What Is A Domain Name...How To Choose One!

Your domain name is your official address for your website. Choosing a domain name for your website allows your website to be found on the World Wide Web (WWW) when someone types in your official address...or, in other words - your "URL".

Click here for a visual overview of the complete Site Build It! process. This all-in-one solution will assist you in every aspect of creating a website - starting with "web hosting" and then "choosing a domain name for your website".

A domain name will also be a huge time saver if you decide to change your web host.  Your URL will remain the same, no matter what web host you use, and your customers will not get lost in the switch; nor will they have to memorize a new URL for your website.  When customers get ready to look you up again, they will type in the same URL they have always typed in, and your website will come up for them.

Tips On Choosing A Domain Name For Your Website

How do you know what the best name would be when choosing a domain name for your website? Your website name and domain name should be the same if possible; though it is not always possible to get the domain name you want if someone else has already chosen it for their domain name.  Domain names are unique…no two are exactly the same.  When you check to see if a domain name is available, and the name you have chosen is not available, you will usually be offered names that are close to what you chose.  Keep in mind that hyphenated domain names can be easily mistyped, as people often forget to put the hyphen in when searching for a website; or when someone is giving someone else their URL, people remember the word given but not that it has a hyphen in it.  Since your URL is exact, it is important to keep it simple and one that people can remember.

If your chosen domain name is not available as a (.com) name, you may also be given the choice to accept the (.org) or (.net) instead.  If you are set on having a specific domain name, and the only way you can get that specific name is with the (.org) or (.net) TLD, then do so.  Keep in mind that when browsers search for a domain name, they search for the (.com) address first.  Some choose to register their domain name as a (.net, .org, and .com) to make sure their website is the site that comes up under the given name.

Domain names can be long or short names. Technically, domain names contain letters, numbers, hyphens, and should be less than 63 characters long (this does not include the extension .com). Obviously, it is easier for people to remember short names.  Short names are faster and easier to type into browser windows; and people do not make as many mistakes when typing in a shorter name.

On the other hand, shortening words in the name in order to shorten the name may not be a good idea either.  People are easily confused when a word does not read correctly.  For an example:  if your website name is Advertising Specialist, it might be confusing to people if your domain name is Advertspec.com.  In this type of case, it might be best to choose the longer domain name of advertisingspecialist.com. Advertisingspecialist.com would also be a name that would do well in the search engines where “advertising” would be a keyword. Obviously, your domain name will serve you better if you choose a name that is closely related to what your website is about (be creative).

Now, that you have some knowledge about choosing a domain name for your website, you need to read about domain name registrars and how to register a domain name in the next topic.

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