How to Pick Out a Domain Name
The Internet is saturated with domain names from personal and business sites. Each year, new domains are registered, while others are abandoned. The right domain can make a difference for your brand, but finding one that stands out and targets your audience can be difficult. Online tools and research can help you make the right selection. It's best to secure the domain once you settle on a name to keep others from registering it.
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Instructions
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Pick a domain name that reflects your business name. If you have an existing business offline, chances are your clients will search for you online using that name. Using your business name helps with branding.
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Select a short and memorable name. A shorter name keeps people from accidentally typing in the wrong domain name, such as one to your competitor's website. Using a short name is also handy if your business name is lengthy.
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Jot down a list of keywords describing your business and goals. Use a keyword analysis tool, such as Google Adwords, Webmaster Tool Kit and Word Stream. Compare the words and find names that are keyword-friendly. Customize your list of keywords with a thesaurus and search those words as well.
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Avoid hyphens and underscores in a domain name. Hyphens and underscores are difficult to type. In addition, people don't expect domain names to include punctuations, so they often leave them out in online searches.
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Check your list against available domains at a domain registrar, such as Register, GoDaddy or Namecheap and include the right domain extension. Internet users tend to type a .COM domain name before checking other extensions, such as .NET, .BIZ or .INFO.
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Register the domain name through the registrar, if it matches your criteria.
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