Should I use my Company Name or Brand Name for my Domain?
If you have an established company that is well known and respected, (even if only locally so) then you should register your company name as your domain name. This will make it easier for people who are already familiar with your business to remember your web site address.
If you are a new business starting out exclusively on the Internet or without an established name, then finding a catchy domain name is an ideal way to start branding your company. You can choose a domain name which is short and easily remembered by visitors and prospective clients who will be coming into contact with your company’s advertising.
What makes an effective domain name?
A name that is easily remembered and is not too long will be an effective domain name. The longer the domain name is the more likely it is that your customers may make errors when typing the name into the browser. The domain name can be either your company's name or what's is becoming popular now, a name to reflect your products or services e.g. (if you sell air conditioners then airconditioners.com would be good). Choose a domain name that will look professional on company literature and fit in with your company's corporate identity.
Should I choose a keyword rich domain name?
Effective keyword rich domain names can help to brand your site. When purchasing a domain name, perhaps you should take into consideration the buying of a key word rich domain which will communicate to your customers the types of products or services you provide. It is now widely believed that a keyword-rich domain name may provide a slight advantage to a website’s search engine rankings. One of the reasons why keyword rich domains are sometimes recommended is because many of the search engines use "links" as a factor when deciding waht keywords most pertain to your specific website. The most common anchor text that will be used when linking to your site is your domain name and the anchor text is of vital importance to search engine rankings.
Can I register more than one domain name for a single web site?
Yes, you can have as many domain names as you like and use them all as aliases for the same site. Through your Greenix Hosting cPanel, you can setup domain names to point to a particular page on the website.
Should I choose a domain name that will get lots of direct requests?
To clarify a direct request, a direct request is where you type the domain name of the site you want to visit directly into your browser, rather than following a link from a search engine or another site. Yes you should choose to register a domain name that will get lots of direct requests. Obnviously, if you have an established brand or company you should also register your company name as a domain name.
Should I register my domain name with dashes, hyphens or without?
If you can afford to, then register both permutations. Example: my-domain.com and mydomain.com. Generally you should be guided by what is easier to read. For Example: "mirandas-store.com" is easy to read but mirandasstore.com is more difficult to read because of the double 's' that appears when you join the two words. If your name contains more than one word and putting the words together would create a double letter, (especially double vowels,) then consider separating them with a dash so that the domain name can be read more easily.
Hyphens do help to clarify a domain name that has more than one word in it. Hyphens are "read" as a space by some search engines. If you separate the keywords in your domain name with hyphens, the search engines will be able to read them more easily and your page could rank a little higher on relevance. If you are going to register a domain name that is hyphenated it could also benefit you to register the name as un-hyphenated - the theory being that some of your potential visitors may forget that your name has hyphens incorporated and type the unhyphenated name into either the search engine or their browser. If you have registered both permutations - then you will of course catch all your potemtial site visitors
What are the types of extensions and what do they mean?
You are not limited to the standard 3 extension anymore, there are many other extensions to choose from. Here follows a little detail about some of these.
Generic Domains – Not Regionally Specific
- .com - Commercial web sites the world over have adopted this extension and its still the most sought after. If you can a dot-com should be the first choice for any commercial web site.
- .net - Originally indented for Network Service Providers such as ISP’s or telecommunications companies, the dot-net domain extension gained popularity as a second choice for a dot-com and recently it is a fact that if the name you are seeking is not available as a .com, then a .net name is a good alternative.
- .org - This extension was intended for non-profit making organisations, a convention that has been reasonably well respected. You should only choose a dot-org if you are indeed a non-profit organisation.
- .biz - Due to the diminishing number of short catchy dot-com domains this new extension was introduced.
- .info - Another domain extension, intended for information service providers such as portals and general information sites.
Which extension should I choose?
Generally it’s advisable to get a Generic (not regionally specific) Domain as they are the most prevalent. However, if you only trade locally or nationally a good fall back is always your local country level domain.
How many Domain name variations should I register? e.g. .com, .net
You should buy as many variations of your domain name as possible, to prevent competitors following in your footsteps.
Plan ahead and use different domain names - websites in order to target specific niche audiences. Operating multiple niche websites can work better than having a broad range in one store. It is possible that your business may grow into different areas of interest, or even change tack altogether. For this reason, it may be an idea not to make your domain name too specific to one area of your expertise.
Spelling Mistakes for Domain Names
Some people register the same domain but include common spelling mistakes and typing errors in order to capture as large an audience as possible. We have fouind that even though you may get more traffic, the visitor may not think of your website in a good light as you used their error to bring them to your website.
Do I Need a Separate Website for every Domain Name I register?
You don't need a separate website for each domain name that you register. Through your Greenix Hosting cPanel, several domain names can easily be forwarded to the same website. If this is done in the correct way - there will be no penalty to your web sites rankings in the search engines if one domain name is your primary domain.
See Domain Registrations to register your Domain Name today.
