Selecting Your Domain Name – Part 2

Buying a domain name is like getting a postal box number for your new online business and purchasing hosting is like renting a house. This is an exciting entrepreneurial process. Congratulations for being adventurous and creating something new! Something I hope will bring you much fulfillment and financial success!

Options to consider when deciding on the name of your new online presence:

1. Are you going use your business entity’s name? For example my business entity is called Web Design Digital Studio. (I’ve used my keywords in my business name.)

2. Are you planning to use your own name? For example my portal website is TinaCook.tv The advantage of using your own name is you don’t have to concern yourself with trade marks, etc. (For legal matters, please consult the relevant experts.)

3. Or you could name your site after your main brand, product or service.

4. Or you could do each of the above over time and build your online empire!

10 Tips for Selecting and Registering your Domain Name:

1. Try to get the .com. Most people assume your domain is a .com. Its the most prestigious and well recognized in the English-speaking world.

2. Choose a name that’s as short as possible (not so easy these days as so many domain names have already been registered) and make sure its easy to remember.

3. Have your top keywords in your domain name though SEO experts say its not as important nowadays, I still recommend (as could change in the future.)

4. Don’t abbreviate – there is no chance of any “Google juice” helping you get good search results. Which increases my chances wdds.com or WebDesignDigitalStudio.com?

5. Choose a name you can say easily without have to spell or explain it. For example, I had the domain name Secret2LoveYourLife.com a few years ago and had to constantly explain that the “2” was the number two. Yes, I registered SecretToLoveYourLife.com as well and put a redirect on it. Choose words most people know how to spell. As you become well-known in your field, you’ll need to be able to tell your audience your domain name from the stage, mention it when being interviewed or presenting your webinars.

6. Don’t use dashes between the words, like this: best-cooking-lessons.com or underscore. Very confusing.

7. Register possible misspellings of your domain name and add redirects to the correct one.

8. Use http:// rather than http://www. and use it consistently.

9. Actually this should be No 1 – make sure your domain name is registered by you in your name. I’m amazed how many of my clients don’t own their domain names  and don’t know how to get access to them. This is such an important business asset.

10. Register your domain name yourself with a reputable company like GoDaddy. You don’t need all the addons they suggest (can be overwhelming) just your domain name.

I recommend registering your domain names with GoDaddy and using BlueHost for your hosting.

Enjoy the exciting process of creating your new online presence! You can get started right now:

If you need to brainstorm and would like to book a consultation to help you through this process, please contact me.

P.S. If you missed the first part, you can review here: Selecting Your Domain Name – Part 1