When you decide that you or your business needs a website, there are a number of basic things that you should know. A great place to start is the domain name.
What’s a Domain Name?
A domain name is used as an internet address. When visitors enter your domain name into a web browser, the browser uses your domain name to find your website. There are a number of domain extensions, such as .com, .edu, .net. Each of these have a designated meaning.
.com – commercial. The most widely used extension, most businesses prefer to .com because it is easily recognized.
.net – network. The most commonly used by internet providers, web-hosting companies, and other companies that involved in the infrastructure of the internet.
.org – organization. This extension is primarily used by non-profit groups.
.edu – education. This extension cannot be purchased by the general public, but only by educational institutions.
.gov – government. This extension is reserved only for governmental entities.
.biz – business. This extension is often used by small businesses.
.info – information. This extension is used by credible resource websites.
.us – United States. This extension is used for sites in the U.S. It is relatively new and there are many available names.
How to Pick a Domain Name
There a some things that you need to consider before you buy a domain name. The first thing most people want for a domain name is their business name.
Will It Ever End?
One thing to consider is how long your business name is. While thetireshop.com is easy enough to remember and not too long, something like thebestlittletireshopintheworld.com, is a lot to expect people to remember and type in to find your website.
1, 2 Buckle My Shoe
There may also be issues with the the order of letters in your business name. The double ‘s’ in Sal’s sea shells, may be confusing. salsseashells.com or salseashells.com? And, you certainly do not want to confuse your customers.
Oops, I Mean…
You may also run into issues where when two words are put together, they create a less desirable word in the middle. Much like the SNL skit with Sean Connery, something like “therapist dot com” can read like “the rapist dot com.” You don’t want people trying to figure out your domain name like a vanity license plate.
Value Added
For some businesses, a domain name with some SEO-friendly terms may be a good idea. This could mean a domain name with a location, or with a particular keyword. If you own a bike shop in Portland, portlandbikes.com may be a better domain name than superduperbikes.com, even if it is your business name.
I bet you never thought that picking an address for your home on the web would be as stressful as picking an address to live at. If you’re really struggling with finding the right domain name for your business, or if you’re interested in purchasing a domain, Alphabetix can help you find the perfect home on the web.
Related Posts
Tags: basics, domain name, non-profit, small business, web design, web development
