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Featured Domain Names Articles

Domain Name Speculators: Only 2 Things You Need To Know
There are only 2 things you need to know to succeed in buying & selling domain names and making money from EACH and EVERY name. 1. Find good domain names. 2. Market them. Does that sound too easy? Well, let me make it even simpler... The only ...

Tips and Tricks To Getting Top Money for your Domain Names
Would you like to be that lucky person who sells their domain for thousands or even a million dollars? It IS possible to find quality domains and resell them for huge amounts of money. The time is ripe for acquiring top domains and selling them. Now that ...

Tips For the Perfect Domain Name
What is a domain name? A domain name is the location of your website on the Internet. Your domain name will be what you become known by online so it's important to get it right. Each website on the Internet is labeled with something called an IP address ...




10 Sensible Steps to Take When Choosing Your Domain Name
 
With such a huge growth in the number of websites and the resulting difficulty in finding an available domain name, it is tempting to grab the first one that sounds like it might do the trick. However, a small amount of homework will pay big dividends – follow the ten steps below to obtain the optimal domain:

1. AVAILABILITY
If it's not available you can't have it – simple!

2. COPYRIGHT
Ensure that you do not breach copyright or infringe trademarks with your choice of domain.

3. EXTENSIONS
It's widely acknowledged that the best TLD (top level domain) is .com. However, in the UK, web users are more than used to .co.uk so this is equally acceptable for UK websites. If .com isn't available and you use .net instead (for example), check that .com isn't either a competitor or that the .com site content is acceptable! Always try to get the .com, your country TLD or .net in that order. Web users are still not used to .biz or .info.

4. BE GREEDY!
If more than one TLD variant is available, buy as many as you can afford and set them all to point to your website. This is a form of brand protection and prevents unscrupulous competitors trying to cash in on your hard-earned web traffic.

5. BE MEMORABLE
Make sure that potential web users will remember your domain name and that they can spell it properly.

6. BE PRONOUNCABLE
Try telling people your web address over the phone – can they understand what you tell them? Or do they give up and try someone else's website.

7. BE DESCRIPTIVE
If you are a new business, very few people will remember or search for your domain name if it is your company name. Try choosing a domain name that is descriptive of your products instead e.g. cheap<>.com. Try testing it with a hyphen as well as using just one word.

8. OFFLINE MARKETING
Use your domain name in your offline marketing literature and ensure that it is as visible as possible. However, if your domain name consists of more than one word, that isn't hyphenated, try using capital letters e.g. which is easier to read – littlefishwebdesign.com or LittleFishWebDesign.com? Domain names are not case sensitive so your clients will find your site whichever version they use.

9. BUY YOUR DOMAIN FOR LONGER
Search engines are now looking at less obvious information such as how long you have bought your domain name for. Domain names owned for less than two years are though to be penalised, so buy your domain for as long as possible.

10. OWN YOUR DOMAIN NAME
If you use a web designer or third party for your domain names, ensure they are registered in your name and that you have a signed agreement with the company that they will release all the details (including password) to you, quibble free, if you choose to move to another design or hosting company.


About the Author
Emma Kalson is the owner of www.littlefishwebdesign.com and has been designing websites for about 10 years. She doesn't believe in unnecessary bells and whistles on websites and wants to help remove some of the myths surrounding website design and search engine activity.


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Domain Names News


Negotiating the Domain Name Thicket
E-Commerce Times - Jan 7, 2009
By Jim Offner An Internet domain name can make or break a business, so choosing wisely is critical. Even pricey names may offer value that far exceeds a ...
Geek Trivia: Master of your (top-level) domain TechRepublic
all 3 news articles

Ping Golf Loses Ping.me Domain Name Arbitration
Domain Name Wire, TX - 59 minutes ago
Pingify didn’t profit from this, and most registrars place similar parking pages on customers’ domain names. The panel didn’t seem to care that this was a ...

New York Observer

Condé Nast to Cityfile: Please Return Our Editors' Domain Names
New York Observer, NY - 27 minutes ago
by Irina Aleksander on January 8, 2009 Since its inception, the gossip Web site Cityfile has been buying the domain names of powerful New Yorkers, ...

Gambling911.com

Appeals court set to rule on Kentucky effort to seize domain names
Computerworld, MA - Jan 6, 2009
The appeals court is deliberating whether to uphold a lower court's approval of a state plan to seize Internet domain names belonging to 141 online gambling ...
Kentucky Online Gambling Domain Name Ruling Will Be Unenforceable Casino Gambling Web
2008 Year in Review: Kentucky Internet Gaming Squabble PocketFives.com
Kentucky Gambling Row Rages On Online Casino Reports
all 9 news articles

INTERNET LAW - Domain Name Disputes Involving Automobile Manufacturers
IBLS INTERNET LAW (subscription), CA - Jan 7, 2009
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Arbitration Panels frequently find likelihood of confusion where domain names incorporate automobile ...