Finding and registering a URL for your company or personal website is not rocket science. But, up until a few years ago, businesses having their own domain names were not that usual.
Locating the best and most effective URL is one of the most important decisions you will make when creating your personal or business website.
Luckily, you can now find domains which are available for businesses and individuals alike.
In order to create a domain, you must do an ownership search with a company and choose a name for your site.
A Clear Understanding of Domain Names and the Ownership Search
There are many options when doing a lookup and purchasing a domain name, but not all of the options are the most profitable for your site. Once the URL is chosen, registering the name is no problem.
How to Find Available Domain Names
HostNine provides valuable tips for selecting a domain name. The site only allows letters, hyphens and numbers in the domain names and they do not allow customers to use spaces.
It is best to refrain from using symbols and brackets. Symbols are difficult to remember and awkward to type. HostNine.com also recommends using a short domain name. Shorter names are easy to remember and they are easy to type on the keyboard.
However, the site does allow domain names up to sixty-three characters in length.
WWW Equals World Wide Web
Even though we type www before each domain name, the www is not actually part of the actual name and it is important to remember that when selecting a domain.
People have chosen names with www preceding their actual choice and they find that they have to enter the www twice when trying to access their domains.
Choosing and registering a domain name is a very important task. The name is a reflection of your services and it is often your first impression.
Even though it is a good idea to keep domain names short, it is also a good idea to make sure that it is easy to remember.
For example, it is better to choose a name like findname rather than fndnme because the former is simply easier to remember. A readable, meaningful name is more valuable than a very short name.
Capital Letters Don’t Count
Keep in mind that the domain name is not case sensitive so capital letters are null and void.
This can make using a company’s motto a little tricky. A name like JakesCarYard will look like jakescaryard when it is entered into the system.
People often make spelling mistakes, and this should be taken into consideration, too. Some web sites may use a name that is very similar to a popular site in order to attract traffic to their site. For example, joegardner.com can be misspelled as joegardenr.com.
Creating a domain name is very easy. You may want to check for availability. Visit the service provider’s home page and do an ownership search by typing the name you desire in the box.
You will be notified whether or not the domain name is available. If it is not available, you may conduct the search again. Some even make other suggestions if your first choice is taken. It’s that simple.
Have an Alternative Domain Name Ready
Even though you spent a good deal of time selecting just the right name, you’ll frequently find that someone else already has that domain. This can be very discouraging, especially if you put a lot of time and effort into the task.
Listing alternative options is good practice when registering domain names. Keeping your options open will help make the web design process much less taxing and you may find a suitable choice that reflects your new site perfectly.
Ready to Get a Domain Name & Hosting?
There are many fine places online to choose and host domain names and I won’t try to review them all here. Now you have enough info to make a good decision when choosing domain names. Now, go put up your new website and enjoy the benefits!
