The Best Ways to Select a Domain Name
A good domain name is one of the most important factors in the early success of a website. It is important to get a domain name that is simple, easy to remember and tells people something about what kind of site you offer. Because so many domain names are taken, finding the right one can be a lengthy and exhausting process, but there are a few good rules to help narrow down the process.
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Top Level Domains
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A top level domain is what comes at the end of a domain name such as .net or .com. Of these, the best known is .com, and for that reason it's best to choose a website with a .com top level domain. If a site uses a different top level domain, such as .info or .cc, users will frequently get it wrong and type in .com anyway. For non-profit organizations, .org is usually a good choice, and .net is a good runner-up to .com -- but .com is by far the safest choice. Many organizations will register every top level domain attached to their name -- .net, .info, .cc, .ca, .co.uk and others -- simply to prevent competitors from getting them. It is then possible, through re-direction of traffic, to drive all traffic from any of those back to the .com site.
Keep It Simple
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Domain names should be easy to remember. When possible, keep the name short and simple, and free of dashes or other non-alphabetical characters. It important for the site's visitors to be able to remember the site name so that they can re-visit easily. But they should be able to tell others about the site and get the name right. It's also best to avoid unnecessary characters, such as adding words like "my" or "the" to the domain name. Make every character count.
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Branding
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When building a website, it's important to choose a domain name that represents the business or organization well. On the Web, the name will be the organization's brand. The name should describe the organization and differentiate it from the competition. When possible, name should be unique enough that it can be trademarked. Of course, it should not be the name of an existing business.
Previous Use
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Although it's not the most important factor, it's always a good idea to see if the domain name has been used before. In most cases, it won't make any difference. However, if the site has been used for illegal or unethical purposes, or for adult content, it may cause a problem. For example, sites that have been used to distribute spam or viruses, may be blocked from search engine rankings.
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References
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