Monday, December 17, 2007

Selecting a Domain Name

what exactly is a domain name?
A domain name is a unique alphanumeric name which identifies your website on the World Wide Web. A domain name includes a maximum length of 67 characters, which includes the 0 to 9 numbers, English alphabet composed of 26 letters, and the hyphens. However, it is not possible to use hyphens at the beginning or end of a domain name, only within the name.

Suffixes are included in domain names, which are referred to a Top Level Domain (TLD). These TLD's are based on the category of organization that they are related to. Listed below are several of the most popular TLD's:
com for commercial business domain - edu for education institution - gov for government agency - net for commercial network - org for nonprofit organizations
Because identity is given to a website through the domain name, selecting the correct one can be a rather complicated task. The key is to select a name that is simple to remember, search engine optimization friendly, and essentially a domain name that refers to the content or products and services that you are providing on your website. Ultimately, the selection of the correct domain name can make or break you.

Domain Names For Internet Marketing

When you start your journey for internet success, then anything that comes in the way for your business is important. What is required is time and energy to solve every problem and determine the best possible solution. The first decision is to determine the domain name for your website. Choosing a domain name is quite important. The domain that looks difficult for people to spell and pronounce is not going to help your website in the long run.

The domain name should be of such type that on basis of domain identity people are able to remember what products and services are offered by you. The word that is used in the search engines to find a business is generally known by the term "keyword". If your goal is to proceed ahead in the internet success then it is better to take the domain that matches with the keyword searched by the users.

Remember to use that type of name for domain for internet marketing that is neither too long nor difficult to spell. It should also be easy to spell otherwise it will result in failed attempts to look after your business. To select a right name for your internet marketing success, is to look in a dictionary write all the alternative words for the product and services that you will be selling and providing. You will be surprised to find some common words that you many not have thought about it.

Creating a domain name close to a well known brand may not be a good idea as this can result in trademark violations. This will cost you money and will defeat the entire purpose of the website to come on first place. In case of any doubt it is better to consult a legal or search service to make sure that the name that you are choosing does not matches with any other.

Thus there are certain recommendations for domain name selection. IF these are followed in the beginning to protect yourself then your business is soon on the road to internet success.

Private Domain Name

When you register a new domain name, you have to give your name, address, email address and other contact details as the new owner of the domain. This confirms that you, and not another individual or another entity, legally own the name.
If you register a new domain in the standard way, then your personal details will be available to anyone who knows how to look them up. One way to check this is simply to use whois.net - typing the domain name into their search box gives the name, address, email address, and phone number of the owner and the expiry date of the domain.
Why would this be a problem, and why would you wish to make your domain name registration private?
Since the email address is publicly available to anyone, it can be added to spam lists. In addition, since your physical address is available too, you will inevitable get snail mail contact, offering things like 'discount' registration if you switch to a new registrar. Or, you will get unwanted calls from telemarketers, who will know a bit about your business or your interests by simply looking at your web site. As marketing campaigns become more sophisticated, you will be subject to all kinds of unwanted contact.
If your web site content is political, contentious, or may annoy certain people, you may get unwanted emails or calls which are abusive or annoying.