In this day and age, a website for your business is an absolute must. With all the free and easy website tools available, it is pretty simple to get a website up and running. The challenge, however, can lie in how to name a website and then get the domain extension you want. Before naming your business website, take a moment to review which domain extension is best, what to do and what not to do when naming a website, and how to search for name availability.
Which Domain Extension Is Best?
First things first, it doesn't matter what name you decide upon for your website if the domain extension you want is unavailable. The most popular domain extension is .com, but there are many more options to choose from, including: .net, .biz, .edu, .org, .hotel and the most recent being .co. Some of the extensions have restricted use like .org is for non-profits and .edu is for educational use.
With hundreds of millions of existing websites out there, options for .com domains are getting more and more limited. Despite this fact, it is still highly recommended to choose a .com domain extension for your business for the following reasons:
- It tends to do better in google search engine rankings. If you plan to have a competitive SEO strategy or even just a mild one, this is definitely the suggested route.
- It is more common and recognizable.
- It is the assumed extension. We have all been programed to believe that all websites end with a .com (it is even a standard iPhone button). An extension other than a .com can result in lost traffic.
If a .com is not available for the name you are set upon or if you have already registered your business name and aren't flexible in modifying it, the typical business domain extension alternatives are .net, .biz or .co. It may even make sense to consider one of the more niche extensions like .hotel if it fits with your business model.
What Makes A Good Website Name?
A website domain consists of a string of letters or numbers with a domain extension on the end (i.e. .com, .biz…etc). Your website name should be a reflection of either your business name (i.e. hallmark.com) or what your organization does (i.e. lawncare.com).
If you determined to stick with a .com extension, the liklihood of your first, second or even third website name choice being available is slim. With this in mind, it is important to come to the drawing board with lots of different website name options.Here are a lists of things to avoid when naming your website:
- Domain names can be any length up to 67 characters, but opt for something much shorter. Longer names are more prone to entry mistakes, which results in lost traffic.
- Don’t use long obscure strings of numbers and letters. Unfortunately, the days of the three letter website are just about gone (i.e. llc.com or rws.com), so be careful when creating an acronym for your business name.
- Avoid hyphenating (i.e. www.cool-website.com). People tend to forget and leave off the hyphen.
- Try and avoid choosing a word that is uncommon or difficult to spell. (i.e. crepuscular)
- If in order to come up with an available .com website name you are compromising your business name or creating something too long or complicated, consider going a different direction or choosing a different business name all together.
Is One Domain Enough?
Depending on how serious your business plans to be, it isn’t a bad idea to own several domain extensions under your business name, i.e. crafts.com / crafts.biz / crafts.co. You won’t know what your little business will grow into, and it is better to snatch up these domains now rather than wish you had when it is too late. If your business is a sole proprietorship, it is also probably a good idea to register your own given name too. Domains are inexpensive and registering multiple extensions shouldn't be cost prohibitive. Multiple domains could result in marketing flexibility down the road.
Check Website Name Availability:
Step #1: Get online and find a domain registration provider like:
- Godaddy.com
- Domain.com
- Networksolutions.com
- ...Or do a Google search for "domain registration" for other providers
Step #2: Locate the search box on the providers home page and type in your business name. It will generate the domain results for what is available. Please note that you can search for free on these sites to see what domains are available. These sites all have access to the same information. For example, if your domain isn’t available on Godaddy.com it won’t be available on Domain.com.
If you are actually ready to purchase your domains, you can follow the screen prompts to purchase via credit card. You will want to make sure and select that you want the hosting company to automatically renew your domain(s) each year so you don’t lose them.
Image (c) Salvatore Vuono/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
