create a visual image?
6. Does your name appeal to your target market and does it reflect their values, needs, and lifestyles?
7. Does your name have graphic possibilities?
8. Is your name unique and has it already been trademarked?
9. Will your name allow you to expand your business with different products and services and still make sense?
10. Does your name reflect a position in the marketplace that is unique to your company?
Once you have your name decided, go to http://www.bestplaceonthenet.com/domain/index.php or a similar site to register it.