In this article we talk about 5 important things to consider when choosing and registering a domain name. Watch the short video below for some quicktips on things to consider in brainstorming, choosing, registering and promoting a domain name.
- Brainstorming The Domain Name
The first step in choosing a domain name is to draw up a shortlist of potential candidates. Now for the good news and the bad news.The bad news is that unfortunately many common names and phrases have been taken. Consequently if you are looking for a name that is short and memorable than you’re probably out of luck.
The good news is that there is a great tool that can help you brainstorm a domain name quickly called called psychicwhois.com .
Another great tool is called domainsbot.com.
- Should I Use The Search Term In The Name?
I would say yes to using your search term or desired keyword in your domain name.Based on personal experience in promoting websites I have noticed again and again that having your search term/keyword in your domain name will give you a slight boost in the competitive world of search engine optimization. Regardless it is worth seven dollars or so to have an additional name containing your search terms.
Recommendation: At least buy at least two domain names. One of these domain names should contain your desired search term. As a personal example, I have a website that I am currently promoting for the search term “managed forex”. The website (managedforex.org) as you would expect, ranks well for forex related terms whereas the parent company pinnacle resource management does not rank well for forex terms.
- Do The Dash Or Is It Cheesy?
Having dashed-domain-name has gotten a bad rap, some may call the dash domain names cheesy but the fact is that both people click on these domain names and search engines find them relevant also.If you do enough research and investigation you will see that people will have differing opinions on the subject.Some people are of the opinion that using dashes in a domain name looks unprofessional. Here are two reasons why I disagree. First, Google has made it clear that dashes are interpreted as spaces meaning better search ranking for your phrase and second, so many domain names are now unavailable that domain names with dashes maybe the only option available.
Again domain names with dashes can actually rank better than domain names without dashes. I have seen this especially in Yahoo. In conclusion — don’t worry about — go ahead and select names with or without dashes based on your personal preference.
- Protect Your Privacy
Normally when you register your domain name, your personal information is made public and this public information can be easily abused in the hands of spammers.Fortunately it is possible to protect your privacy and your identity. I am listing several reasons why you should consider keeping your public info private when registering your domain name.- Less Spam – You don’t want to be spammed via e-mail spam or via a mailing that will be sent to your house.
- Its No One’s Business – You may be writing about a sensitive subject in which you may prefer to stay anonymous.
- Keep your competition guessing – Did you know people can find all of your website just by searching on your name if you don’t leave this information private. Take a look at this website – domaintools.com
- Finding A Good Domain Name Registrar Is Hard To Do!
Having registered close to 100 domain names, I can tell you from personal experience that finding a good domain name registrar is hard to do. Unfortunately, most companies charge too much, constantly upsell you and then make it hard to leave.I am recommending 1and1 and dreamhost.com to buy your domain names.Dreamhost would be my ideal choice however they are slightly more expensive than 1and1.
1and1 offers domain names with free privacy service for approximately 7 dollars a year.
Look around and do your own due diligence but 1and1’s price cannot be beat.
Dreamhost Domain Name Screenshots
1and1 Domain Name Screenshot
The only downside to 1and1 is that they are not as easy to use as dreamhost. It is annoying that when you buy a domain name it is not immediately available for use. ( With 1and1 typically you register a domain name and then you come back 24 hours later and tell your name registrar where your website will be.) Other than that a clunky user interface its good and the price can’t be beat.
Dreamhost on the other hand is full-featured and very simple to use but more expensive at $10 a year.
Both of these companies do not try to spam you nor upsell you like so many others. For a comparison of domain name registrars. Please refer to my other article – A Comparion Of Domain Name Registars.Regardless of what registrar you choose, try to keep your domains names in the same place because it can get confusing if you have different accounts. In my personal cases, I have three companies saying that a domain name is held in their account, all trying to bill me and only I know where the actual name resides.
In summary, use psychicwhois.com to help you find a domain name, consider using a dashed name if the name you want isn’t available, protect your domain privacy and by all means choose a good domain registrar.
