The domain you use for a your web site can have a huge impact in the way that humans and search engine spiders perceive it.
If you already have an established business then your domain name in theory should be clear. However in practice that is not always the case as someone else might be already using the same name especially, when looking for a dot com name. However if your desired name is not available all is not lost. You have a few options to get around it
[themecolor]1) Register under a different extension. [/themecolor]
Now let’s say your business is located in Ireland and your product and services are for the Irish market you would actually be better off in getting a dot IE extension than a dot COM. Here’s the good news. Anyone can register a dot COM name but a dot IE extension has much stricter rules and would require you to use a registered business name. This would mean that your existing business name is highly unlikely to be taken, and if it is it will be wide open for dispute.
If your business reach is meant to be global, then dot COM is probably best and ideally you would actually buy both dot COM and dot IE . Then again dot COM or Nothing has been proved wrong by several successful websites. Video blogs have found great success with dot TV extensions take for example bodyrock.tv
[themecolor]2) Get creative. [/themecolor] For example let’s say Nike didn’t get around registering their brand (obviously an impossible scenario) and somebody else was already using that name. They could change their online presence to nikeonline, nikefitness, nikestore or nikesport etc.[themecolor]3) Buy it off, which I NEVER recommend. [/themecolor] Sometimes you will come across a domain that simply takes you to a generic page holder, what we refer to as parked domains. These are owned by irritating people and companies that should not be given access to a keyboard that simply buy every single name they can think of in the hopes of ripping off a poor sucker who is desperate to get a particular name. Now some of them can be worth a fortune and the name itself can generate massive traffic. But these are rare. Most of them are not worth the money you’re being scammed for. And yes, as important as a good domain is, it isn’t everything and it certainly isn’t a guarantee for online success.
.COM or Nothing
Many people believe that the .com domain is the only domain worth purchasing because that’s the one that most people assume when typing in domains. While it’s true that .com
Make it Memorable
The best domain names are those that people can remember, because if your visitors can remember it, they are more likely to come back. If you do not already have a company or other name selected for your site, then it is often a good idea to make your domain name the brand for the site. Tying your site name to the domain is just one way you can help your visitors remember how to find you again.
Tips for choosing the most memorable domain name.
keep it short and easy to spell.
make use of keywords or popular search terms whenever possible.
generic terms are like gold dust if you can get them.
the more unusual but familiar sounding a domain, the better.
add a twist, some domain names are remembered for being different to what you would expect to find there.
One of the major problems of trying to promote a specific domain name is that in general, people (or sometimes browsers) assume that they end in a .com. If your site uses a domain other than a .com, then you may want to make the domain your site identity, otherwise you could have your visitors remembering the domain name but not the extension and going to related site that isn’t your own!
Domain Branding
If you purchase your domain with the intention that it will become the brand that you promote, then it is worth taking into account the specifics of the domain. Keywords can play an important part in your brand, particularly if it is specific to your industry, as they will help to make your domain name memorable while improving your search engine rankings.
In the case of directories such as Yahoo and DMOZ sites are usually listed in alphabetical order, so anything starting with A, B or C has a much better chance of being higher on the list than those starting with X, Y or Z, and so is more likely to be noticed. Don’t however be tempted to use a domain that has been “padded out” to get a high position in an alphabetically sorted list; not only will it look tacky and amateurish, but most directories use human editors who would pick up this obvious trick and either correct it or ignore the site altogether.
Take me Seriously
If you own a business and you want to have an online presence then your choice for suitable domain names is usually limited to some variant of the company name. It is probably worth pointing out that some extensions have been devalued because of the way they have been used in the past; so extensions such as .vu, .to and .it could make your business site feel more like a personal homepage.
Another thing to avoid is the use of “cool” domains; using numbers or letters to replace words is only going to confuse anyone who wants to find your site by typing in your domain. If you really must register such a domain, then be sure to register the expanded form and point it to the same site so as to pick up any visitors that were unsure which to use.
Don’t Leave It too Late
Competition for domain names is higher than ever since the average price of a domain fell, and so there is a chance that your ideal domain name has been taken. The longer you wait before buying your domain name, the more difficult it will be to make the changes later on down the line.
Fortunately most paid web hosting companies will require you to either use a registered domain name with the account or to register one through them; which will help to minimize these sorts of problems in the future
