About Domain Names

A domain name is, simply put, the website address (minus the "www" which is no longer required) that someone would type into their web browser's address bar to get to that website's home page. Finding the best domain name for your site can prove to be quite a challenge.

Although coming up with a good domain name sounds easy enough, remember that most of the really good (and easiest to remember) names have already been taken. Because of this, you'll need to give the process plenty of thought.

The domain name doesn't necessarily have to convey what your site is about, although it is helpful for a business website to use a descriptive word in the name. For instance, if you sell trinkets and your business name is "Trinket World", a good domain name would obviously be "trinketworld.com". If that one is taken go with "trinkets.com" or "buytrinkets.com". You get the idea.

Go to Google or Yahoo and do a search on "domain names." You'll get lots of results for domain name registrars. Pick any one of these sites and check to see if your preferred domain name is available. If it isn't, try a different name and keep changing it until you find one that's available and that you're comfortable with.

Once you feel like you've found the right domain name you can go ahead and purchase it, especially if you think someone else might pick that name if you wait too long. It's actually a good idea to purchase the domain name early anyway, so you can begin implementing it into your website's design. But, before you purchase it, shop around a little. Look at some of the other registrar's sites and see how much they are selling domain names for.

You can get ".com" domain names for as little as $6 to $10 from many registrars. I would suggest that you pick a registrar that offers automatic renewal or that sends e-mail notices before the the domain name expires. That way you won't have to remember to renew it. If you allow the domain name to expire, someone else can come along and grab it.

It will give your site more legitimacy if you purchase the domain name for at least two years. That way you won't look to the search engines like a "fly by night" outfit. And, by the way, it's actually a good idea to get the domain name and web hosting from the same company. In most cases, this can save you money and make the entire process less complicated. Read my free e-book for more information on this plus other tips for starting your own website.