Wednesday, January 24, 2007

- Choosing A Domain Registrar

by Dan Grossman

Since Network Solutions lost its monopoly over the domain name registration business, a multitude of competing registrars and thousands of resellers have popped up. Now a domain buyer may choose between these various sites at various rates for basically the same service.

So why does it matter where you buy your domain names?

No two registrars are the same. They vary in price, services offered, ease of use, management system, etc. This is why which registrar to go with is an important decision. If you register your new domain name at one, and find you have overpaid compared to other registrars or you're not happy with the service, you either have to let the domain drop when the registration expires or pay to register it again in order to transfer it to another registrar.

The following are the main factors to consider when choosing a registrar when buying a domain. Whether you are buying a new domain or thinking of transfering an existing domain to a different one, consider these before choosing:

1. PRICE

The price you pay for your standard .com, .net or .org domain can vary greatly between registrars. While there are "free" domain name services available, many of them either buy the domain themselves and only permit you "use" of the name, or force you to place large frames full of advertisements on your site in exchange for the domain name.

The cheapest you can expect to pay for a domain name would be between $12 and $15. At others you may expect to pay from $20 to $35 a year for the same domain.

Remember that price is not the only factor. When comparing prices, take into account the other services offered by the registrar, their customer support, testimonies, etc.


2. SERVICES

Does the registrar you are looking at offer more than just registration? Many will offer additional services with the registration of your domain which may make up for additional cost in price.

For example, Register.com offers site building tools, a domain redirection services and email services for free with the registration of a domain. If these services are useful to you, they may make up for the $35 registration fee.

If you don't need any services, then Register.com may not be the registrar of choice for you, as there are many other good registrars that charge much less than $35 for a single domain.

3. MANAGEMENT

Another important factor to consider when choosing a registrar is their method of domain management. In other words, once you have registered the domain, how do you manage the information associated with it? You may want to change contact information or nameservers in the future.

Most registrars offer a control panel type interface for managing your domains. This allows you to simply log in on the web and change the information you want changed.

Others, however, have much more complicated systems. Network Solutions was known for its inefficient and complicated system of making simple changes. If, for example, you switched to a new e-mail address, you might have had to fax in multiple forms of identification in order to change simple information related to your domain.

4. SUPPORT

When you need to know how to do something or you're having a problem with your domain, customer support is important. Smaller sites reselling domain registration may not be able to provide the same level of support one of the main registrars could. Check out the site's help section for its depth and check how easy it is to find an email address or form to fill out for help.

Consider these factors when choosing where to register your domain name to come up with the registrar offering the perfect combination of price, service, management and support for you.

- Before You Register a Domain Name for Your New Online Business

by Gerardas Norkus

Recently I made a mistake that may cost a great deal of traffic to my new web site.

Let me explain...

I studied so many books about Internet marketing over the last couple of years that I decided to start a new web site, and share my knowladge and experience with other fellow Internet marketers.

Since I read lots of information about search engine optimization (SEO), I intended to optimize all of my web pages for search engines from the beginning on, expecting Google to be my number one source of traffic in the near future.

I did an extensive keyword research using WordTraker, made a blueprint for my product and article pages, and the time has come to choose a great domain name for my new project.

I went to GoDaddy, the famous domain name registar, tried this and that, and finally came up with a beautiful domain name related to Internet marketing - netmarketingstrategies.com

You probably know that Internet marketing is a very competitive niche, so I was glad that this domain name was still available. I registered it immediately.

My site was up and running in 48 hours. Now I needed some fresh web content, and to get indexed by major search engines as soon as possible.

So, I spent a week or two writing search engine optimized content for my new online business.

I usually don't submit my new web sites to search engines for indexing. I prefer when my sites are found on other web sites and get spidered automatically.

One of the easiest ways to have a link to a web site from other sites is by writing and distributing high quality articles. So, I wrote an article about two-tier affiliate programs and submited it to major article directories.

Within a couple of days I searched for my article title in Google and noticed that it did great. Publishers liked my article and they were publishing it on their web sites and newsletters.

I expected my home page to get indexed very fast.

Time went.

Each week I searched Google to see if my site has already got indexed. It didn't.

I decided to see if my domain has been spidered by other major search engines. Yes, both Yahoo and MSN got it. So, what went wrong? Why Google won't index my home page?

Here's what I think went wrong: my further investigation showed that the domain name had already been used by another webmaster and had been expired half a year ago when I registered it. It seems that the previous domain name owner was using unfair search engine optimization strategies and his web site was banned by Google.

I sent a request to Google explaining the situation and asking to lift the ban from my web site. I am not sure if they will listen and help me.

I am ready to register a new domain name in a few weeks time if I still cannot get my site indexed by Google.

So, don't make the same mistake I did... If you intend to optimize your new web site in order to receive traffic from Google and other search engines, make sure to check out if a domain name you've selected for your online business is not banned by Google before registering it.

- 7 Strategies to Choosing an Effective Domain Name

by Donna Gunter

A friend of mine calls me the "Domain Queen", since at one time I owned around 50 domains. I've let many of them go (I own only 22 now) as my business has changed and developed, or I've just simply lost interest in the project. I'm often asked how I go about picking effective domain names, so as the "Domain Queen", I'll share my thought process with you.

1.What's the purpose of the domain name? Are you planning on using this name as the main website for your company, as a one page sales letter site, or squeeze page site? If the domain name will be your primary company website, try and find the closest version to your company name that you can. If you're just starting out, choose your business name and domain name with care. When I started my virtual assistant practice, I chose the name SOHO Business Solutions, as I thought everyone knew that SOHO stood for Small Office, Home Office. I think I've run into 2 people in my 7 years in business who knew what that acronym stood for. If I had it to do over again for this business, I would choose a business name and domain name with virtual assistant in the title, like InternetMarketingVirtualAssistant.com, a name I just recently purchased.

If the purpose of a domain is for a one-page sales letter site or a squeeze page, think ahead as to how you might promote this site. Because content is king in today's internet marketing world, there's little chance that either of these types of sites would be picked up by the search engines on key words. Therefore, your best promotion strategy is PPC, or "pay per click", where you're buying keywords for placement in search engines. If you're buying keywords from Google, for example, the paid listings appear at the top of a search in a blue box, or down the right-hand side of your screen. You want to be sure that the info displayed there is compelling enough to get someone to click and visit your site. So, for example, I've created a squeeze page, GetMoreClientsOnline.com, which has a compelling solution to a common problem that my clients have, as a side door gateway to my OnlineBizCoachingCompany.com coaching website.

2. Brainstorm a list of ideas of the problem you're trying to solve or the solution that you have. A domain name that clearly indicates what you do, or a problem that you solve, or a solution that you have to a problem will give a visitor a fairly clear picture of what s/he'll find on your website. What I typically do is go to my domain registrar, www.UltraNetDomains.com, and just start plugging in the names I'm brainstorming until I come up with 3 or 4 that are available. If the domain name that you type in isn't available, the service will come up with 10 or so alternates for you to consider. I found this alternate listing quite helpful recently in picking the name of an article directory site that I want to create.

3. For SEO (Search Engine Optimization) purposes, it helps to have your keywords in your domain name. Marla Regan, who's a professional organizer, has put two keywords in her domain name, OrganizedTime.com. Retirement Coach Lin Schreiber has her keyword niche in her domain, RevolutionizeRetirement.com. Consultant John Reddish has the desired outcome keywords in his domain, GetResults.com. I own a domain that I haven't yet developed for house sitters, BecomeAHouseSitter.com. Before buying your domain, make a list of keywords that someone might use to find you online. This list could include your industry, your target market or niche, a problem your target market has, or a solution that you can offer.

4. Shorter is better, if it's to be your primary domain. I haven't always followed my own rules here, as I tend to have business names that are quite lengthy. If the domain name is going to be your primary domain where your primary email address will be housed, you want your domain name to be as short, catchy, and memorable as possible. After a few times of spelling out your lengthy email address, you'll come to appreciate the beauty of a short domain name. Your domain name can contain up to 67 letters and numbers, although I would encourage you not to have one of this length, and can contain no special characters other than hyphens.

5. Purchase your your given name as a domain name. I typically tell my clients not to try and brand their given name as their business name, as that takes many years, much money, and lots of hard work to have the name recognition of Oprah, for example. However, it still pays to purchase your given name as a domain name, as well as any common misspellings of your name. Many people think my name is Donna Gunther, with an "h" in the last name, but I've been unable to register that common misspelling of my name, as a photographer in Venice, CA, has owned in since 2000. Once you've purchased your name as a domain, you can redirect it to your primary website. This means that when someone types in a domain, they land at the website to which you pointed that domain. So, currently DonnaGunter.com redirects to OnlineBizCoachingCompany.com because I don't want to use my name as a website, although that might change in the future.

6. Buy the .COM version of the name if it is available. When people hear a domain name, they "hear" .COM whether it's .NET or .BIZ or .ORG or whatever. So, it pays to find a domain name that you like that is part of the .COM family. If you just can't get the name you want, try a hyphenated version of the .COM name. For example, when I was seeking a domain name for my Self-Employment Coaching Gym, I really wanted SelfEmploymentSuccess.com, but it wasn't available. However, Self-Employment-Success.com was available, so I grabbed that. Many SEO specialists state that search engines like hyphenated names, and many online business owners use hyphenated keywords in their domain names to be more attractive to search engines. I don't have a clear answer as to the validity of this theory, so I just advocate going this route before having to resort to the .NET or .BIZ of the name you desire. Some domain name holders may be willing to sell you the domain name that you want. You can find out who owns a domain name by checking the WhoIs Registry at Internic, http://www.internic.net/whois.html. For info about country codes (two-letter) top-level domains (.UK or .CA, for example) visit http://www.uwhois.com/cgi/domains.cgi?User=NoAds

7. Consider owning other versions of your primary domain name. If you are registering the .COM version of a domain for your business, you may also want to secure variations of the name, alternate spellings, common misspellings, and the .NET and .ORG versions of your domain and repoint them to your main site to keep them out of the hands of your competitors. You can also go broke very quickly by purchasing all of these variations, so exercise some restraint in your purchases and don't go crazy with purchasing every single variation of your domain name. For my coaching company site, I own both the OnlineBizCoachingCompany.com and OnlineBusinessCoachingCompany.com and decided that was good enough.

Your domain name is the beginning of the establishment of your presence online, Take some time and put some thought into the process so that the domain name serves you well in the years to come, and is an effective tool for helping you get more clients online.

- 10 Sensible Steps to Take When Choosing Your Domain Name

by Emma Kalson

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.

- A Guide to Sell Your Domain Name Quickly

by By Ehsen Siraj

Everyday I read this question on different forums “how I sell my domain quickly?” To me earning huge income from domain and selling it quickly are two different things, and you have to select one. Many newbie register a domain in the hope that next day someone will purchase it in two million dollars, which is obviously nonsense. If you are not successful in domain business, forget everything you know about domain trading and start a fresh in a scientific way. Now I explain the whole thing step by step.

Domain Acquisition

Always try to backorder an expired domain instead of registering a new one. Expired domains are already listed on search engines and most have some traffic so you can sell them on high price. If you have registered a new domain the maximum sale price of this domain will be 60$.

Never ask too much for your domain

If you want to sell your domain on an auction never ask too much in the beginning. Your customer will feel very freaky when (s)he will see the price tag of 10000$ for a domain which has a no traffic. But there are some exceptions to this rule specially if your domain is already receiving 100,000 hits a month then ball is in your court you can demand anything for it. Domains with low or now traffic as I said shouldn’t ask too much in the beginning.

Sell domain and website together

In domain name industry supply is far much then demand. Selling website with domain add a good value to your domain. If someone want to start a forum first of all he will purchase domain ,hosting and setting up forum application. But if you are giving everything in a single price there is highly possibility of your domain sale.

Sell Domain as a package

Sometimes including different kinds of goodies with domain works really well. Few days before I sold a domain name flirtme.net. I included my reseller package with it which contain ebooks, scripts and software and sold whole stuff in 50$ within a week of domain registration.

Words are most important

If you are going to register a domain, make sure you have proper combination of words. For example, I registered a domain learnwinvista.com two days before everyone can easily remember it but if I use words such 456vis.com or vistre34.com I am sure it took me many months to sell this kind of domains. So domains which can be remembered easily has great chances of sell quickly

Payment Mechanism

You should ask to your client which payment he wants to use. Try to avoid Paypal because it is not universal. Many people loss sales because of Paypal. Storm pay and Ikobo are good alternatives. Another way is to use your own credit card processing facility such as worldpay. But the best solution is to use sedo.com. List your domain on sedo.com its totally free they will receive payment and transfer it to your bank account. But your minimum sale price should be 60$ mans you can’t sell your domain less than 60$. Besides selling domain with sedo will give your customer the piece of mind that there are no chances of fraud.

- Business Domain Names

by Steve Baba

Since every website needs a name, Dr. Steve Baba has written a free ebook that will help you obtain a brandable, memorable domain name at a reasonable cost, which will contribute to your brand equity and profits. The ebook, downloadable from Seemly.com, explains how to select and buy an elite domain name. You will be able to obtain a better name than your competitors have.

There are at least 10,000 words in a dictionary that would make great domain names plus at least 10,000 proper names and 10,000 great short coined-words. With a supply of 30,000 great names and millions of good names, obtaining a good name is easy.

There is no need to pay more than a few thousand dollars for a great one-word domain name, and many good domain names are available for free. This book provides you with the information needed to beat domain name speculators at their games.

Both naming methodology to identify great domain names and negotiating/purchasing methods to obtain great domain names at low prices are covered. After a couple of introductory sections, the book starts with domain naming goals or the criteria for choosing a great domain name: image, memorability, trademark-legal, and price. Then quality domain naming strategies are discussed. Inferior domain naming styles, which you want to avoid, are then discussed.

The second half of this book explains how to buy a great domain name. Auctions, expired domains, speculators, and other sources are discussed. Finally, many other topics are expanded on.

Steve Baba has a Ph.D. in Economics and ebusiness experience. The ebook on domain names is available at www.seemly.com, for free. No registration is required. The ebook is a PDF file of approximately 250K. The free ebook is advertising supported. The following paragraphs are book excerpts. Generic names, arbitrary dictionary words, coined or made-up words, modified generic names (generic plus) and unrelated two-word names are quality domain naming strategies. But, each quality strategy has strengths and weaknesses.

There is no such thing as a perfect name. Generic names are highly controversial and expensive. Examples of generic names are Hotels.com, Shoes.com and Furniture.com. The generic name strategy was always controversial and peaked during the dotcom bubble. The generic naming strategy is virtually never used offline, but a very few small stores do business under generic names such as the "Mattress Store" in Annapolis, Maryland. Offline, anyone can use the same generic name and open a store name "Mattress Store." Online, ownership of the domain name MattressStore.com can only prevent competitors from using the same exact domain name. Since, generic names cannot be trademarked, competitors can use Hotels.NET, Rooms.com, Hotelrooms.com, Motels.com, Hotel.com (singular), Inns.com Hotels.us, and so on. Often, there are a half dozen simple generic names for each industry not to mention generic names with a prefix (e, i) or suffix such as eHotels.com. Since competitors can use similar generic names, developing a distinct, memorable brand is difficult.

Memorability or the need to spend less on advertising is often an argument for high domain name prices - but this argument is only half true. At the same time, with only a few first-rate generic names in each industry, the generic domain names may be unavailable or overpriced, and are rarely bargain-priced. A generic name also hampers brand extension beyond the generic category - Hotels.com selling plane tickets? Another quality strategy is unrelated, arbitrary dictionary words. Examples of unrelated dictionary word names include Amazon.com Yahoo.com, Google.com, Target and Staples. Both the words yahoo and google are in the Oxford dictionary, but were rarely used prior to becoming famous brands.

Compared to generic names, it was not immediately obvious what business Amazon, Yahoo or Google was in. On the other hand, Yahoo can legally prevent competitors from using similar names such as FreeHoo via trademark laws. SearchEngine.com would be the generic name for Google. "Fast" and "All The Web" are used as trademarks by another search engine. But "fast" and "all the web" are not unrelated or arbitrary. Other search engines can also claim to be fast, speedy, quick, the entire web, or something similar. The key to having the most trademark protection is to choose an unrelated, arbitrary word. Descriptive words, such as fast, are unlikely to earn much trademark protection. Instead of fast, it may be possible to use a suggestive name such as jet, rocket, or race. With 10,000 good, short, easy-to-spell dictionary words, it is always possible to find one for a few thousand dollars. Shorter four or five character dictionary words are more expensive.

Three character dictionary words are extremely expensive. Coined or fanciful words are words such as Exxon or Kodak that had no prior use. In theory, coined words are the best from a trademark-legal point of view, since no one has used the word before. Ideally, a coined word is totally new and unrelated to any other word. But, memorability requires a short name, which has led to a number of similar coined names such as Duron, Enron, and Micron, which diminishes the legal advantage, since confusion is possible. LexIs sued LexUs. While the legal protection is not perfect, the legal protection is considered the strongest of any category. But from a marketing point of view since no one has used the word, coined words may be as difficult to remember as nonsense syllables. With a supply of thousands if not tens of thousands of short, coined words, it is always possible to find one for a few thousand dollars or less - often free.

Because of the lack of trademark protection for generic names, the lack of distinctiveness, and the cost of many generic domain names, many businesses have used a "generic plus" or "modified generic" naming strategy. A prefix, suffix or second word can be added to the generic name. Examples of this are Carmax, CarMart, eCars, CarDepot, CarOne and CarLand. This works if the generic word, such as car, is short. Longer generic names, such as CarpetCleaningMax.com, can be too long. But many of the longer generic words have common abbreviations. For example, computer is often abbreviated "comp" as in CompUSA. Software is often shortened to "soft" or "ware" in names. Tech is a common abbreviation for technology, overused in names.

These names range from virtually generic, eCars.cars, to nearly coined, QuanCars.com, with descriptive, suggestive and arbitrary second-words in-between. Since the generic word lacks any trademark protection, the trademark strength depends on the trademark strength of the "plus" part of the name. The generic plus strategy is often an attempt to have the benefits from both a generic and a distinctive name, but may have the problems of both if one is not careful. At worst, it could infringe on someone's trademark based on the second word such as CarsRus or CarBay. The generic part of the word is usually trademark safe. Another strategy is to use two unrelated words in a name. Examples of two unrelated words are RedEnvelope.com and BlueTooth.com.

The two unrelated words strategy differs from the generic-plus strategy in that neither word is related to the generic product. Technically red is related to envelope by being an adjective, but neither word is closely related to the product or service being sold. The main advantage to this method, two unrelated words, is that it's cheap and often free. With 30,000 single words, there are 900 million combinations of two single words (30,000 x 30,000). The main disadvantage is that two unrelated words are twice as difficult to remember as one. Two words that are commonly related to each other such as "happy birthday" or "hot wire" are easier to remember, but rare and may be as expensive as single words. From a trademark viewpoint, it could be twice as risky.

- Business Domain Name

by Justin Koh

Business Domain Name - Biggest Benefit Of Using A Long Web Domain Name As A Marketing Strategy

In the world of 21st century, it is no longer surprising to find that most business had already establishes a web presence to support their brick-and-mortar businesses. There are many advantages of establishing a web presence on the Internet such as selling globally to prospective customers and disseminating information to the public.

Most business owner would have already understood the importance of a web presence to their business. What most of them had failed to understand is that the domain name in their website can contribute significantly to their online marketing strategy.

First, we look at a few rules of a good domain name. Most would agree that a good domain name should:

1) be able to describe your business when people first look it.
2) include hyphen in between the words to make it easier to read.
3) have an appropriate .com, .net, .biz, .info, .org to reflect the nature of the business.

What I differ in opinion is that a long domain name "mysuperduperbrandflyingsite.com" can be as effective as a short domain name "superduper.com" depending on the context where the domain name is used. Many people would definitely disagree with me on this point as they believe that a short domain name is easier to remember. However, a long domain name can be just as effective depending on the context where it is use.

Having a catchy long domain name such as http://www.dont-miss-a-thing.com/ or http://www.once-in-a-lifetime.com/ would definitely helps to draw attention to your business promotion rather than promoting your website name http://www.yourcompanyname.com/ which is mundane.

When people reach http://www.dont-miss-a-thing.com/ or http://www.once-in-a-lifetime.com,/ you can communicate a short sales message before driving them to the appropriate web page.

Thus, depending on the context where the domain name is used, a domain name can actually help to make or break your overall marketing performance.

- A Very Simple 3 Step Process To Find That Perfect Domain Name Using Some Free Online Tools

by Mike Makler

So you finally decided you want your very own home on the World Wide Web. Many people use free services like Geocities or AngelFire for their first home on the Internet. Others jump in and get their very own domain and then set up a hosting account.

Here is a very simple 3 step process to find that perfect domain name using some free online tools

Step 1 Decide on a Theme.

It is very important that you decide on a Theme for your web page. Once you decide on a theme you should pick a Name that works well with your Theme. If your theme is about Pets you wouldn't want your Domain Name to be All-About-Plants. For this example we will choose Debt Reduction and Bill consolidation as our theme

Step 2 Find a Domain Name

Most Internet Guru's recommend that you get a '.com' for your Domain. It is also best to choose a Domain with Keywords that are Popular for your Theme. Again if your domain is about Pets you probably wouldn't want plants as part of your Domain Name unless you are Selling a Vegetarian Pet Cook Book.

If You already have a Domain name in Mind then you can skip to step 3 to see if your Domain is available. If Not keep reading step 2 for helpful hints on finding that Perfect domain Name

If you do not have a Domain Name yet and if you are at a Loss at what name to use don't despair their are a few free online tools you can use. If your web site theme is Debt Reduction and Bill consolidation then you would probably want a Domain Name with one or more of those words in it. If you need help finding Keywords to include in your Domain Name here is a free Keyword Suggestion Tool you can use http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/

Now that you have some Keywords Picked out you can use either of these free Online Tools to help you find that perfect Domain Name

http://www.nameboy.com/

http://www.domaininformer.com/tools/

Some suggestions for our Debt Reduction theme is

DebtDispatch.com

Debt-be-Gone.com

Debt-No-More.com

DebtNoMore.com

Step 3 Register Your Domain

Before you can Register your Domain name you need to make sure it is still available. You can go to the following Whois Server to see if your domain is taken: http://www.internic.net/whois.html You would simply type in one of the names from step 2 like DebtDispatch.com and see if it's available.

Once you have found that Perfect Domain Name and verified it is indeed available Internic has a List of approved Internet Registrars Here:http://www.internic.net/regist.html

You will notice that the List of Registrars is Long and confusing, A very Popular one is Goddaddy.com Their Pricing is very reasonable and they have a great reputation. Nameboy and Domaininformer from step 2 will also register your Domains.

Host Your Domain

Now All that is left is to host your Domain. There are hundreds of Web Hosts available some good and some not so good. It is really hard to know which ones to use. Findmyhosting.com has a Web Hosting rating service where users rate Web Hosts. They also Tell you the Up time History of your Web Hosts. Pick your Host Carefully. You may want to ask some of your friends and Associates which Hosts They use.

Now anytime you want a New Home on the Web Just follow this simple 3 Step System.

- A Look at the Top 5 Cheapest Domain Name Registrars

by Stu Pearson

There are a number of domain name registrars out there online. For something as simple and yet necessary as domain name registration, price is the main factor. So where can you find the best deal to get your domain name registered? Here are the top 5 cheapest domain name registrars.

There are a number of domain name registrars out there that can get you your name for under $4.00. What separates one from another is the support and extras you get with your price. With that in mind, the first of the top 5 cheapest domain name registrars out there is active-domain.com. For the $3.95 you pay for one year of domain registration, this company also offers you a number of features. In addition to any suffix you need, you get a web-based services account to keep track of your domains, free email forwarding, catch-all email accounts, free sub-domains, parking page, and many other features that make this a definite top five cheap domain name registration company.

A second member of the top 5 cheapest domain name registrars is domainsarefree.com. Despite the name, you will have to pay for your domain name registration, but at $3.99 per year, it is still a good price that comes in under $4.00. Additionally, they offer you a number of other features with your registration at no extra charge. Email forwarding, anti-spam, domain administration, and even some great web hosting deals are available. They also offer you most any domain suffix you could want and are qualified to receive.

Another of the top 5 cheapest domain name registrars you may want to consider is cheap-domainnames.com. Their strength lies in the rates they give for bulk domain registration. You can receive a discount of more than 10% if you register a large number of domains at the same time. Additionally, if you use their other services, they will offer you domain registration for as little as $2.00. In some cases, you can actually get free registration from them. The key is to explore all of the deals available through the company and find the one that matches your company best. In fact, under the right circumstances, this may actually be the cheapest of the top 5 cheapest domain name registrars.

Though their initial cost may be a bit more, fxdomains.com has a place in the top 5 cheapest domain name registrars for a simple reason: you get so much with your registration. Not only to you get the domain name you want for less than $8.00, but also you get a number of free extras that can really make the price a great value. With registration you will get a quick blog, website holder page, email, starter web page, forwarding, total control of DNS, a for sale page if you want it, and a number of other features that make this company worth a look for domain registration.

Finally, Yahoo definitely deserves a spot in the top 5 cheapest domain name registrars. Still coming in at under $10.00, the company offers a number of extras in addition to very good support. Their size and capital make them a solid choice when it comes to service. In addition to your domain, Yahoo will get you a starter web page, 24 hour customer services, complete domain control, and email forwarding in addition to a number of other standard features and available upgrades.

- 8 Tips for Choosing a Domain Name

by David Cooper

If you're just starting out on the Internet choosing a domain name is one of the first major decisions you will have to make. I won't say that choosing a name for your site will determine the overall success or failure of your online business. It will, however, affect almost every aspect of your business. Finding a good domain name requires extensive planning.

I would like to offer some tips for successfully choosing a domain name:

1) Use the .COM extension. This is still the number one choice for the majority of online businesses. While, .NET, .ORG,.INFO,.BIZ, and .US are viable alternatives they are not as widely recognized as .COM. The .COM extension will immediately give you and your business more credibility. Also, because we are creatures of habit many people automatically include .COM when typing in almost any web address, so why not capitalize on human nature?

2) Keep it Short. Whenever possible your domain name should not be longer than 13-15 characters, numbers, or hyphens. It is much more difficult for the average person to remember longer variations of a web address.

3) Make it Sticky. You want your domain name to be easy to remember. Make it stick out in people's minds. Be creative. Be Unique.

4) Minimize Confusion. You should never lose a prospective customer because they misspelled your domain name, or they used the wrong extension. If you can afford it, register other variations of your domain name and have them redirect to your main site.

5) Include Keywords in Your Domain Name. Try to include at least 1 and if possible 2 keywords in your domain name. Many of the experts believe this can help with the way some of the search engines index and rank your site.

6) Be Descriptive. Your domain name should have something to do with your business. Make it descriptive of your site, your product offerings, or your service.

7) Search for Deleted Domain Names: Domain names that were once registered but have expired turn up every day. With some research you might be able to find one of these names that would be a good fit for your business. You can search for deleted domains at http://www.deleteddomains.com/

8) Check for Trademarks. You should do this before registering your domain name. Search as many existing trademarks as possible and look for possible conflicts. Obviously you want to choose a name that is unlikely to cause you any legal problems. Trademark research can be done at the following sites:

U.S Patent and Trademark Office - http://www.uspto.gov/

Thomas Register - http://www.thomasregister.com/

The Trademark Association - http://www.inta.org/

Nameprotect - http://www.nameprotect.com/

If you need help with researching your domain names try the following websites:

1) Nameboy - http://www.nameboy.com/

2) GoDaddy - http://www.godaddy.com/

Both Nameboy and GoDaddy are well-known registrars and will allow you to search for and register domain names.

You can register a domain name today for less than it costs for a nice lunch. There is really no reason not to put forth the effort and money to register a domain name that you can begin building your online presence with.

Your domain name is your first chance to build credibility with your visitors. Keep in mind that you never get a second chance to make a great first impression.

Remember, choosing your domain name is one of the most important first steps you will take in building your online presence. Make it a step forward. Happy Hunting!

- 5 Ways To Think Up A Great Domain Name That's Still Available

by Marcia Yudkin

I'd be a zillionaire if I earned a dollar each time someone complains that all the great domain names are already taken. It's just not true, however. Even in a highly competitive industry, you can think up original, appealing domain names for businesses by using naming tactics that few people use, such as these:

1. Focus on results. What is the outcome or end result that people want to have from buying a certain product or service? How do they feel when they have finished the transaction? My own company name, Named At Last, falls into this category.

2. Look for puns. Make a list of relevant keywords, say each out loud and play around with the sounds. Puns are much less likely than other kinds of names to have been registered because their component parts are not actual words. For instance, the name Sitesfaction, for a web design company, was a finalist in our first naming contest - and an available domain at that time despite tens of thousands of web design firms in the English-speaking world.

3. Think slang. Let your imagination and memory fly around for pleasing-to-the-ear expressions. As of today, the domain BoyOhBoyToys.com for an online toy store is unregistered, as is a domain for its sister store AttaGirlToys.com.

4. Go symbolic. Suppose you're an expert on the horror genre and want to start a paid online community for horror fans. Horrorific.com, horrorgate.com and Horrornet.com are all taken, but as of today, the less obvious and more vivid FrightOwl.com is not.

5. Vary real words. "Google's name is a play on the word googol, which refers to the number 1 followed by one hundred zeroes," says the Press Center of the world's most successful search engine. "The word was coined by the nine-year-old nephew of mathematician Edward Kasner," it continues - providing another hint for creative naming: consult a kid.

Happy Naming!

- 5 Tips For the Perfect Domain Name

By Niall Roche


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 which is the actual address of the website online. A typical IP address looks like this: 159.134.27.64. Remembering a string of numbers like that is difficult so a domain name translates all those numbers into something like www.amazon.com. This is far easier to remember.

#1 Dot what?

Each domain has what's called an extension. The most well known of these extensions is .com. This, however, is not the only type of domain extension available. There is also:

.net
If you can't find your preferred .com domain name you could always choose the same domain with a .net extension. It might not have the same ring as a .com but is still as just useful as a .com.

.org
These domain extensions were orginally designed for educational and more formal websites. Anybody can register a .org however so you have more options for domain selection.

.info
A more recent introduction to the domain name game are .info domains. Many of the valuable .info domains were bought up overnight but there's still a huge range of good .info domains available. With a little creativity you could really make a .info work for you e.g. www.moviereview.info.

Bear in mind that most web surfers tend to remember .com more easily than anything else.

#2 Branding vs Business Name

There is an age old debate on the whether or not you should establish a brand name online or use a domain that more actually reflects your real business. Let's look at Amazon as an example. Amazon sells books online. Most people setting up a business would have chosen say www.booksonline.com instead of www.amazon.com. Amazon has since established itself as a brand name of global recognition - proving the value of building a brand name.

You'll need to choose between the two. Brand name or your own business name. Consider how your domain sounds, how it might look on a business card and how well it relates to your business.

There's no one right answer to this question. You need to choose what makes most sense for you, your website and your business in general.

#3 Hyphenated or not

This is another area of debate. Should your domain be one single word or should the words be separated by hyphens? There are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches. Single word domain names can be easier to explain, use on header paper and lend themselves to brand names very well.

Single word domains are in very, very short supply.

Hyphenated domains names can be slighltly more difficult to explain, may not look as well on headed paper and possibly harder to establish as a brand name. There's no shortage of multiple word domains.

The single biggest advantage a hyphenated domain has is that search engines can "read" the domain more easily. For example in a domain like www.foreignholidaysonline.com the search engine can only read the first word "foreign" and that's it. It can't tell anything else about the website domain name.

If you hyphenated that to www.foreign-holidays-online.com the search engine can read "foreign", "holidays" and "online" as separate words and therefore knows that this website is about foreign holidays.

A well chosen hyphenated domain name can be just as effective as a single word domain name.

#4 Your Domain Registrar

These are the people you pay to register the domain for you. There are dozens if not hundreds of these companies out there so which one do you choose? This takes some research but things worth checking are:

Do you retain sole ownership of the domain or do the registrar keep some level of control over it?

Search Google for any horror stories relating to the registrar

Does the registrar allow you to transfer the domain to another registrar?

Is there an online control panel for domain administration?

How easy is it to change the domain Name Servers?

Shop around for domain registrars. What you really want to find is a previously satisfied customer to ask questions before you buy.

#5 Cheap Domain Names

You can save a lot of money on the domain names you purchase. A typical .com domain costs about $15 to register from most registrars. However you can get the same domain for as little as $7.95 from other, very reliable, companies.

Oddly enough some of the cheaper domain registrars are more reliable, have fewer horror stories and offer equally good customer service as their more expensive competitors.

Are there any disadvantages in using a discount domain registrar? Will it affect your website in any way? The answer to both is a definite No.

- Domain Name Registration Basics

by Joe Duchesne

Domain Name Registration Basics

The domain name registration process can be confusing to first time buyers. There are a number of terms to worry about. Hopefully, with the information below, you'll be able to successfully register domain names while avoiding the pain that can sometimes come from the domain registration process.

What the heck is a nameserver anyway? Nameservers refer to a service that runs on servers belonging to a web hosting company that hosts the account that the domain name will point to. Every domain name on the internet must point to an IP address but each IP address can have multiple domain names on it thanks to shared hosting. Entering the nameservers of the hosting company you have for the domain name you are registering lets the big DNS nameservers on the internet know where to find the hosting account for the domain name in question. Without this service, it would be impossible for any computer to find any web page. This is all usually done very quickly – in a fraction of a second.

Whois information is another thing to get knowledgeable about. Whois refers to the owner of the domain name. This information is provided by you when you register a domain name. This information in turn is offered to anyone who cares to search for it. For this reason, it is important to consider privacy issues when entering your information for a domain name. It is not advisable to falsify domain name information. At the same time, you may use the most generic information you can when entering your domain. If you have a work address and home address, use the work address. If you have a post office box number and a street address, include the post office box number only.

How many years should you consider registering your domain name? I would argue that it depends what you are going to use the domain for. If it is your business name and you intend to be in business for at least the next five years, I would register it for five years. That way, you don't have to worry about it for a long time. In fact, you can register domain names for up to ten years. If you register your domain for that long, you won't have to worry about it for a decade. Maintenance and stress free.

Make sure you lock your domain. After you've registered your domain name, log into the control panel for your domain name and confirm that it is locked. What does locking do for you? It prevents anyone from transferring your domain name to another registrar without your authorization. Most registrars require you to approve the transfer by clicking on a link but some registrars may simply allow the transfer if you don't expressly forbid it. Miss an email and you could lose your domain name. Don't take a chance. Lock your domain name right away.