Marketing Your Website - Domain Names 101

Any new website venture online will include a domain name. Sometimes the domain is purchased from a domain broker - someone who specializes in reselling them. The majority of the time, however, it will be registered through a domain registrar. No matter how it is purchased, in all cases, the domain name (or names) for a website should be carefully considered. The basis of the marketing for the website will be the domain name chosen.

Having been an appraiser for a few years now, I can tell you that the choice of names for your site is critical to marketing. When I appraise a domain for value (in both dollars and marketability), I use basic criteria for my judgment of the domain. The most important of those criteria is length and readability. If the domain is too long or too hard to read (for a human), its value is very low. If it cannot be spoken and typed correctly (most of the time), it's also of low value. A well-thought-out domain name is the first step in a successful marketing campaign.

When choosing and registering a domain name for a new website, there are three basic steps to follow to ensure a marketable name for your site. Follow them every time and you'll have successful domains every time.

Step 1: The Name

Choosing a name may be as easy as "your business name dot com" or it may be more difficult (especially if you have a common name for your business). In all cases, your business' name should be your number one pick for your domain name. If your business name is difficult to spell easily, try to register misspellings of it as well.

For instance, my business name is "Aaronz WebWorkz," so I obviously own "AaronzWebWorkz.com." Since this is regularly misspelled by potential clients, I also have "AaronsWebWorks.com" registered so that all email and web requests go to the original AaronzWebWorkz.com site. In addition to this, I purchased "dotcom-it.com" as an alternate domain and use that when giving out the URL on the phone or in situations where I can't hand someone a business card with my URL printed on it.

If your business name, as an example, is "Widgets, Inc.," however, you'll have a hard time getting the domain name "widgets.com" or "widgetsinc.com" and will have to find alternatives. I have a simple process I use and recommend when this is the case. Even if your product or product type isn't in your business' name, it's a good idea to purchase domains with that product in the name to use for marketing purposes.

First, make a list of words or short phrases that have something to do with your business. Six to ten of these is good to start off. Once you have the list, remove all of the ones that have more than twenty characters in them (this keeps them short). Then create new additions to your list by replacing empty spaces with "-" and "_" characters. Finally, compress the spaced words into one word (e.g. "widgets galore" becomes "widgetsgalore") to ad to the list.

Now that you have this list, prioritize it by numbering the entries from 1 to 10 (or so). Now see if these domains are available (step 2).

Step 2 - Domain Availability

This step is easy and will take just a few minutes to do. Take your list from Step 1 and begin with #1 on that list. Go to any domain registrar (see list below) and enter the domains in the order they are numbered on your list. Usually, you can just enter the domain without a suffix (.com, .net, etc.) and find out if any of the variations are available. Most registrars will also produce a list of alternatives you may want to consider as well.

As you proceed through the list, check off any domains that ".com" is available for. Don't worry about most alternatives since, for business, dot com is where it's at. Cross out any names on your list that aren't available. Once you're finished, you should have a short list of available, good domains for your business.

How To Protect Our Web Domain

Nowadays, fighting over a domain name is a common thing. Of course we do not read about it in the papers anymore, maybe only if it belongs to a known celebrity, but this does not mean it does not happened everyday.And still, there are ways you can protect your domain.

Firstly you have to make sure your whois info is as detailed and accurate as possible. If someone will ever want your domain, this is the main thing he can count on. This is a great way to verify if your domain still has your contact data, and did not get modified in the meantime.

Secondly, when you buy a domain write down on a piece of paper your business plan and the business area it targets and stick it to the act that proves the domain is yours, the go to a public service to legalize the papers.Then, you will have to try and register the domain under your trademark in the country you live in. This is especially good is your domain gets stolen by someone because this way you have legal rights over that name and you can get it back. When you start you business with that domain, make it public as much as possible with the TM sign next to it. Place it over the web, on banners and business cards, commercials and so on.

In case you get various demands and offers from firm or persons to buy your domain, it is better not to give them an answer before consulting an attorney. If you answer them, then they can make use of your info when trying to steal your domain. If you are interested to sell and you get a good offer, prior to giving out technical information like passwords, check out the buyer's background and credibility.

If you happen to receive a complaint from the court responsible for domain names, make sure you respond promptly or you have all chances in the world to loose your domain without the possibility of getting it back. You might want to hire an attorney if your domain is big and you really need it for the well being of your business. Also, do not put malicious links on your website or links to adult sites. In case of a trial, the person that wants your domain name will use them as a weapon to try and destroy your credibility.