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Category: Articles » Internet & Online Businesses » Domain Names » Article » Article Code

10 Tips for Accurate Domain Registration

You should think about registering a domain name before you actually do it. Many people come up with a catchy name, or feel the need to lock in their name, and rush out to buy a domain name. But there are several things to consider in your domain name. After all, your domain name is an extension of your business and your image—don't you want to project the right one? These ten tips will help you to pick just the right domain name for you and/or your business. 1. The extension you select makes a statement to ... read more

Article Title:

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You should 
think about registering a domain name before you actually do it. Many people 
come up with a catchy name, or feel the need to lock in their name, and rush out 
to buy a domain name. But there are several things to consider in your domain 
name. After all, your domain name is an extension of your business and your 
image—don't you want to project the right one? 
 
These ten tips will help you to pick just the right domain name for you and/or 
your business. 
 
1. The extension you select makes a statement to user about where you are and 
who you are aiming to attract. For example, .co.uk tells people you are 
operating out of the United Kingdom, and .ca tells them you are operating out of 
Canada. If that is important to you, then register accordingly. If you would 
rather give them impression of being a global company, or based in the US, then 
pick a .com name. 
 
2. Use a reputable registration service. Unfortunately, some domain registration 
services are little more than a scam. They are only middlemen. You tell them the 
domain name you want, and they register it, for a fee higher than you would pay! 
In the worst case, they actually register the domain name using their 
information, so it becomes very difficult for you to do anything with your 
domain name. 
Do some background research into the company before you register a domain with 
them. 
 
3. Use keywords in your domain name. These will sometimes help search engines in 
ranking your website. For example, if you sell gourmet dog treats online and 
from your own store, but your business name is "Laura's Homemade Snacks," you 
might consider two domain names: one for your business name, and one for 
keywords. In this case you might select "gourmetdogtreats.com" as your domain 
name to represent to the search engines and searchers what you are about. 
 
4. Short names are easier to spell correctly. What's easier to remember and type 
in: gourmetdogtreats.com, or laurashomemadeandgourmetdogsnacks.com? 
 
5. Avoid trademarks from other companies. Companies have been known to sue 
website owners for copyright and trademark infringement, so be very careful if 
you try to play off an existing business. Make sure that you register a domain 
name in good faith, and think about the possibilities and connections that might 
exist between you and another business. 
 
6. Avoid hyphens. Sometimes you must use hyphens because the straightforward 
name is gone. In that case, a better idea is to come up with a completely 
different name. The problem with hyphens is that users may end up visiting the 
wrong site. If you try to register gourmetdogtreats.com but it is already taken, 
you might choose to register gourmet-dog-treats.com instead. But you run the 
risk of someone trying to find you typing in the first address. This means you 
lose business. Better to try and register a name like homemadedogtreats.com 
instead. 
 
7. Consider buying several different extensions so no one else can infringe on 
your success by registering a similar name. For example, if you register 
homemadedogtreats.com, you might also take .net and .org (with the same name), 
since these are the most popular extensions after .com. That way, no one can 
register homemadedogtreats.net and try to piggyback of your success. 
 
8. Look for companies that offer telephone support. If you have trouble with 
your domain name, you need to be able to contact the company and talk to 
someone. If there is no phone contact, that may be a sign that you are not 
dealing with a reputable company. 
 
9. Look for accreditations (i.e., ICANN). Reputable companies will seek out 
accreditations because they know it boosts their business image to be part of a 
group that enforces good business ethics and practices. Failure to have an 
accreditation does not necessarily mean the company is bad, but it could mean 
that. If the company you are looking at does not have an accreditation, make 
sure you check for other things like phone support, payment procedures, etc. 
 
10. After you find a company you like, do a search on Google for "domain 
registration." Does your company of choice appear in the first couple of pages 
of results, or just via Adwords? If the latter, they may not have been around 
for a long time and may not be reputable. A legitimate company with a solid 
track record will be ranked in Google's search engine, especially within the 
first couple of pages. Beware of registration companies that you can only find 
in Adwords. 
 
These ten tips will help you as you seek to register your domain name.

Author Bio:

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