Domain Names
-
David
-
February 20th, 2012
Domain name registration is by no means a confusing aspect of making a website. If you want to make a website you'll absolutely need to have a website. Without it you'll have no way for visitors to find your website.
In addition to the information below please take the time to read my blog entry on domain registration tips. Some of the information will be repeated below but I figured that I would include it for those who choose not to read the blog.
Domain names can be registered anywhere from 1 up to 10 years. Generally the registration cost goes down when registered for multiple years so if you feel that you'll be keeping the website for quite some time it makes sense to save some money and register the domain for multiple years.
Domain registration fees vary among domain registrars. There is no need to pay over $10 for a domain name such as a .COM, .NET, etc. WebsiteSpot.com offers domain names from $8.95 per year and is actually offering a promotion of $6.95 for new .COM domains.
Be sure to check out our page on domain extension meanings.
Below you'll find the ability to search and see if a domain name that you're interested in is currently available. If not, the results will give you options of domains that are similar to your search that are currently available.
The great thing with WebsiteSpot.com is they offer a variety of tools for free with any domain registration such as a free starter page, email forwarding, photo storage, etc so enter a few domains that you'd like to check availability on.
Domain Registration Tips
Below you'll find some tips when registering a domain name that will make SEO (search engine optimization) a bit easier along with standards that you'll find important when registering a domain name.
1. Don't Register Domain Names That Are Too Long
Having a domain that's tool long serves absolutely no purpose. It's difficult to remember along with site visitors won't want to type in a long address each time that they want to visit your website. Yes, you can register names up to 63 characters long, but that doesn't mean you should to use all 63 characters.
2. Try To Avoid Hyphens
As I'm sure you've seen while surfing the internet a domain name with a hyphen again is difficult to remember. Think of it this way, your website is Bills-Fishing-Gear.com, when someone wants to go back to your site they type in BillsFishingGear.com because they forgot to use the hyphens. This defeats the purpose of marketing a website if it's difficult for visitors to return.
Now don't get me wrong, I personally own many domains with hyphens but I do so as a last resort. If I'm relying on search engine traffic as opposed to traffic from people typing in my website I'll consider using a hyphen but I really don't like doing so.
3. Try To Reserve A .COM Domain
.COM is by far the most recognized domain name and if it's available definitely register it. With this in mind there is no advantage when determining search engine rankings based on the domain extension so if a good .NET, .US, .ORG, etc is available you should at least consider it but much like the example in #2, you could lose traffic due to people automatically typing in the .COM extension.
4. Protect Your Name
I would strongly suggest registering multiple extensions (.net, .org, etc.). This keeps people from registering the alternate domain name extensions based on the brand that you've built. This causes confusion for your customers and could cost you money in lost sales if you don't protect yourself. Think of it this way, if you run FishingGear.com you can also register FishingGear.net, FishingGear.org and any other extension that's available.
5. Domain Name Privacy
Recently the option for private registration has become a feasible option. You can find the owner of a website on any registered domain by doing a WhoIs lookup. The information provided would be your name, address, phone number & email address. Adding domain privacy is like an unlisted phone number with the phone company. There is always an additional cost but these days it is almost becoming necessary. Click here to read more on private domain registration.
That's about it...
You're ready to check if your domain is available. You can click here to visit WebsiteSpot.com which offers domain names for as little as $8.95 for an entire year.