by Ed Hodgson
So you have made the decision to buy yourself a little piece of online real estate. That is really what you are doing when it comes to buying and choosing a domain name for your website. What do you call it? What should you consider? Here are 3 essential tips to getting it right and making the most of your online business.
Decide what your site is promoting. You will most likely end up with more than one website. If you are doing business online you will want to promote both yourself and your business. This might be a review site or a sales page.
1. Choosing a domain name extension. The extension is what your domain name ends with. The most common of these is a .com but you will also have seen .net, .org, .info or .tv. These are just a few examples that are available. Note that a .com is usually the most expensive to purchase being around the $10 per year mark.
If you want your website to be seen and known on a global scale, I would recommend going for a .com extension. However, if your target audience is more local then you may want to consider using a country specific extension. In the United Kingdom, this would be a .co.uk.
2. Choosing a domain name for you. In business, online or offline, you want your customers to be able to relate to you and get to know you as someone they can trust. What better way than to have a website that tells your potential customers about you and what it is you do, before they decide to make a purchase or do business with you?
Assuming you want to be known globally, the perfect domain name for you would be www.YOURNAME.com. What if you have a popular name like John Smith? Chances are it has already been taken. If that is the case then add a hyphen between your first and last name and see if that is available.
If you are still struggling to get your own name as a domain, then try adding a middle initial. You could even put WHOIS before your name to create a little curiosity. Still no luck? Then try WELCOMETO at the start or ONLINE at the end. Use your imagination when choosing a domain name and you will soon get something that looks right.
3. Choosing a domain name for your business. What is your business about? If you have an established business that you are now taking online, then the obvious choice is to stick with the name of your business. Your customers and potential customers will already know your name.
If you are starting up fresh online though, when you are choosing a domain name, think about what someone would search for in a search engine to find you. A good example of this in the UK is the popular DIY store B&Q. The domain name is DIY.com because more people are likely to search for DIY than B&Q. What are you selling and what would a potential customer search for? If you are promoting a business opportunity, then try to include money or income related words.
Your domain name is your online shop front and could be the difference between someone choosing to visit your website or not. Spend some time thinking about this when choosing a domain name for you, your business and the extension that you use.
Learn how to start your own online business with your own perfect domain name at my website www.ExtraIncome2Freedom.com and collect 47 free marketing videos to get you started.
