Choosing a Website Name

A system of Internet addresses or URLs (Uniform Resource Locator) are used to identify each and every Website. This is also referred to as a Domain Name.

For example, http://www.usatoday.com is the World Wide Website (www) for the USAToday newspaper which is a commercial business (.com).

The http:// means that the address is a HyperText Transfer Protocol.

Popular Top Level Domains (TLD)

The right most part of a domain name is the Top Level Domain (TLD).  It can be a two letter abbreviation or be as long as .museum

As of third quarter 2007, there were 267 domain name suffixes (TLDs).  The number of domain name registrations worldwide reached 138 million midway through 2007.  This is a 31% increase from a year earlier.

The ".com" suffix continues to be the most popular and has about 55 million registrations.

Country-code domains such as ".de" for Germany, ".uk" for United Kingdom and  ".cn" for China are very popular.  There are more than 51 million country-code registrations.

Here's a short list of the most frequently registered TLDs and their common usage, although any TLD can be used for any purpose:

ICANN (Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers) is a technical coordination body whose primary objective is to ensure the stability of the Internet's system of assigned names and numbers.

See the ICANN official list of Top Level Domains (TLD) for the U.S. and the companies who are accredited by ICANN to act as registrars (sellers) of the TLDs. 

See the Norid list of Top Level Domain name registries from around the world

The Right Domain Name Can Bring You More Traffic

Ideally, with the right domain name, people will be able to type your URL directly into their browser's address bar (type-in traffic) instead of using search engines like Yahoo! or Google to navigate to your site.

For example, a Tool company called Mighty Tools Inc. would do well to get Mighty.com or Mightytools.com.

If your company has a unique name, it could possibly still be available on the Primary Market, where unregistered domain names cost less than $15. If you find it's available, then  register it immediately.

If the name you prefer is taken in the primary market, there are a few things you can try:

1. Consider a different extension such as .net, .biz, .info and .tv.
2. Create alternatives by adding a prefix or look for a synonym.  For example, Mighty Tools Co. might try Mymightytools.com.

Keep in mind that type-in traffic is generally low for any extensions besides .com. Also, you don't want your direct competition to have the .com extension when you have the .net extension.

Recommendations for A Good Domain Name:

• Keep it Short:
  The shorter, the better. If possible, keep your domain name less than 20 characters. A shorter name is easier for people to remember and it also reduces the likelihood that your visitor will mistype or misspell it.
• Make it Descriptive:  
  You want it to convey a clear message of what your site is all about  Don't just pick something out at random.  If you have a business, then pick a domain name that reflects your business. If you have a personal or family site, pick something that relates to you or your family.
  
  For example, if your sell Golf supplies, then you might choose a name that has the word "Golf supplies” in it like BestGolfSupplies.com.
  
  Or, you could refer to it in another way, like PuttsnPars.com. The former will help you with the search engines. The latter might be easier for visitors to remember.
• It should be Simple:
  Use The KISS method (Keep It Simple Stupid) when picking a name.
  You want it to be easy for people to spell. Don't use unusual or complex words. If you do, people will type in the common spelling of your domain and they will end up at somebody else's Website.  For example, CoolBlueWater.com is a better name than KoolBluWater.com.
• It should be easy to Remember:
  You might have a great Website, but if people can't remember your domain name, they will probably not be back and this will defeat your ability to build traffic.  It's a tough job to get good traffic on the web so don't make it hard for visitors who want to come back.
• Choose a Popular Extension:
  For a business, if you can, you'll want to use the .com extension.  This is the most popular one and it's what most people think of when they type in a domain name.   It’s true that the best names are already taken, but you can still find a good .com names if you look. 
  
  Try slight variations of the original name if what you wanted is already taken.  For example, add "my" or "the" or "a" to the name or reorder the sequence of the words.   Also, thousands of .com names expire every month so there is a steady stream of new domain names coming back into the market.

   

  Buying a Domain Name on the Secondary Market

  Each domain name must be unique, just as two people cannot have the same telephone number. Because of this uniqueness, some domain names become very valuable to some people and businesses and they are willing to spend a lot of money for the name.  This also creates trademark infringement problems . The domain name of Business.com was sold for $7,500,000.

  If there is a domain name that you would really like to have, but it is already in use, you can inquire directly with the owner about buying it and make him an offer. With Whois.net (www.whois.net), you can find the e-mail address of the person or company that owns a domain name.
  
  There is also a Secondary Market for finding names.  You can purchase a pre-owned domain name through a broker or discounter.  Here are a few:

  • GoDaddy.com  (www.godaddy.com)  They have a list of currently expiring names with the price.
  • Afternic (afternic.com)  They have a list of domain name auctions with minimum and asking price.
  • Register.com  (www.register.com)  Do a search to see if a name is already taken.

  As the primary market for domain names shrinks, the secondary market is growing. But the drawback is price, because buying a domain name that is already in use can cost anywhere from $100 to over $1 million, depending on the quality of the name.

  As you've probably guessed, some people purchase domain names purely on speculation, hoping that the name will be of great value to someone who will be willing to pay a big price for it.  Basically this is a risk investment.  Some people get lucky, like the person who sold Business.com.  Others hold onto their names and spend money advertising them until they expire, then they buy (invest in) some more.

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