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Domain Name Selection And Your Rankings
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What is a Domain Name? |
A domain name is the web site and email address
that people use to find your company - online. Computers connected on the
internet use a unique number (called IP address) which would be impossible
to remember - therefore the domain name replaces the IP address to make it
easy to find a company's web site.
Domain names can contain numbers and letters, plus the hyphen. And the
domain name can contain up to 67 characters.
Why is it important to have a domain name? A domain name is important to a
company's online presence.
It will most likely be the first thing that your potential customers will
encounter, and remember your company by if they find your business online.
Many companies still use their internet provider's domain name to conduct
business on the net.
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Why You Need A Domain Name? |
On the World Wide Web your domain name is your own
unique identity. No two parties can ever hold the same domain name
simultaneously; therefore your Internet identity is totally unique.
If you have a business site on the Internet your domain name is your own
online brand and in a sense you can use your domain name as your online
business card. With your own domain name your web site, and e-mail
addresses for example will have that professional look, being unique to
your business.
Many people often miss the importance of having and then keeping their
domain name until they lose it. Once this happens they soon realize that
they have lost their whole online identity.
How does a domain name work?
To understand why you need a domain name you first need to know how a
domain name works. A domain name is an addressing construct, used for
finding and identifying computers on the Internet.
Computers use Internet Protocol (IP) Addresses, which are a series of
numbers used to identify each other on the Internet; however, many people
find it hard to remember IP Addresses. Because of this, domain names were
developed so that easily remembered names and phrases could be used to
identify entities in the Internet instead of using an IP Address.
For example, the domain name M6.net identifies the company M6.net. When a
user types the domain name M6.net in their browser or sends an email to
M6.net, the Domain Name System (DNS) will translate the domain name into
IP numbers. These are then used by the Internet to connect the user to
M6.net’s web presence.
What should I use as a domain name? You can use a word or phrase as a
domain name. When thinking of a domain name, think of catchy words or
phrases that are easy to remember and that will bring more traffic to your
site. Try to use a domain name that is relevant to your web site.
If your web site is a business site, it is a good idea to use the
companies name as the domain name or if your site is a personal site try
to think of a domain name that is related to the topic of your web site.
Also try to keep your domain name as short as possible, around 5 to 20
characters is fine. The shorter the domain name the easier it will be to
remember.
One thing to keep in mind is assumed spelling issues; if you think up a
‘clever’ domain name such as 1luv4u.com – One Love For You (dating
service), people may type in oneloveforyou.com believing this is the
domain name; or oneluv4u.com, or 1love4you.com etc. This leads to brand
problems. In this case the “oneloveforyou.com” name would be best. Another
unfortunate example: Flo Office Supplies – flooffice.com?
How do I acquire a domain name?
There are two main ways you can get a domain name. You can either register
your domain name yourself or you can get your web host or ISP (Internet
Service Provider) to register it for you.
To register a domain name yourself you will need to choose a Registrar. A
Registrar is an ICANN accredited domain registration company. There are
hundreds of Registrars on the Internet nowadays. The market is becoming
increasingly competitive; which means that you can purchase domains names
for a low yearly fee.
Most web hosting companies will offer domain registration services to
their clients. When you register a domain name through a web host they
will register your domain name for you through their own approved
registrar. An advantage to having your web host register your domain name
for you is that, they have probably done this process many times before;
they have all the necessary information ready at hand.
This process will save you time and, as long as you give the ‘correct’
domain name desired, there will be no unfamiliar dealings with Registrars.
Why should I keep my domain name registered? If you loose your domain name
you can loose your whole online identity.
Because you can only register a domain name for a year or so, you will
need to make sure that you renew it before the expiry date. Once your
domain name expires you will no longer own that domain name.
Your Registrar will then own it and be able to sell your domain name to
the highest bidder. To make sure you don’t loose your domain name you will
need to make sure you renew your domain name at least two weeks before it
expires. Also make sure that your information is registered properly,
especially if you didn’t register your domain name yourself.
Ensure that your information is displayed as the registrant,
administrative and billing contacts; most importantly make sure that the
email addresses for these contacts are ACTIVE. When you receive any
information about your domain name, such as renewals, price changes, etc…
an email will be sent to this email address.
If you can’t receive any mail from the email addresses listed under the
domain names contact then you are at risk of not receiving important
notifications about your domain names, which could result in loosing your
domain name. People often miss the importance of having their own unique
domain name for their web sites. A domain name represents you, your
company and your online presence; as does a ‘business card’.
If you don’t have your own domain name you won’t be able to promote your
own online identity and web site on the World Wide Web.
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Introduction To Domain Names
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Every domain name comprises two components; the
domain name type or Top Level Domain such as .com or .co.uk and the domain
name itself.
A domain name must be no more than 63 characters and certain symbols such
as ? or ! are not allowed.
Choosing the best domain name.
Getting your domain name right is important to the success of a website.
Most visitors will remember a site by its domain name.
Some considerations
Branding
Developing a brand can be very successful as the likes of Google and Yahoo
demonstrate. Building a brand takes time and is often costly.
Keywords
A keyword domain is a domain name chosen to contain useful keywords that
match a keyword search important to the theme of the site.
This used to be a valuable technique to boost search engine rankings, but
plays a far smaller part with todays search engine algorithms.
Some tips
1) Shorter domain names are better than longer ones.
2) Ask in web forums for suggestions for domain names.
3) Don't over pay for your domain names, services such as Discount Domains
UK offer good service for reasonable prices.
4) Don't just buy one domain name type, by all the leading types to
protect your brand. e.g .com, .biz and .co.uk
5) Avoid domain names that will give you trademark of copyright issues.
If you need any assistance why not ask your domain name registrar for
assistance?
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Choosing A Domain Name
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The importance of having your own domain name
cannot be over-emphasized. If you are running an online business, and
don't yet have a domain name, you are probably losing thousands of dollars
worth of business because of this. Why? Simply because, unless you have a
domain name, your customers will simply not feel comfortable buying from
you. In order to sell on the web, you need to build up your credibility.
Having your own domain name is the first step in that process.
So, now that you are convinced that you need your own domain, how should
you name your domain? Here are a few do's and don'ts regarding this. While
the availability of domains which follow all of these rules may have
become limited, try to follow as many of these rules as possible.
1) Consider naming your company and registering a domain name starting
with the digit 1. Better still, choose a name starting with "1st". Why?
When people create directories of web sites, they have to decide how they
are going to classify those web sites. One way to classify web sites is to
list them on the basis of how "good" they are. Another way is to simply
list them in chronological order (and sometimes in reverse chronological
order) based on the dates the sites were submitted.
The other, and far more popular classification system is alphabetic. Now,
the first character in the ASCII chart which can be used as the first
character in a domain name is the digit 0. The next character is the digit
1. Normally, you wouldn't want to start a domain name with the digit 0
since it might send all the wrong signals to your customers. For instance,
if we had named our domain 0SearchRanking.com, it would be telling our
customers that we cannot get them any search engine rankings at all!
Hence, unless you really have a good reason for doing so, you should avoid
using domain names starting with the digit 0.
Instead name your domains starting with the digit 1. More specifically,
name your domains starting with "1st". This will ensure that you get a
high alphabetical placement in those directories which classify sites
alphabetically. Furthermore, depending on the industry in which your
company operates, it may also send the right message across to your
customers - it indicates that you are the first company to consider in
your industry.
And guess what - the mother of all directories - Yahoo! - lists web sites
alphabetically based on the Title that had been submitted. Yahoo! wants
the Title to be the same as the official name of the site. This implies
that sites which start with the digit 1 will be placed at or near the top
of a category. Assuming that you can get your site listed in Yahoo!, just
look at what a top ranking in one of the categories in Yahoo!'s directory
can do for the popularity of your site!
However, this strategy of creating domain names starting with the digit 1
will not work with The Open Directory (http://www.dmoz.org). The Open
Directory will only consider the portion of your domain that is really
meaningful. This implies that it will ignore the "1" or the "1st" in your
domain and will consider the portion of your domain after the "1" or the
"1st". For instance, a site named 1stXYZ.com would be listed with the
sites starting with X, and not 1. Of course, in order to 'take care' of
both Yahoo! and The Open Directory, you could have your domain start with
"1st" and then have a proper English word starting with A after that.
Furthermore, a small caveat here. If you are going to name a domain
starting with "1st", also register the domain which starts with "ist".
Then, have the domain containing the vowel "i" redirect visitors to the
domain containing the digit 1. This is because people will often type in 'ist'
when they mean '1st' and vice-versa.
Also, for every email alias that you create for the domain containing "1st
" (like sales@1stcompany.com), you should create the corresponding email
alias for the domain containing "ist" (like sales@istcompany.com).
Also, this strategy of registering domains starting with '1st' is mainly
applicable if yours is a somewhat new company. If you own a well
established concern with a well known domain, you simply cannot change
your company name and your domain in a hurry because you will confuse your
existing customers.
2) Don't want to start your domain name
with "1st"? Consider starting it with "A", "B" or "C". Although domains
starting with A, B or C will be listed after those starting with the 10
digits, you can still get a pretty high alphabetical placement with A, B
or C. Also, since The Open Directory considers only the meaningful part of
a domain, domains starting with A will be the ones which are listed first
in The Open Directory. However, please don't name your domain in the form
of AAASomeCompany.com - it'll make your company seem like a fly by night
operator. (And you won't get a high alphabetical placement in The Open
Directory either - it ignores the "AAA" bit when it decides the
alphabetical placement of sites).
3) Try to register a domain which contains a popular keyword applicable
for your industry. This will help your customers remember your domain name
better. Furthermore, for searches conducted in Yahoo!, a higher ranking
will be given to those web sites which contain the keyword in the title.
And according to Yahoo!'s instructions, the Title should always be the
official name of the site. Thus, if the domain name contains a keyword,
you will be able to include the keyword in the Title which will improve
your ranking in Yahoo!. As a minor side-benefit, this can also help to
marginally increase the ranking of your web site in some search engines.
4) Don't register a domain containing the digit 0 in it, unless it is
going to be part of a recognizable word (like 1000 or 2000). This is
because the digit 0 is often confused with the vowel O. If you feel that
you must register a domain with the digit 0, make sure that you also
register the corresponding domain containing the vowel O.
5) Try to avoid using domains that contain '2' for "To', '4' for 'For',
'u' for 'You' and so on even if they seem to make your domain sound
'cool'. Your customers will easily get confused if you do so. However, if
you must register such a domain, register the expanded form of the domain
as well, i.e. if you are registering greatthings2do.com, also register
greatthingstodo.com.
6) Should you or should you not use hyphens in your domain? Well, the jury
is out on the question. While some Internet marketers will tell you that
domains containing hyphens are difficult to remember, spell and pronounce,
others will state that domains containing hyphens are, in fact, easy to
remember, spell and pronounce. Go figure. Personally, I would feel that
whether or not hyphens are helpful has to be determined on a case by case
basis. However, if you register a domain containing hyphens, make sure
that you also register the corresponding domain without the hyphens. Once
you do that, you can simply redirect visitors from the domain without the
hyphens to the domain with the hyphens.
7) Don't make your primary domain too long. Even though 67 character
domains are a reality, exactly how many of your users will want to type a
domain name like thisisanexampleofaverylargedomainname.com?
8) Always use ".com". If yours is a serious business site, avoid using
domains ending in "nu" or "to". Your business will have little credibility
if you do so. You can consider registering a ".net" domain, but since most
people are familiar with ".com", it is better to stick to convention.
While it is unlikely that you will be able to register a domain which
satisfies all the rules that I outlined above, try to follow as many of
the above rules as you can. |
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Domain
Name Selection And Your Rankings |
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If you think the selection process and the
name you have chosen for that shiny new domain name won’t make any
difference in the
search rankings of your new or existing website, think again.
Today more than ever, all search engines do carry a lot of weight to the
keywords
or key phrases that are present in your domain name. Ask any
SEO professional firm
that has been in this business for at least three or four years and they
will tell you that the careful research and the final selection of the
domain name you will use can have a tremendous positive impact in the
search results pages from Google, AltaVista, Fast-all-the-Web, Yahoo, MSN,
Inktomi, DMOZ and just any other search engine in existence today.
First things first
When you need to register a new domain name for an existing site or a new
site under construction, the first thing you need to do is decide if it
will be a .com, a .net or a .ca domain name, or any other variations, as
there are many. (Note: .ca domain names are reserved for Canadian
companies only). Whether you're looking to reserve a domain name for use
now or at a later date, you should seriously consider doing it now, while
a good selection might still be available, although I think the best
choices in the .com range have already been taken by now.
I have found and personally registered some good domain names in the
.com, .biz, .cc, .ca and .ws category. The choice is yours. Remember that
the extension is not important. All search engines today treat domain
names equally, with no preference if they are of the .com, .net, .org,
.us, .ca, .biz or any other extension there is. What IS important are the
keywords between the venerable “www” and the extension!
Hyphenated domain names or un-hyphenated?
If you really want to score high and closer to the top in the search
engines, then try to get a domain name that has one or two (or three) of
your most important keywords in it, as it will greatly help you in the
results pages when people type in keywords that are closely associated
with the theme of your site. Also, for that extra ‘punch’ in the search
engines, I suggest that you put a hyphen in between them, such as this:
www.your-main-keywords.com
Most major search engines today treat hyphenated domain names as
separate words. If these separate words happen to be your most important
keywords, you are ahead of the pact. Since some will tell you that hyphens
in domain names look awkward and I fully agree, if you can, try also
registering the non-hyphenated version too, such as this one:
www.yourmainkeywords.com
On your website, for the search engines, it is best to host the
hyphenated version on your server or host provider. On your business
cards, brochures or print catalogues, it is best to use the non-hyphenated
version. Just make sure you are using a “301 server re-direct” command
just for that purpose, since it can be a bit touchy if not done correctly.
Today, some search engines, notably Google, are very critical of server
re-direct commands and might penalize a site if not done correctly. The
only safe and recommended technique I use is the “301 server re-direct”
command, which is a very standard Linux command. Avoid using a Java
script. You should consult your
Web hosting
provider with this if you are uncomfortable in doing it yourself.
If you would like an example of how this is done, look at the search
engine at:
www.globalbusinesslisting.com
Notice that once you arrive at my search engine, the URL changes to the
hyphenated version: www.global-business-listing.com which is a real
bonus as far as the search engines are concerned. The added expense is
well worth it. An alternative you can try is to have a domain name
registered in the name of your company, such as www.yourcompanyname.com,
where you could use on your business cards, your letterhead, etc.
However, as in the example above, you should use a “301 server
re-direct” command to www.your-most-important-keywords.com domain name,
for added visibility in the search engines. Remember that search engines
don’t care much about company names, brand names or trademarks. What they
are really looking for are industry
keywords and key phrases that people type in their search box.
Unless you are a well-known Fortune 500 company that is very popular with
a branded trademark that is universally known, I would stick with the
above.
Not ready yet?
If you aren’t ready to build your website right away, there are also many
additional options that can be added to any registered domain name at any
time, such as the ability to:
Set the domain name on a server with a “Coming Soon” page
Temporarily re-direct the domain name to another of your choice
Temporarily re-direct to a subdirectory of another domain name
Start using your new domain name email address (highly recommended)
Add relevant body text & keywords to your “Coming Soon” page
Your legal rights and proof of ownership
From time to time, I hear about some domain names, mistakenly or
otherwise, of not having been registered in the name of their rightful
owners. Even if it’s just an oversight, rectifying this situation can
become time consuming and costly, especially from a legal standpoint. Some
domain names can be worth a lot of money. Before finalizing your domain
name order, make sure it will be registered in your name or in the name of
your company, if that is what you prefer. Better be safe now than sorry
later.
Also, the administrative person (normally you), technical contact and
billing contacts will be determined by you only at the time you are
registering your new domain name (s). Be sure to own your own domain name
because you can have a website without owning your own domain name. Some
ISPs and other organizations offer free web addresses for certain
websites. Often these are easy to get and use, but there are important
benefits to having your own domain name, such as:
1. Branding - Your web site address can be a valuable brand name
for you. You want people to remember it and use it on a regular basis,
with each use acting as additional brand reinforcement. You lose that
strong identity if your visitors have to type something like
www.yourcompany.ispname.othername.com
2. Independence - Should your ISP or hosting service provider no
longer meet your needs or goes out of business for any reason, you will
have to move your site’s URL and traffic along with the physical transfer
of your site's server IP address. After all, you have invested time and
money to build traffic, so you shouldn't have to start all over again
simply because your needs change or for whatever other reason. In the
Internet world, registered domain names are associated with name servers.
When you decide to change the location of your web site, your new name
servers will be updated in the who-is record kept by your domain
registrar.
As a result, your site visitors will automatically be sent to your new
host. The bottom line is that you keep all your traffic and all your
sales. If you don’t own your domain name, you will not have the luxury of
taking your traffic with you. The many benefits far outweigh the added
expense of a domain name. All you need to do to change from one host
provider to another is simply to change the name servers at your domain
name registrar- a simple, one minute process that is very easy to do at
most registrars.
3. Promotion - Your company or business alone gets to enjoy the
increased traffic from every dollar spent promoting your site. If you
don't have your own domain name, the company associated with your website
name will instead reap the benefits of your promotional efforts.
Conclusion
The careful selection and wording of your domain name is one of the most
critical part of the initial steps in setting up any website, old or new.
As I have discussed above, it can have a drastic impact in the search
engine results pages (SERP’s). In some extreme cases, and depending on the
competitiveness of your industry, it could almost mean the difference
between success and failure of your site, as far as its visibility in the
search engines is concerned.
Once you have a domain name that was correctly chosen, both for your
most important keywords and possibly your branding, what’s left is the
careful
optimization of your site to ensure all that added visibility
in the search engines. Consider a business website just as any other
business asset. It is an un-tangible, marketable title of property that
can grow considerably in value and it should become an important ally to
your business, while at the same time assist you in your long-term
promotional efforts
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Is Your Domain Name Still Available?
Before you fall in
love with a prospective domain name, you've got to find out if it's still
available. It's easy for you to do an Internic search and/or reserve the
domain name you've finally decided on by using the simple form here under
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It's been said that
domain names are being snatched up at a rate of about a million per year,
so they're going fast. If you're serious about Internet marketing, don't
procrastinate on getting your own domain name. The sooner you get one, the
sooner you can start enjoying the benefits it can bring.
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Here are some of
the important websites in the domain name industry , to Find them
Click Here |
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©2005 AffiliateSphere
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