Sunday, August 30, 2009

How Can I Choose And Register A Domain Name For My Website?

By Ricardo d Argence

You register a domain name by registering with a domain name services registrar. The domain name industry is regulated and overseen by ICANN, which is an organization responsible for providing standards and procedures for certifying companies as domain name registrars.

The master database domains that are on InterNIC servers can only be accessed and modified by a domain name registrar. The registers have special domain name and they determine the fee for you too.

Domain names can be used for branding purposes, and also you use a domain name to create an identity on the Web. You must come up with a domain name that will catch people's attention. You can use your business name as your URL. If the name of your company is currently in use, then obtain a URL name similar to what your business is. Purchasing a business name domain name isn't the only way to go, and when a keyword domain name could do just fine.

Use common sense when choosing a domain name because your domain name, or URL, can have an impact in both the online and offline marketing of your website. Long or difficult to spell domain names can make people ignore your web site and it has to be pretty good for them to stick with it. Short domain names register better with people's memory and are easy to remember.

Once you select a domain name, you must register it with a domain name registrar. Fees probably will include a one time set-up fee for all of the backend technical work that needs to be accomplished. Then pay your service provider a monthly, semi-annual or annual fee for Web site hosting services.

You can find online tools for your site with your domain registrar.

I strongly recommend purchasing a .com domain name as opposed to a .net, .info, .biz or anything else. If your chosen domain name is not available in a .com, keep looking until you find one that isn't taken. There is nothing wrong with the other extensions but when you have a .com extension, it sounds like you've been on the net a long time.

Then you might consider looking at the length of time your competitors have registered their domain names, if you want to stay ahead of your competition. If your domain name expires, there's a good chance that someone will register your domain name immediately after it expires. Renewal of domain names regularly is an assurance that you keep it for several years.

Never forget that your domain name is an extension of your business. It is part of your brand and an important part of your marketing strategy.

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