Domain Name and Web Hosting Services

Choosing an appropriate domain name can be quite important. Firstly, when it comes to domain names, you must try to stay away from the silly, stupid, ridiculous or clever people. Try to keep your domain name simple and make it something your customers can always remember if they lose the link to your business website.

Make sure you take note that though your domain name on Geocities or AOL might seem like the least expensive way to go, it might also get you dropped from certain search engines. Some search engines ignore domain addresses that might reside on these ‘free servers’ or on the ‘cheap’ servers.

Even if your site is recognized and well considered by search engines, a professional domain name that makes use of your primary company name or associated words is likely to get more attention and be considered as a stable business by your prospective customers.

Purchasing a domain name is not that expensive, with a cost of about $100 and there are several companies that can register the name for you, provided it is available and has not already been used by any other company.

Using one of your keywords in your domain name can increase your ranking on some search engines. For instance, solderingirons.com could be more effective as Electric-soldering-irons.com, if that domain name was available.

You might also want to decide to establish more than one domain name using keywords and then link your ‘doorway’ domain sites to your primary site. But you will however have to pay for each of the domain names and also the monthly hosting fees. It will all depend on the type and size of your business and your competition.

You must try to bear in mind that some search engines disregard ‘doorway’ sites. So put at least a page of content on the doorway site with some useful information and then try to link it to your primary site. But do not design it as an empty page. The other reason being, you can have one, three, five, or even more email addresses that might all contain your business name, and give your business a professional feel. When customers tend to get emails from they will feel as if they are dealing with a stable, clear and professional business operation.

There is clearly no need for customers to understand how you manage all your email boxes on your domain. They just need to feel that your business is dependable and very reputable.


James Reid is contributing editor at WebDesignArticles.net. This article may be reproduced provided that its complete content, links and author byline are kept intact and unchanged. No additional links permitted. Hyperlinks and/or URLs must remain both human clickable and search engine spiderable.

Choosing A Domain Name: What To Look Out For

You must always be very careful when you try to choose a domain name as this will becomes your definite gateway towards the internet. A good domain name might attract a lot of traffic whereas a domain name which is irrelevant can end up getting overlooked by your visitors and potential customers.

The most efficient domain names are those that are made up of three to six characters. These will be easier to remember, and easier to type. Long and complicated names will be in danger of getting spelt wrongly. In so doing, the customer, instead of reaching your site may end up on somebody else’s site.

Also, you should relate the domain name to your line of business. For example, if you are in the electrical goods business like bulbs or wires then the domain name should be constructed around the concept of wires or bulbs. There won’t be any point in naming your site with elements such as water or air for example. This will just mislead your visitors.

Of course, there is no problem in using your company’s name as the domain name as long as it is well known. This will make it easier for your customers to find your website. However if you are starting a new company, then you should try to choose a domain name that describes your company in the best possible way.

Try to avoid hyphens as they will be hard to remember. Also, bear in mind the idea that domain names without a hyphen will enjoy a higher resale value as compared to those that do have a hyphen.

Some people will use numbers in domain names. This can be a good idea if it can help in remembering your domain name more easily. Nevertheless, they shouldn’t be used phonetically. For example, actors4you.com can only lead people to confusion.

Of course, never try to register a domain name that infringes a trademark. This can lead to costly legal battles, which you may possibly lose.

Another fact that you should take into account is to register the domain name yourself. Don’t get your domain name registered via your web host, even if your web host offers this for free. Many times, the hosting company was found to have registered the domain in its own name.

This can cause you some problems later on, especially when you want to change your web host. Your host could then refuse to transfer your domain name, or may request a fee. At this point you will be able to report him to the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) but it will likely only lead to unnecessary tension and running around. So be careful in your initiative.


Nora Roberts is contributing editor at WebDesignArticles.net. This article may be reproduced provided that its complete content, links and author byline are kept intact and unchanged. No additional links permitted. Hyperlinks and/or URLs must remain both human clickable and search engine spiderable.