10 Tips For Accurate Domain Registration

You should think about registering a domain name before you actually do it. Many people come up with a catchy name, or feel the need to lock in their name, and rush out to buy a domain name. But there are several things to consider in your domain name. After all, your domain name is an extension of your business and your image—don't you want to project the right one?

These ten tips will help you to pick just the right domain name for you and/or your business.

You should think about registering a domain name before you actually do it. Many people come up with a catchy name, or feel the need to lock in their name, and rush out to buy a domain name. But there are several things to consider in your domain name. After all, your domain name is an extension of your business and your image—don't you want to project the right one?

These ten tips will help you to pick just the right domain name for you and/or your business.

1. The extension you select makes a statement to user about where you are and who you are aiming to attract. For example, .co.uk tells people you are operating out of the United Kingdom, and .ca tells them you are operating out of Canada. If that is important to you, then register accordingly. If you would rather give them impression of being a global company, or based in the US, then pick a .com name.

2. Use a reputable registration service. Unfortunately, some domain registration services are little more than a scam. They are only middlemen. You tell them the domain name you want, and they register it, for a fee higher than you would pay! In the worst case, they actually register the domain name using their information, so it becomes very difficult for you to do anything with your domain name. 

Do some background research into the company before you register a domain with them.

3. Use keywords in your domain name. These will sometimes help search engines in ranking your website. For example, if you sell gourmet dog treats online and from your own store, but your business name is "Laura's Homemade Snacks," you might consider two domain names: one for your business name, and one for keywords. In this case you might select "gourmetdogtreats.com" as your domain name to represent to the search engines and searchers what you are about.

4. Short names are easier to spell correctly. What's easier to remember and type in: gourmetdogtreats.com, or laurashomemadeandgourmetdogsnacks.com?

5. Avoid trademarks from other companies. Companies have been known to sue website owners for copyright and trademark infringement, so be very careful if you try to play off an existing business. Make sure that you register a domain name in good faith, and think about the possibilities and connections that might exist between you and another business.

6. Avoid hyphens. Sometimes you must use hyphens because the straightforward name is gone. In that case, a better idea is to come up with a completely different name. The problem with hyphens is that users may end up visiting the wrong site. If you try to register gourmetdogtreats.com but it is already taken, you might choose to register gourmet-dog-treats.com instead. But you run the risk of someone trying to find you typing in the first address. This means you lose business. Better to try and register a name like homemadedogtreats.com instead.

7. Consider buying several different extensions so no one else can infringe on your success by registering a similar name. For example, if you register homemadedogtreats.com, you might also take .net and .org (with the same name), since these are the most popular extensions after .com. That way, no one can register homemadedogtreats.net and try to piggyback of your success.

8. Look for companies that offer telephone support. If you have trouble with your domain name, you need to be able to contact the company and talk to someone. If there is no phone contact, that may be a sign that you are not dealing with a reputable company.

9. Look for accreditations (i.e., ICANN). Reputable companies will seek out accreditations because they know it boosts their business image to be part of a group that enforces good business ethics and practices. Failure to have an accreditation does not necessarily mean the company is bad, but it could mean that. If the company you are looking at does not have an accreditation, make sure you check for other things like phone support, payment procedures, etc.

10. After you find a company you like, do a search on Google for "domain registration." Does your company of choice appear in the first couple of pages of results, or just via Adwords? If the latter, they may not have been around for a long time and may not be reputable. A legitimate company with a solid track record will be ranked in Google's search engine, especially within the first couple of pages. Beware of registration companies that you can only find in Adwords.

These ten tips will help you as you seek to register your domain name.

Cheap Web Hosting - Wide Selection

In addition to the many conveniences and headaches brought on by our increasing reliance on the world wide web, this new form of communication, advertising and commerce has brought with it  an altered mindset for the new consumer; we want it fast, we want it now, we want it perfect.  From small ecommerce web sites to large organizations, reliable hosting is the key to ensure that customers and viewers see the same site at the same speed every time they visit their favorites.  Reliable web hosting services provide the space, along with support (often 24/7) and the all important bandwidth.  Reliable hosting is key to  success in that it gives the consumer a consistent experience while preventing down time,  that could cost the company in question hundreds, and maybe thousands in revenue.

There is a fine selection of reliable web-hosting services online.  Often these services host in a specific region.  There is a multitude of web sites on the internet advertising the services of one or another reliable hosting company.  Luckily, there are also a couple out there to help you choose what is right for your company.  Netcraft and Web hosting Inspector are two examples of such sites.

Web hosting Inspector provides a comprehensive spreadsheet listing independent test results, awards, rankings services and prices for various reliable web hosters.  Though helpful, Web hosting Inspector feels a lot like paid advertising.  A better choice is Netcraft.  Netcraft supplies a lot of the same info as Web hosting Inspector, but also gives in depth analysis regarding down time, a fate worse than death to any e-commerce entrepreneur. Very often, these companies are run from private homes, a low cost, high return way for the internet savvy to make an income.  However, the very “under the radar” nature of some of these businesses makes it all the more crucial that sites such as Netcraft exist, providing checks and balances to an otherwise turbulent industry.

You cannot have a company on the internet without a reliable hosting provider, with a team of dependable customer service.  Their services are important to keep your e-commerce site consistent; visually consistent,  service oriented and most importantly, consistently lucrative.

As the use of the Internet increases every day, with more people than ever before utilizing the World Wide Web to find products and services they  need, reliable web site hosting becomes a bigger issue.  Consumers will not continue using companies who have web sites that are slow loading or are constantly having technical difficulties and down time.  It could be the death of a growing online company to have a site that’s unavailable for any legthy time frame because of a server problem.  The choice of a reliable web site hosting company is then imperative.

Online companies along with individuals will want to select a reliable web hosting company that also offers great customer service, fair and competitive pricing plus first class management. There are some suggestions you will want to remember when looking for a reliable web hosting company.  If you are seeking quality and reliability you will want to do a some research before you make your  final decision.

When you are ready to start a web site either for business or personal needs,  you need to find a reliable hosting service.  The reason for this is because that will be the place you keep the web pages for viewing by consumers and possible business clients.  If you are just starting with an online presence either as an e-commerce venture or even as an individual you want to first understand the basics of web hosting.  A server is a computer that gets the requests for pages or files from the Internet.  When someone types in a domain name a server somewhere is accessed.  It then shows the requested pages or files to the computer requesting the information.  Another way to look at a reliable web host is, they are a landlord renting you space on their computer to others.  You then have a choice between shared hosting or dedicated hosting.  The difference is evident in the name.  A shared host shares it’s server with more than one client and a dedicated host has one client on it’s server.  Dedicated servers normally are used by e-commerce sites that require a large amount of space disk space and more personal management plus cost a little more.

As the Internet is growing so is the number of companies offering hosting services and the more competitive the market is becoming.  Some offer inexpensive monthly prices, some even offer free hosting.  As a business free web hosting may sound like a great solution however; having a website that is also shows advertising that may or may not compete with your online business is not a very good idea.  In general a free web host does not have the quality of customer service a paid reliable web hosting company would have.  These servers are also normally crowded with personal web pages and have limited options.  Many have technical issues that may include down times which could have a negative effect on your new business.  These are all factors you need to consider.

Paying  more for a reliable web hosting company is a better option.  You want to make a good entrance into the web and if you are already established you want to keep your appearance and your clients experiences positive.  Another issue to think about is future expansion.  A reliable web hosting company can offer a multitude of services and packages to grow as you do.  When choosing a reliable web hosting company think of it as a long term business arrangement.

Before looking into reliable hosting options make a list of what is going to be important to you.  This not only in regards to the web site, but to other aspects such as budgets, what you want to accomplish, short and long term goals.  All these factors need to be considered.  Sit down with other companies about their relationships involving several different reliable web hosting companies.  This may give you a great place to start your search.

We mentioned budgets which most start up businesses need to deal with.  A word of caution here, a reliable web host may not necessarily be the cheapest but you will get what you pay for.  Reliable web hosting can be found at a price to fit just about every imaginable budget.

Cheap Domain Transfers

You may decide to transfer your domain for not getting adequate services for the money you are spending. A domain transfer is in effect a domain registrar transfer as it means the transfer of the name from one registrar to another. Nowadays you have got more than a hundred registrars to choose from.

For transfer of domain, you should apply to the gaining registrar, as it is responsible for the operation. It is the duty of the gaining registrar to ensure that the application for transfer by the domain owner is a valid one. The validation usually is in the form of an email sent to the admin contact that requires a reply. In some cases, however, signed faxes are used. Losing registrars these days may resort to 'double-checking.' In this case, they will perform additional security checks if you seek transfer from them. The losing registrars may ask you to reply to an email, or dispatch a notarized letter.

There are a large number of registrars that provide cheap rates for transfer of domain names. Most of them charge less than $10 for the first year and adds another additional year to your present registration term. Moreover, many of them have special prices for bulk domain transfers if you have more than one name to transfer.

Some of the registrars offer complete email for all new domain registrations, transfers and renewals. Get your own personalized email address and 25MB total storage. They are absolutely free. If the transfer fails for one reason or the other, they will refund your fee. The rate of discount sometimes depends on the domain you want to register because some domain extensions are costlier than others.

GoDaddy, TopBusinessDomains, LuckyRegister, IndiaInternets, Domain Names help4u, 2CreateAWebsite, Namecheap, and RegisterFly are some of the places where you can look for cheap domain transfer.

Cheap and Reliable Web Hosting Companies

Choosing a reliable web hosting company can become a daunting task if you are not sure of your expectations. There are some essentials to look for in a good web hosting company before making you’re your choice.  It is necessary to ask yourself the following questions before continuing to freeze on a web hosting provider.

1) How much money is involved in getting your site up and running? There are affordable and reliable hosting providers who can make your site function, usually in 24 hrs.. Website hosting may not be the only influential factor for your site expense though. Others might include: SEO, Marketing etc...

2) How much space will your website need? It’s important to make sure if your site requires large database storage or simple static site with the use of less space.

3) Bandwidth should also be a criteria.  If you run large files through your site every day, you may require more bandwidth. And for a static site, providing just the information about the company and contact details, you can go for lesser bandwidth.

4) Make sure, if your site requires any special software to run scripts correctly on your website. Check with the website hosting company before you make your choice.

5) Does your site require a database? It is wise to check with the hosting provider, if they can host a database and some providers host only certain types. If your website requires a database, check all the requirements with the web hosting provider.

Well, after you have asked yourself the questions above, visualize your site and its purposes.  Have a neat navigation chart with links from home page to all internal pages and so on. Write down the function of each link on the website. It is better to work on it twice even three times so that when it is actually set up on your system, you and your   hosting provider won't be surprised by any additional requirements which may arise that you have missed.

Its always wise to research multiple web hosting companies before you make your final decision. Go through their server software, technical requirements and hardware. Compare with other web hosting companies before you make up your mind.

Lastly, go through various forums pertaining to website hosting  providers, you will find an abundance of good information.

All About The DNS Domain Name System

We all know that in the world of domain names today, the presence of the DNS domain name system is very much significant. It is interesting to know that the acronym DNS actually stands for Domain Name System/Service/Server. However, I will be using the term DNS domain name system here to provide you with a clear knowledge about the meaning of this particular thing.

The DNS domain name system is actually a powerful tool that contributes a great part in the domain name process. It is often described as an internet service that translates or transforms the domain names into an IP or Internet Protocol address.

Aside from knowing such basic function of the DNS domain name system, it is also interesting to learn that a basic possession of the DNS domain name system is caching. This property takes place in situations when a server welcomes information about a mapping, it caches that information. Therefore, with such function, a later question for similar mapping can use the cached output, and will not result to additional questions to other servers. And generally, the DNS domain name system applies the caching to optimize the cost of the search. But how does the DNS domain name system caching works?

In terms of caching, it is very nice to know that every server has a cache for currently applied names along with records of where the mapping data for a particular name was taken. So when a particular client is asking the server to determine a certain domain name, the DNS domain name system then does check if it has the power for a domain name, and if it does, the system doesn’t need to cache the information. However, if it has no authority for a domain name, the DNS domain name system then checks its cache whether the domain name has been resolved currently, and if yes, the DNS domain name system reports the caching data to its clients.

There are some instances that the DNS domain name system cache can be examined when the system cached the data once, but didn’t adjust it.  Due to the reason that the information about a certain domain name can be changed, the server may have inaccurate data in its caching table.  There is a certain value known as the Time to Live or known as TTL which is applied when to age the information. So whenever an authority responds to a request for a domain name, it then involves a Time to Live value in the answer which indicates how long it assures the binding to linger.

5 Ways To Think Up A Great Domain Name That's Still Available

I'd be a zillionaire if I earned a dollar each time someone complains that all the great domain names are already taken. It's just not true, however. Even in a highly competitive industry, you can think up original, appealing domain names for businesses by using naming tactics that few people use, such as these:

1. Focus on results. What is the outcome or end result that people want to have from buying a certain product or service? How do they feel when they have finished the transaction? My own company name, Named At Last, falls into this category.

2. Look for puns. Make a list of relevant keywords, say each out loud and play around with the sounds. Puns are much less likely than other kinds of names to have been registered because their component parts are not actual words. For instance, the name Sitesfaction, for a web design company, was a finalist in our first naming contest - and an available domain at that time despite tens of thousands of web design firms in the English-speaking world.

3. Think slang. Let your imagination and memory fly around for pleasing-to-the-ear expressions. As of today, the domain BoyOhBoyToys.com for an online toy store is unregistered, as is a domain for its sister store AttaGirlToys.com.

4. Go symbolic. Suppose you're an expert on the horror genre and want to start a paid online community for horror fans. Horrorific.com, horrorgate.com and Horrornet.com are all taken, but as of today, the less obvious and more vivid FrightOwl.com is not.

5. Vary real words. "Google's name is a play on the word googol, which refers to the number 1 followed by one hundred zeroes," says the Press Center of the world's most successful search engine. "The word was coined by the nine-year-old nephew of mathematician Edward Kasner," it continues - providing another hint for creative naming: consult a kid.

Happy Naming!

7 Strategies to Choosing an Effective Domain Name

A friend of mine calls me the "Domain Queen", since at one time I owned around 50 domains.  I've let many of them go (I own only 22 now) as my business has changed and developed, or I've just simply lost interest in the project.  I'm often asked how I go about picking effective domain names, so as the "Domain Queen", I'll share my thought process with you.

1.What's the purpose of the domain name? Are you planning on using this name as the main website for your company, as a one page sales letter site, or squeeze page site?  If the domain name will be your primary company website, try and find the closest version to your company name that you can.  If you're just starting out, choose your business name and domain name with care.  When I started my virtual assistant practice, I chose the name SOHO Business Solutions, as I thought everyone knew that SOHO stood for Small Office, Home Office.  I think I've run into 2 people in my 7 years in business who knew what that acronym stood for. If I had it to do over again for this business, I would choose a business name and domain name with virtual assistant in the title, like InternetMarketingVirtualAssistant.com, a name I just recently purchased.

If the purpose of a domain is for a one-page sales letter site or a squeeze page, think ahead as to how you might promote this site.  Because content is king in today's internet marketing world, there's little chance that either of these types of sites would be picked up by the search engines on key words.  Therefore, your best promotion strategy is PPC, or "pay per click", where you're buying keywords for placement in search engines.  If you're buying keywords from Google, for example, the paid listings appear at the top of a search in a blue box, or down the right-hand side of your screen.  You want to be sure that the info displayed there is compelling enough to get someone to click and visit your site.  So, for example, I've created a squeeze page, GetMoreClientsOnline.com, which has a compelling solution to a common problem that my clients have, as a side door gateway to my OnlineBizCoachingCompany.com coaching website.

2.  Brainstorm a list of ideas of the problem you're trying to solve or the solution that you have.  A domain name that clearly indicates what you do, or a problem that you solve, or a solution that you have to a problem will give a visitor a fairly clear picture of what s/he'll find on your website.  What I typically do is go to my domain registrar, www.UltraNetDomains.com, and just start plugging in the names I'm brainstorming until I come up with 3 or 4 that are available.  If the domain name that you type in isn't available, the service will come up with 10 or so alternates for you to consider.  I found this alternate listing quite helpful recently in picking the name of an article directory site that I want to create.

3.  For SEO (Search Engine Optimization) purposes, it helps to have your keywords in your domain name.  Marla Regan, who's a professional organizer, has put two keywords in her domain name, OrganizedTime.com. Retirement Coach Lin Schreiber has her keyword niche in her domain, RevolutionizeRetirement.com.  Consultant John Reddish has the desired outcome keywords in his domain, GetResults.com.  I own a domain that I haven't yet developed for house sitters, BecomeAHouseSitter.com.  Before buying your domain, make a list of keywords that someone might use to find you online.  This list could include your industry, your target market or niche, a problem your target market has, or a solution that you can offer.

4. Shorter is better, if it's to be your primary domain. I haven't always followed my own rules here, as I tend to have business names that are quite lengthy. If the domain name is going to be your primary domain where your primary email address will be housed, you want your domain name to be as short, catchy, and memorable as possible. After a few times of spelling out your lengthy email address, you'll come to appreciate the beauty of a short domain name. Your domain name can contain up to 67 letters and numbers, although I would encourage you not to have one of this length, and can contain no special characters other than hyphens.

5.  Purchase your your given name as a domain name.  I typically tell my clients not to try and brand their given name as their business name, as that takes many years, much money, and lots of hard work to have the name recognition of Oprah, for example.  However, it still pays to purchase your given name as a domain name, as well as any common misspellings of your name.  Many people think my name is Donna Gunther, with an "h" in the last name, but I've been unable to register that common misspelling of my name, as a photographer in Venice, CA, has owned in since 2000. Once you've purchased your name as a domain, you can redirect it to your primary website.  This means that when someone types in a domain, they land at the website to which you pointed that domain.  So, currently DonnaGunter.com redirects to OnlineBizCoachingCompany.com because I don't want to use my name as a website, although that might change in the future.

6. Buy the .COM version of the name if it is available.  When people hear a domain name, they "hear" .COM whether it's .NET or .BIZ or .ORG or whatever.  So, it pays to find a domain name that you like that is part of the .COM family. If you just can't get the name you want, try a hyphenated version of the .COM name.  For example, when I was seeking a domain name for my Self-Employment Coaching Gym, I really wanted SelfEmploymentSuccess.com, but it wasn't available.  However, Self-Employment-Success.com was available, so I grabbed that.  Many SEO specialists state that search engines like hyphenated names, and many online business owners use hyphenated keywords in their domain names to be more attractive to search engines. I don't have a clear answer as to the validity of this theory, so I just advocate going this route before having to resort to the .NET or .BIZ of the name you desire.  Some domain name holders may be willing to sell you the domain name that you want.  You can find out who owns a domain name by checking the WhoIs Registry at Internic, http://www.internic.net/whois.html.  For info about country codes (two-letter) top-level domains (.UK or .CA, for example) visit http://www.uwhois.com/cgi/domains.cgi?User=NoAds

7.  Consider owning other versions of your primary domain name. If you are registering the .COM version of a domain for your business, you may also want to secure variations of the name, alternate spellings, common misspellings, and the .NET and .ORG versions of your domain and repoint them to your main site to keep them out of the hands of your competitors. You can also go broke very quickly by purchasing all of these variations, so exercise some restraint in your purchases and don't go crazy with purchasing every single variation of your domain name.  For my coaching company site, I own both the OnlineBizCoachingCompany.com and OnlineBusinessCoachingCompany.com and decided that was good enough.

Your domain name is the beginning of the establishment of your presence online,  Take some time and put some thought into the process so that the domain name serves you well in the years to come, and is an effective tool for helping you get more clients online.

A Guide To Domain Name Registration

Are you considering doing business online? If you’re affirmative about that then, you need a home for your site on the Internet first, for that you’ll have to register a domain name.

A domain name provides your website an Internet address. Under the Domain Name System DNS, domain names are framed of the four elements – a server prefix, a domain name, a domain suffix or extension, and a country code (optional). For instance, www.jasssony.com is an example of a domain name where ‘www’ is the server prefix, ‘jasssony’ is the domain name and ‘com’ is the domain suffix.

‘Dot-com’ is an example of a top level domain extension. There are generic top level domains, gTLDs, and country code top level domains, ccTLDs. Register a domain name of your own. Many ‘Internet Service Providers’, ISPs and Web Hosts also offer free or bargain-rate domain services that essentially make a domain name an extension of theirs. For example, if the ISP is a fictional like ‘youneedweserve’, then the resulting domain name could be www.youneedweserve/jass/index.html. While registering your own domain name, make sure that the extension name should look like a professional one. With an extension domain name, you always have to change the ISP or web host.

Many people do not realize it, but it is a fact that the names on the Internet really matter. Choose a domain name that identifies the business and it should also be easy to remember; so many people type the names or partial names into search engines for finding the site that they are seeking for. Most of the best or obvious domain names are already registered by the people. You should also consider the facts when you are choosing a domain name for the online business and how to register a domain name.

Registering a generic top level domain name or a country code top level domain, the things mostly depend on the market for the product or service. For example, if you are selling your product or services to USA, you can use the country code top level domain, dot-us domain. If you are marketing the products or services globally, you can choose to register the online business as a dot-com or a dot-biz.

A Simple Guide To Choosing A Domain Name

There has been much debate on which factors are the most important when determining what domain to purchase. Choosing a domain name should be deeply tied to the business plan and the vision of the company. A domain can be chosen for its advantages in Search Engine placement, a company’s brand, or as a description of a general term. One must consider a domains size, pronunciation, how memorable it is, and if the name is taken in other similar forms or extensions. For example, if one registers a domain.net, but the domain.com is taken and developed, creating a brand for domain.net would be very dangerous and might end up being confused for its .com counterpart.

Search Engine Placement Domains
The purpose of these domains is to rank high in the search engines, because the actual domain name contains the keywords being searched for. Search Engine domains are very rarely brandable, and are mostly used exclusively as side Internet properties to redirect traffic to the main site. A company who sells red widgets would benefit from acquiring red-widgets.com and redwidgets.com , because it is natural that people will remember such address, but most importantly, that domain name has a high probability of ranking at, or very near to, the top of a search for ‘red widgets’. A very popular tool used to find what is being searched for on the net is: Overture Keywords (http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/)

Brand Domains
When coming from the offline business into the online, the obvious choice for brand domains is the offline brand name as .com and/or .country extension. Country extensions are used in countries were there is more popularity in their country extension than on the .com. In the case that no previous brand existed before moving online, one most be very creative into the approach of a brandable name. At this point, there are millions of domain names registered and many times, one finds that the desired domain is taken. There is a consensus among most Internet domain experts that the shorter the domain, the better. A domain that is about 5 letters long is highly desirable for a brand. However, the domain must sound right as well. Xyqpt.com would be undesirable, because it cannot be easily said or remembered to the general public.

General Term Domains
In the height of the Internet Bubble, general term domains were the most popular choice. Many companies failed, even though they had the generic word for their market. Companies like TheKnot.com refused to purchase Weddings.com, because they were conscious that they needed to focus on brand. Although this strategy worked for TheKnot.com, generic words have a value of their own that cannot be ignored. Like Search Engine Placement Domains, which attract a large number of visitors through search engine referrals, so do generic word domains. For this reason, generic word names are still very much desired and their value continue to rise. What should be learned about the Dot Com Bubble is that generic domains are not everything in a dot com business, rather they are a valuable (yet, not essential) component in an array of variables that make an Internet business a success. The current value of these domains, and other domains in general can be seen at an online publication that covers recent domain

All About The Invalid Domain Name

Invalid domain name is one of the common cases that happened under the domain name arena. Many machines have often noted some invalid domain names and that some errors on the domain name operation often surfaced.

Speaking of the invalid domain names, many resources have noted that if an invalid domain name is detected, you will eventually receive a message indicating the errors. These invalid domain name messages therefore play a somewhat important role in the place of the invalid domain names.

Some of the conditions that cause the emergence of the invalid domain name messages are greatly stated in most resources and one of those is when the Domain Name Service or DNS host name or the DNS domain name specified in the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol or TCP/IP properties contains invalid characters, which then makes an invalid domain name.

Also noted is when there is a particular problem with the internet service provider’s Simple Mail Transport Protocol server. This mentioned thing is said to be a server that is applied for outgoing mails. And another reason for invalid domain name message is the situation when there are invalid characters or spaces in the Computer Name box.

Outside of these grounds for invalid domain names messages, there are certain resolutions that most of the experts recommends for such dilemma. So, it is considered that if the main reason for the invalid domain name message is the DNS host or domain name contains invalid characters, it is important to you check that the DNS host name and the DNS domain name contain contains only valid characters. For particular mention, so to prevent the invalid domain name message, is to know that the valid characters for the DNS host name and the DNS domain name are letters A-Z, numerals 0-9, and the hyphen. However, there are also some instances that the period contributes a part for preventing an invalid domain name message since this is also used as a separator. In verifying the domain name system, many things or steps are involved and most of those are greatly technical.

However, if the cause of the emergence of the invalid domain name message is that there is certain problem with the SMTP Server, it is important that you wait for a moment of time, and then try to send the message again. And if you still receive the invalid domain name message, it is a right move to better contact your Internet service provider or ISP.

Such are just a few of the principles the surround the case for invalid domain names. So if you are really interested to know everything about it, you better try searching some resources that provide some of the technical procedures.

Are Free Domain Names Worth The Cost

Everyone likes a bargain. It's even wise to keep one's costs down. On the other hand, you can be so cheap that you cut your own throat.

Here are two ways to register a domain name for free and some reasons why you might not want to.

1. You Must Have Your Own Top Level Domain (TLD) Name

Your business website should definitely have its own top level domain (TLD) name. This means a name like yourcompany.com. It doesn't mean a subdomain of someone else's domain name, such as yourcompany.someisp.net.

Sometimes persons hesitate to register a proper domain name because of cost, lack of knowledge, or indecision. However, paying the nominal fee charged by the domain registrar for your own domain name can reap rich dividends.

A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or Internet address like (ignoring the http part) someisp.net/hosting-accounts/yourco/, or yourcompany.someisp.net, just doesn't look as professional as yourcompany.com. It might be free (as in included with your web space) but it just doesn't cut it.

Consider: If you put your URL on your letterheads, business cards, signs, et cetera, which Internet address looks more professional?

If you mention your URL on your radio advertising or to a customer over the phone, which one will be easier to remember?

As well, what if your web host goes out of business or you decide that you want to change to another provider. Now, you need to notify everyone that you have now changed to yourcompany.someotherisp.net. You will also need to change all your stationery, signs, and advertising to reflect the change.

On the other hand, the domain name yourcompany.com, could be transferred from one web host to another simply by informing your domain name registrar of the change.

So, to avoid losing business and incurring unnecessary additional costs, be sure you have your own top level domain name.

2. Should You Get a Free Top Level Domain?

It is possible to get a free top level domain from Dot TK (@www.dot.tk). (You may also get paid dot tk (.tk) domains from them.) However, there can be disadvantages to using a free top level domain name.

Here are some of the restrictions noted on the Dot TK website.

You may register no more than three free domain names.

The ownership of the free domain remains with Dot TK. This means that you can't sell it. (Of course, if you pay for the domain you do own it and can transfer it to a new owner.)

Also, if you don't have 25 visitors come to your home page within a ninety day period, your free domain name registration is cancelled.

You need to have existing web content somewhere so that your dot tk name can be forwarded to it.

There may well be other disadvantages.

Apparently, Dot TK uses frames to show your website. This being the case, you may have issues with navigation (bookmarking or finding specific pages) and search engine friendliness.

Therefore, for serious business use, consider carefully the true cost of free domain names

Benefit of Expired Domains

When you are creating a business or new website on the internet, as you probably know you will need a domain name. This of course is the obvious for any internet business, without a domain name you will not have a website, end of story. Now if you are new to the internet business world (where have you been?) you may not realize the importance of SEO tactics. SEO tactics, if done correctly, are designed to give you an advantage within the search engine ranks. Of course, you may be sitting there wondering, “What in the world are you talking about”.

Well, this all leads to the title of the article and will answer the question what is the “Benefit of Expired Domains”. You see when an domain has been in use by another person and this person allows the domain to expire without renewing, the domain name is placed back into the pool of “domains for sale”. This is where the benefits begin to show, just like a new domain name, the expired domain name is available to anyone who wishes to purchase it. What is the difference between a new and expired domain name? Simple, the expired domain name has already been in use. This means that the previous own has likely invested a great deal of effort and time, not to mention money into the promotion of that domain name.

Furthermore, this means that the expired domain is likely all over the internet, with a multitude of back links. Think about it, taking possession of an expired domain name means less work for you and more time for other, more important issues. You will have the opportunity to take advantage of the work that someone else has already performed. The expired domain could already be listed with many search engines, forums, directories, and a wide variety of other websites that have this link already on them.

What does this mean? Because the previous owner already did most of the legwork, it leaves less for you to do. The traffic specific to that expired domain now becomes your traffic, which leads to your sales, and ultimately your revenue. All of this because someone else was kind enough to do the work for you already and let the domain name expire.

Now surely you would know by now, that if you were to purchase a brand new domain name, you would have to do all the advertising, promotion, SEO work, submission to search engines, forums, and directories yourself. That is a lot of time, effort, and money spent on your part and trust when we say it takes a lot of all of the above to make a new domain work. It makes sense to take advantage of an expired domain does it not? We think so, you should find the expired domain of your choice today and begin taking full advantage of the legwork that has already been done for you and use it for your website.

Big Considerations For Domain Name Owners

As domain names continue to surface, the numbers of people who engaged into getting, purchasing, and owning a domain names rises. This event therefore leads to an increase in number of the domain name owners. Given such fact, the International Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers or the ICANN with its Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) and the Anti-cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA) recently presents serious dangers to the innocent domain name owners.

So, there surfaced a number of considerations for the domain name owners to avoid loss of their domain names. One of the considerations that the domain name owners should give attention to lessen the danger of losing their domain names is to get a trademark registration that match their respective domain name. This process is not too difficult for the fact that some of the countries today cater to this service and this is not really required by the law to employ a trademark company.

Following such consideration for the innocent domain names owners’ sake is the act of keeping the Whois information up to date. This is considered to be very important since there are some cases where a court or the UDRP tribunal ruling against particular domain name owners based its judgment in line on incomplete or out of date Whois information. And after doing such move, the domain name owners should also check their Whois and Domain Name System information not just once but always.

Since it is a common case where most of the domain name owners fail to pay their registration fees and therefore lose their domain names, it is therefore necessary for the domain names owners to pay for such registration fees to keep their domain names in function and up to date. One major support for this fact is that Whois information of certain domain name owners that is out of date will only lead to the situation where their domain name registration fee never reached them.

And finally, in cases where someone contacts the domain name owners regarding their domain names, it is important that they are aware that regardless of how folksy or friendly a letter could be from someone asking their domain names, any answers by the domain name owners that makes of the possible blunders may probably cause a lawsuit or UDRP complaint taking advantage of the domain name owners’ blunder. But, if the domain name owners really receive a UDRP complaint, then it is a right time to respond the complaint, since the majority of UDRP decisions against the domain name owners are default decisions that is where the domain name owner failed to respond to the complaint.

Buy/Sell Domain Names! Is it Profitable?

I've just recently stumbled across a few web sites like namepros.com and dnforum, websites that focus solely on the buying and selling of domains. And I "gotta tell ya" I was quit impressed to hear some of the success stories.

Now from my understanding, I thought profit from domain sales died at the end of the dotcom Boom. But from what I've seen and heard, It seems like it can be a lucrative business. Naturally there's more to it than buying a domain name for $5.99 a year and turning around and selling it for $4,000. To come across a domain name (whether self created, expired, or purchased) spending time advertising it, sending traffic to where it's parked, finding a broker, doing the things you need to do to up the value of the name, it's seems like a very time consuming business.

But if you go to Sedo.com you'd be amazed at the prices that some of these domains are going for, $5,000, $10,000, even more.

It seems to me like a hidden art. There's not very much talk about it in the general internet marketing forums. And everywhere on the net you see ebooks on "How To" write ebooks for profit, do JV (joint venture) deals, ebooks on site traffic, blogging techniques, affiliate marketing, rss feeds...... on and on and on and very little information on the business of buying and selling domain names. So that means it's a business who's time has passed or a very lucrative one that's hidden from the people who jump on the bandwagon.

Just looking at current events and doing domain checks on certain subjects tells me how quickly good domains get snatched up. Believe it or not the name Farris Hassan dot com (16 year old boy who went to Iraq) is already taken.

From my studies it seems that there are a select few who are generously profiting from the buying and selling of domain names. As I mentioned above there is alot of work involved but if your willing to join a few membership sites, learn a few advertising tricks and get into the game, the selling of domain names can be a very lucrative business.

Buying Long Domain Names? Is it worth it?

The long held wisdom is that domain names should be short and memorable. Of course, it is great when you can get a short name that really works for your business but sometimes that is tough. So why not go for a longer one?

The idea that domain names must be short is not as valid as it once was. There are many successful web sites that have long domain names such as FreeCreditReport.com. This article will teach you when it is okay to buy a long domain name and why you would want to.

The Long and Short of Domain Names
Long domain names are a good way to go when your Web site is only going to generate traffic from online advertising such as Google's AdWords or natural search engine results. On the Internet people find your site by clicking on hyperlinks which already have your Web site's domain name typed in for them. So if you have a long domain name it is already there for your visitor and they do not have to remember it.

For example, suppose you own a Web Hosting Company and you specialize in offering cheap web hosting. Why not call your site CheapWebSiteHosting.com? It's long but it communicates a lot to the customer and perhaps even more valuable is that it will communicate important information to search engines about your site. How you ask?

Search engines use the words in your domain name as one method of discovering what your web site is about and they use that information to help determine where to rank you in the search results list. So if you have the words "cheap web site hosting" in your domain name then search engines will use that information to possibly rank you higher than a domain name that does not contain those words. So by naming your site "CheapWebSiteHosting.com" you have an advantage over SmithWebSiteHosting.com when people search the phrase "cheap web site hosting."

So, if your business is tightly focused on cheap hosting anyway you might as well use those words in your domain name if it means that search engines will match you better than those sites without those keywords in their domain name.

Domain Names in Mass Media
What about non-internet marketing? Are long domain names okay for radio or television? The answer is yes as long as it can be remembered. If you watch tv at all I'm sure you've seen ads for freecreditreport.com. That's a pretty long domain name considering not too long ago you needed to have a name like amazon.com or eBay.com to be viable.  But even as I am writing this the domain name freecreditreport.com came to mind instantly. Thats a pretty good domain name for a long one. In our sample scenario, I would say that a site called cheapwebsitehosting.com will be remembered by people who have an interest in saving money on hosting. The key is to put together words in your domain name that flow naturally. "Cheap Web Site Hosting" is natural English. But WebSiteHostingCheap.com would almost certainly be a problem in the mass media.

So, should you go for a long domain name next time you buy a domain name?  That will ultimately depend on whether you can get a short version that you find suitable and how important the slight edge in search engine results is worth to you. But at least you can keep these factors in mind you buy a domain name. You just may find that a long domain name is a reasonable way to go for your business.

Buying Yourself A Domain Name.

Domains are an important part of your web page, one of the most important parts because it is the address individuals will use in order to load your page. So, having a catchy and easily remembered domain name is important. The problem is, too many individuals you use domain names that are provided to them by their internet service provider. This is not the name you want your web site to have if you want to rise to the top and make the most money possible. You need to rent or buy your own domain name that has something to do with the product or service you are offering on your web page.

There are many ways in which you can register domains, or domain name, and most of the time it is relatively inexpensive and sometimes it is even free. You simply need to do a little research in order to find the domain name that works for your business and fits your budget as well.

Another thing to keep in mind when registering domains is what names are available, are the .com, .net, or .org, and if so how many of the same domains are available with different endings. For instance, if your company sells tires and you buy the domain name tiresrus.com then you will want to know if tiresrus.net and tiresrus.org are also available. If so, you will also want to buy them and have them linked to your web page in order to garner more traffic.

If you already have a web site set up with a domain name you are simply using, you do not have to start completely over when you buy a new domain name. All you have to do is buy the domain name or names that adequately reflect your web sties and then have your current web site hosted by a new server that will link it to the domain name you bought. This is not immediate and generally takes a few days, but it is worth it because now you will have a serious domain name which shows your web page is serious and not a joke. The few days you spend waiting for the transfer will be well worth your while.

So, go ahead and step up to the big leagues and get your domains today. Just go to the web and search domain names and you will be able to check and see if the names you want are available and if so you will be able to buy them. It really is as easy as that, so go ahead and try it out today. You will make up the small investment on the domain name in no time, probably even the first day!

Central Nic Domains

Now is the time for Webmasters to get in on Central nic domain names! That’s right—thanks to the availability of central nic domain names, all webmasters can get a chance to get the domain name they desire by registering for a domain name with any registrar that handles central nic names. Think about it; registering for a central nic domain name has so many advantages. Let’s take a look at the many benefits of registration below:

1.Central nic is a domain registry offering alternative to the TLD and Country level domains. If you missed out on your chance to get the domain name you desired, now you are offered a second chance to get in on the action. Get the domain name you want with a .com extension!

2. uk.com, gb.com, .eu.com, and more are all available from domain registrars. Thus, if you missed out on your opportunity to get a .uk, .gb, or a .eu domain name, you will get a second chance to get the domain name you desire when you register for a central nic domain.

3.If you are set on a name that has been taken by another Webmaster, a Central nic name can be a good alternative. With a Central nic domain name you can still get the domain name you want with the added commercial extension. Don’t settle for a second choice domain name—get your central nic domain name precisely the way you want your domain name to be.

4. The commercial extension in a central nic domain name is already well established. So many websites on the Internet use .com extensions that it has become a near universal aspect of many domain names. Plus, the short extension is unobtrusive—it does not hurt the overall length of your domain name—nor does it decrease the effectiveness of a central nic domain name.

5. Using keywords in a domain is useful for SE purposes—yet, it can be difficult to get a domain name that is keyword enriched if the applicable domain names are already taken. Now, with our central nic domain name offerings, you get another great opportunity to get a keyword enriched domain name that will immediately improve your search engine ranking.

6. With a short commercial extension, Webmasters will still have a domain address that is easy to remember. You don’t have to worry about compromising a memorable domain address—the .com extension is easy to remember and hardly increases the length of a domain name at all. In fact, with so many domain names ending in .com, the commercial extension is almost expected by web users.

7. Registering for a central nic domain name now will ensure that you get in on the most popular domain names available. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to get the most popular domain names available. Popular domain names that draw significant traffic to websites will disappear quickly. Thus, the sooner you register for your central nic domain name, the better your chances will be that you get the exact domain name that you desire.

8. Beat the rush—you already know that on April 7, 2006, the Landrush phase for .eu domain names will commence. Why submit an application in hopes that you will be able to get the domain name you desire. Instead, secure a central nic domain now with a .com extension and ensure that you get the domain name you want. Thus, while everyone is struggling to get in on the .eu domain names, you will be ahead of the game when you register for your central nic domain name.

9. Whether you want to establish a business website or a personal website, there is no restrictions when you apply for a central nic domain name. That’s right; anyone can apply for a central nic domain name, even if their website is not for commercial use. No need to wait for the proper time to submit your application—if you want to register for a central nic domain name you an do so right now—today, this very minute!

10. Why wait until April when Eurid opens to the public, to get your domain name, when you can register for a central nic domain name and get your domain name quickly? Now is the time to get in on all of the central nic domain names available—the more time you spend delaying—the lower your chances are for getting in on the most popular central nic domain names.

Changing Domain Name – The Best Way!

Accept the fact that there are really some times that you need to change your domain name. Changing domain names is not in fact a very rare situation, but the fact that is widely common today. Many were now changing domain names for certain purposes, and along with that, many people were also encountering problems.

The process of changing domain names, according to some veterans in the field of domain name, is somewhat very time-consuming and the potential for some mistakes is very huge. Well, every problem has its own solution, right? So a fairly simple solution and a safe alternative for a smooth and seamless switch in changing domain names is made possible through the application of the mod_rewrite and a .htaccess file.

Now, what is a mod_rewrite and .htaccess file?

According to certain studies, a mod_rewrite as it becomes important in changing domain names is an Apache module that grants the mode for the rewriting of the URL. Many considered this tool for changing domain names as transparent to the end-user and thus require no special software on the user’s end.

In an instance of changing domain names, the user who applies the mod_rewrite in changing domain names will still see the old domain name in their browser address bar on the first page that they visit, but then will typically be seeing the content under the new domain name. By using the mod_rewrite in changing domain names will also provide you with a very user friendly search engine.

On the other hand, the .htaccess file plays a role in changing domain names as containing particular Apache directives for specific requests, including security, redirection issues, and it also contains the answers on how to handle certain errors. Such function of the .htaccess file is very necessary in changing domain names for the reason that the Apache that it contains is a very common web server that helps a smooth and easy process of changing domain names.

Knowing the facts about those two important tools, it is therefore important to note that before you do anything, you should consider some issues that surround such the domain name change. These issues must be considered for these will help for a smoother transition. So according to some experts for changing domain names, the first important move is to check the web host to make sure that they support the mod_rewrite module, otherwise the attempt procedure will not work. Then it follows that you must activate your new domain name.  It is just necessary that you ensure that the file base construction and naming is accurately similar when it was under the old domain name.

After that, you create an .htaccess file.  It is interesting to know that the .htaccess file in changing domain names can be done with a simple text editor like the notepad, and it should be noted that the file has no tail extension; the name should then be just .htaccess. If done, the syntax should then be inserted. Just be aware that when changing domain names, the old domain name will still appear in the browser window but you are viewing the content of the new domain name. Of course there are still some rules behind these steps for changing domain names, but unfortunately, that is beyond the scope of this article.

Changing Registered Domain Name Tips

Sometimes when we register our domain names, we do some transformations on it, maybe on the Domain Name System information or even to the registered domain name hosting. Such case is so common for many people, and in fact, many experts have recommended that we really do some changes on the registered domain names.

Well, for that matter, I will be dealing mainly about how to change the registered Domain Name System information and some facts that go behind such transformations. It is just important to note some things about it since it is a common necessity for the domain name holders to change their registered domain name information.

According to some experts, when you register a domain name, you really need to specify your Domain Name Server or DNS information. However, there are some instances that you need to change such registered DNS information for certain purposes. Speaking of those purposes, one is noted that if you have a new web site or even an email account, your web hosting or the Internet Service Provider will ask you to change your registered Domain Name Server information in order to make your registered domain name to be connected to your web site and so your email account can be setup.

In changing registered Domain Name Server information for your registered domain name, you should note that in the first place the registered Domain Name Server information is provided by your host. Generally, such information is composed of a primary and a secondary name server. It is important to know then that you have both the primary and secondary name servers.

Giving much emphasis on the secondary name server, it is noted that the explanation for a secondary name server is not that it takes its information from the primary name server; instead it is its respective distinct Internet Protocol or IP address that do the process. As such, the primary and the secondary name server function to point the domain name that resolves to the Internet Protocol created by the host server. Therefore in changing registered Domain Name Server information, the domain name will resolve with the average of 50 percent of the period to the primary name server and also 50 percent of the period to the secondary name server.

There are further resources which state that if ever that you have an Internet Protocol address of your hosting server, it is better that in changing your registered domain name, you use the URL-forwarding service which is now offered by most domain name companies. Through the URL-forwarding, the registered domain name information then can be change smoothly for the reason that the URL-forwarding will resolve any hits on the registered domain name to the forwarding servers.

Today, there are so many companies that provide you to the opportunity to change you registered domain name, and some of those even offer the registered domain name change for free.  So now that you have a new registered domain name, you have the opportunity to build a web site for whatever purposes, whether it is for corporate or personal use. And aside from that, you have also the chance to do some email forwarding and you can even resell you registered domain name to whomever you like.

Check Out Easy Ways Of Domain Name Registration

Domain name registration is a significant, easy, and strategically important first to form an online presence, whether it is for business or otherwise. A domain name gives the first impression to your customers. A well-chosen domain name can set up your success in different ways; most importantly help generate search engine traffic for your website.

You should consider a few important points while going for your domain name registration. You can easily get your domain name registered. You should choose a domain name that will help to make your site effective. Domain names are not only the web addresses or URLs, but they are far more than that.

A domain name is the marketing brand and is the most important marketing tool that you possess, because it helps to draw traffic to your website.

Anyone can easily register a domain name, and register as many domain names as possible. Even if you do not own any website, then also you can register a domain name. Anyone can register a domain name up to 67 characters long. Register up to 10 years in advance.

There are many benefits of a good domain name. Owning a good domain name also gives you a decisive edge over the competitors. You can make your position strong in the industry with the help of a good domain name.

Domain name allows making a site virtual, and also adds the credibility to the site. People mostly want to choose the business partners with the sites that have their own domain names. Domain names make an organization professional.  

The ownership of the domain name gives you the option of transferring the website to any web host while maintaining your address. It allows for the continuity of the business and also allows shopping for the hosting service. Domain names also promote the branding of your products. A descriptive domain name can work as an effective marketing tool. Bear in mind that a short domain name can be easily memorized.

Choose a Market You’re Passionate About and Stay Focussed

Choosing the right market is instrumental to your online success. It’s much more difficult to create a new market than to enter an existing market that is already highly profitable for existing businesses. The good thing about online business is that you can start a new business in a new market without as much overhead and headache as in the real world. If there are many players in a market that’s also good because you can see what the best people in your market are doing. You can then offer more value, match and beat their offering and dominate the market. You can switch between a few markets before you find your niche. The only mistake we make is the one we didn’t learn from. Be tenacious and keep trying. Do something that you’re passionate about, you’ve heard it before but it really is true that you need to give freely before expecting any return. Choose that area that interests you and where you can really benefit other people. Some people may not have a passion and maybe making money is one of them. You can find a product that is useful in that area and promote that.

As for me, my passions are:

Connecting with other young guys
Playing sport, in particular cricket, rugby, soccer and tennis.
Nutrition, eating a balanced diet
Fitness and Health
Spiritual Growth – I’m a follower of Jesus
Making money
Building profitable websites

These are the areas that I’ll focus on in one way or the other. It’s so important to finish each project that you start. Often another idea will spring into your head before you’ve finished and you’ll be tempted to drop what you’re doing and move on, don’t. Finish what you started and write down the new idea. This way you can have your current project making money or at least have a chance of while the new idea takes shape. It’s important to have an ideas book where you write all of those million or billion dollar ideas down and choose the best ones to take action on. Choose the ones that excite you the most.

Choose A Domain Name That Floods Traffic To Your Website

Choosing a domain name is a very critical part of your website marketing strategy.

By choosing a domain name that targets the specific keywords for your website you'll flood your website with laser targeted traffic by enhancing click through response.

Pick a domain name that gives your prospects what they most desperately desire. By including the keywords in your domain name that are your customers desires, including them in your marketing messages and your website content you can't help but flood traffic to your website!

Wondering what your customer's desires are? If so, you'll need to determine what your really selling. Let's look at an example product here: home security alarm system.

Keep in mind few people know, nor do they care what the heck the product looks like or the features of the product such as size, color, weight, speed, or availability. The only thing they have an interest in is the "results" your product will achieve for them. It all boils down to what's-in-it-for-me?

Why would a prospect purchase a home alarm system? What's-in-it-for-them? If you think for just a moment you'll come up with the right answer.

Yes, it's to protect their jewelry or valuables while they are at work or when the house is empty.

You must stop thinking of yourself or the features of your product to determine what your customer's deepest desires are. By turning your product or service features into "benefits" or "results" you'll be able to hit their hot buttons and flood traffic to your website in the process.

The easiest way to turn features into benefits is to list all the features of your product or service on a piece of paper first. (a feature is a characteristic of a thing: size, color, weight, speed, availability) Then one by one turn each feature into a benefit for your customer. What's-in-it-for-me-- save money? youthfulness? friends? security? money? power? luxury? prestige? thinner body? obedient pet?

The traffic driving potential of keyword targeted domain names is awesome, provided that you research your target market and satisfy their "true" needs, desires and benefits. Once you have established this system for marketing, you'll be able to use your domain name to construct specific ad campaigns targeted to specific markets even if your website offers multiple products and services.

To take it a step further, you could formulate a domain name that works like a headline for a classified ad. When you break a headline down it should have several different parts. It should fan the flames of desire with a hint of information about solving a specific problem, satisfying a need, providing a benefit, or invoking curiosity with a call to action. Your domain name should contain as many of these "headline characteristics" as possible. Try and phrase the keywords into something relatively short, catchy and easy to remember.

Keep in mind "what's-in-it-for-me?" as to "what your really selling". The job of your domain name is to act like a headline to drive targeted traffic to your website by "scratching the itch of your customers." If you've found the right words to scratch that itch, then ONLY YOU can put it to use in your domain name. You'll find that not only will you do better on your search engine rankings you'll also attract a lot more attention with your pay per click ads or any type of advertising you use.

Choosing A Domain Name For My Business

The domain name for your business is your online identity. You should be very careful about choosing a domain name that is memorable, scores quite well with search engine listings, has a trust factor attached to it, and commands a brand value. A domain name is quite important for your business correspondences and emails. A long one can cause problems in communication, especially if the domain name seems complex. Here are some tips in choosing a well-meaning domain name that captures the essence of your brand image or business:

1. Keyword oriented or a unique domain name? If your website is going to have a crucial role to play in your business, then it is important to have an adequately researched keyword incorporated within the brand name. Use the most searched-for term in search engine queries, within your domain name. Prior to launching your online business, you should do some research through website tools to find out which keywords register the most number of traffic during a month. For example, if you want to make a website based on advising people, you will find that the keyword help is normally typed in the search engine query window a lot more frequently than the word aid. If your domain name includes targeted keywords, than you will get higher rankings in the search engines like Google and Yahoo. You should bear in mind that, apart from having the targeted keyword in your domain name, you should also have keywords in other parts of your site as well.

2. Use a company name only if you are famous: That is right. If your company name overwhelms the basic product name, then by all means go for the company name as your domain name. For example, people normally use the term Xerox rather than photocopy and if you are Xerox, then you should go for Xerox as a domain name because of the sheer popularity of the brand name. This is usually not the case, so using a keyword-rich domain name is a better move for most people. To be on the right side of balancing your business well, you should buy a set of two domain names, one that represents your business/brand name, and another that represents keywords or key phrases.

3. Keep your domain name short: The shorter your domain name, the more memorable it is. If your domain name has an every-day lingo, the better it is! More often than not, you may find that a simple two-word domain name is already taken. The alternative in this case, is to put a hyphen (-) to your targeted keyword and then add the other word. SEO experts are of the belief that hyphenating two or more words makes a long domain name more search engine friendly. The flip side is that people do not tend to write words with hyphens naturally, and there is a chance that if someone has recommended your site to a friend, the friend may find himself going to a competitor’s site. So one has to understand and undergo a lot of study while choosing a domain name. After all, it is one prominent thing that can dictate the flow of your business. Also, you should avoid putting numbers like 4 instead of for in your domain name. It will only lead to confusion.

4. Dot.com only: If you intend to have a website for commercial or business reasons, then by all means go for a website which ends in extension .com. The domain name companies will market other options like .org, .us, .net, etc. However, by all means try stick to .com for better mass appeal.

5. Register similar domain names: If you believe that in the future you are going to have a huge amount of people visiting your website through word-of-mouth advertising, then you should consider registering similar domain names that direct to your main URL (e.g. www.datinginformation.com and www.datinginfo.com). There are cyber-squatters who register domain names in the hope that they will be selling them for a profit to someone who really needs that domain name. Before they do this, you should register the domain names if you think that such a possibility can occur.

6. Be patient: You should not choose a domain name in minutes merely just to get it done and over with. A hasty decision may cost you a lot. It is better to invest time in research and arrive at the right kind of domain name. You should also discuss the comprehensibility and usage of the domain name with friends, neighbors and well wishers to find how simple and commonplace it really is.

Choosing a Domain Name for Your Domain Hosting

Your domain hosting name is not something to be chosen lightly. Your domain hosting name is your front line in your branding campaign for your online business (or your offline business’s online presence). Careful consideration needs to go into choosing just the right domain hosting name to represent your business. The following are some key points to consider:

<b>The Right Extension for the Right Site </b>
Each type of site you want domain hosting for may serve a different market. Make sure the extension you use -- .com, .net, .org, .biz, etc. -- is the right extension for your market. If you are a business and there is no reason you cannot do it, get domain hosting for a .com. If you are a non-profit organization, consider .org. If you are building a personal website and are on a budget, consider .us or some of the other lesser-known extensions. When in doubt, however, go for .com. The part of a URL people most often first forget is the extension. And when they’re in doubt, .com’s what they type in: .biz and .net should only be considered if you’re completely attached to a particular domain hosting name and the .com variant isn’t available. But our best suggestion for that scenario is to vary the domain hosting name and get the .com extension.

<b>The Shorter the Better </b>
When picking domain hosting names for your website consider that people have to remember it to visit it. Not everyone is going to get to your website by clicking on a listing or an ad or a reciprocal link. Word of mouth leads increase when your domain hosting site’s name is short and sweet. And people make less spelling mistakes and typos when trying to type in your URL directly.

<b>Stay Away from What Doesn't Belong to You </b>
Big companies with trademarked names seem like tempting targets for domain hosting names that generate loads of free (albeit unintentional) traffic. Heck, you could even sell the domain hosting name back to them for a hefty sum. More than likely, however, you’ll just get sued. And chances are, if you’re reading this article, they have better lawyers than you.

<b>The More the Merrier </b>
Admittedly this catchy tag line is a little misleading. Considering registering a group of domain hosting names in order to cover yourself for the inevitably of interested visitors typing in the wrong URL is an excellent idea. Try, if possible, to get the .com <em>and </em>.net variant of your domain hosting name, or a variant with hyphens as well as the one without (always go for without hyphens first). But don’t buy more than you can afford or more than you need. Once you own the domain hosting names, whatever they are and of whatever number, you still have to get people to visit them.

<b>U R a *, but Your Domain Name Can’t Be </b>
You can use neither symbols nor spaces in your domain hosting name (our apologies to “the artist formerly known as Prince”). And URLs are not case sensitive. So don’t waste your time.

<b>Do it Now </b>
Have you ever heard the concept that if you have an idea then at least one other someone else somewhere else in the world is having or has had the same idea? Well that’s certainly the case with domain hosting names, which is why you need to make all due haste in nabbing your ideal domain hosting name. Otherwise, you may wind up compromising with an alternate far inferior.

Choosing A Good Domain NameChoosing A Good Domain Name

With over 50 million registered domain names, it’s tough to find a good done that’s still available. Unfortunately the domain name industry is full of opportunistic “traders” who buy and sell domain names without any intention of even using it themselves. Because of this, the majority of the registered domain names don’t even have a website to go with it!

This can be quite frustrating as you seek out a domain name for yourself to build a website for. But at the end of the day in a first-come first-served world, we must try and find another way to find that great domain name.

There are several tools that can be very handy when it comes to looking for a domain name. I discuss these tools in another article. Here we will discuss what makes a good domain name.

To brand or not to brand?

Brading is a key element in traditional “offline” marketing. Having a unique, catchy name does wonders for any business. However when it comes to an online presence, you might just be better off with a domain name that is rich in keywords.

Search engines primarily work on keywords as you may know. You enter a search term or “keywords” and the search engine produces results based on their formulas and the websites they believe to be the best fit for your search.

Now, there are many Search Engine Optimisation techniques that can be used by anyone on any site. The same techniques could be applied to a lot of sites, so my question is what could possibly be the 1 thing that is unique and could separate one site from the other? Of course, domain names!

I prefer to have keywords in the domain names that I own because this is what could give me the edge over competitors. Of course it’s not so important if your website is a personal one and you are not looking to make any money from it. But if you are selling something or wanting to make money off your website, I would strongly recommend using keywords in your domain names. Just to prove it, go to Google.com and search for "domain name". You will see in the results that any occurrence of the words “domain” or “name” is actually in bold. So Google is definitely looking out for your search terms and highlighting them for you.

On the other hand, branding is still a strong concept online as well. If you find that catchy name (such as....hmmm Google?) and market it well, then you could be well on your way to word-of-mouth fame in no time!

If your business name is available, register it. You can always register keyword rich domain names to draw the traffic, and redirect them to your business name domain.

Hyphens or no hyphens?

Another common topic of discussion is whether to use hyphens in your domain names. I own mixtures of both hyphenated and non-hyphenated names. There is nothing wrong with hyphens. In fact, for search engines you are helping them by separating words that could be read differently. Here is one example: mikesmithstables.com

This domain could belong to a horse trainer “Mike Smith”, as a website for his racing stables, or it could also be read as “Mike Smith’s Tables”. So there is definitely nothing wrong with hyphenation, as it would actually help to distinguish where the words end in the above example. The only small problem you will run into is word of mouth advertising where people will have to call out the hyphens. But believe me, you want all your traffic to come from search engines because it’s free and the volumes are enormous.

What about using abbreviations?

If your preferred name was something like flowerstoyou.com but it was taken, but you see flowers2you.com is available, should you take it? There are several common abbreviations or variations of certain words that are almost commonly accepted, particularly in cyberspace. Thanks also SMS messaging, we are no used to the use of “2&#8243; instead of “to”, “4&#8243; instead of “for” etc. Whether you choose to use such variations in your domain name is totally up 2 u (ok I was trying to be funny..).

Don’t forget however that word of mouth advertising will always require the person making the recommendation to remind people of the substitute.

Choosing A Great UK Domain Name

The first, and most critical, step for registering your domain name is choosing the right one. The perfect domain name is memorable, unique, easy to spell, and will rank high in searches. Here's what to do.

1. Keep it simple. The shortest and most direct domain name is always the best. You'll have to get creative to find it, though, because almost every single word in English is gone. Most of the best domain names being registered today are a company name, a person's name, or two-word combinations. If you use a two-word combination, try to own it both with and without the dash: happydogs and happy-dogs.

2. Try to use a domain name with your keyword in it. If you have a dog-oriented business, the happydogs/happy-dogs domain names are perfect.

Why? Because when you use your keyword, the search engines take notice. A dog-oriented web site with the word "dog" in the URL is always assumed to be closer to what a searcher is looking for than one that doesn't have that word in it; because the search engines are in the business of giving searchers what they're looking for, they will rank that site higher.

3. Don't use creative spelling. Your customers aren't looking for a puzzle, they're looking for you and your product. You can use the number 1 in your title, but don't register the website Cre8ive; no one will ever find it, and it means nothing to the search engines.

4. Before you register, try to come up with at least a dozen different names; your top choices will almost certainly be taken, but it's much less frustrating to register names when you have plenty of alternatives ready to go.

5. If you have a business that does a lot of volume in the UK or that is targeted specifically at a UK consumer base, getting UK in your domain name is a great way to rank higher in the search engines. The primary extensions for United Kingdom websites are .com and .co.uk.

However, most of the best domain names with these extensions are taken. Avoid buying a .info or another alternate extension; few people look for these. You should also avoid the .org extension unless you're running a non-profit business. Acceptable alternatives to these extensions are the .uk.com and the .net extensions. If more than one of these extensions is available for your domain name, you should buy them all; domain names are not expensive, and you can point multiple ones at your web site. Buying multiple similar names ensures that you keep the competition away from your name, and that any search for your domain name will bring you up. Most large corporations use this trick; companies like Disney buy up every trademark they own.

6. When you register a domain name, as soon as the traffic starts picking up on it go ahead and renew it for multiple years. This is an investment. Even if you don't keep the site yourself, you can resell your valuable virtual real estate at a profit later. Renewing it for a long time can keep someone from sneaking in and registering your domain name if you miss the expiration, too.

7. Register with a company that has been around for a while and charges enough that you know they won't go bankrupt. This makes it much easier when you renew; instead of re-registering, all you have to do is let your registrar know that you want to renew. Shop around a bit, though, so you'll have a good idea of price ranges.