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Domain Name Selection Tips

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It’s possible that you can strike it rich in the Internet with just a domain name alone. Some people called, domainer, are making serious money with domain names: creating them, holding on to them like prime real estate, or trading them for top dollars to interested parties.

Consider the following domains and their corresponding price tags:

  • Sex.com. This is perhaps the most controversial domain name ever. It made it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the most expensive domain name when it sold for 13M USD in 2007.
  • Insurance.com. Not as sexy as the first, but it sold for 16M USD in 2010. The domain is currently in the good hands of Quin Street.

There are a lot of other examples, but as you can see, a good domain name is already a valuable asset by itself. In fact, it is the single most important resource for your presence in the Internet. Whether it’s for a business website or for your personal use, when crafting your domain name, make it worth your while.
Listed below are some tips to consider.

Tip 1: Domain Name Extension Tips

Domain Name SelectionFirst, get the .com. Make it a priority to get the .com extension first before you get the other extensions. If you are saving a little bit, you can stick with just the .com.

Optionally, buy other extensions also especially .net, .org and other domain extensions which your competitor might try to get and use against you.

Tip 2: On Strings and Characters

Stick with Alphabetic characters. Though it is now possible to use other strange characters from the UNICODE system, you are better off just using the letters of the English alphabet.

Avoid hyphens. I was guilty of violating this one. I own the Davao-Real-Estate.com domain, which I still maintain up to this day. What makes it stupid is when I share this domain verbally to someone: it sounds awkward saying “dash” two times. Note, however, that that is an SEO-value in doing this, which was what I wanted back then.

Avoid Numeric Characters. Numbers on domain names are another things you want to avoid. It makes it difficult to type, especially on Internet-enabled mobile devices.

Tip 3: More Than Words

Keep It Short. They say two heads are better than one. But when it comes to domain names, one word is better than two. As a matter of fact, a single word domain is a rarity these days. I suspect all of the words in the English dictionary have their corresponding domains already. You have to be really creative in crafting one.

Mean what it says. If your domain name includes the word job, make sure your site is related to career and job opportunities. If it has travels in it, then your website should deliver travel-related contents.

Tip 4: Think Branding

Make it sticky. It should not only be easy to remember. It must be difficult to forget also.

Make it easy to type also. Think about users who might be browsing your website using their tablets and smart phones. Some users of these devices don’t know how to switch between QWERTY Keypad and Numeric Pad modes; others are simply too lazy to make the switch

Keep the above tips in mind as you begin to think about the possible domain names for your next online project. You may not be in for domain speculations like the domainers do, but remembering these pointers at least gives your useful insights in coming up with a valuable Internet asset.

Related Links

  1. Learn how to create your own website in 5 easy steps.
  2. Check out my recommended Domain Name Registrars: GoDaddy and NameCheap
  3. Get free domain name when you host with Fatcow. Click here to know their on-going promos.

Your Website In 5 Easy Steps

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I already mentioned in one of my past articles that it is so easy to create a website these days. Given the right tools and guidance you too can make your own website in no time. In this article, I’m going to show you the process on how to have your website up and running.

But before we proceed, let me just be clear that it is not my intention to fool into thinking that you can create a website like Facebook and eventually compete with them. There are a lot of companies out there that are trying to do that, with their million-dollar backing, but just could not make it. And Google Search, as simple as it may appear on the surface, actually follows a set of very complicated Mathematical algorithms — the kind that would make your head spin.

The website that we are trying to build here is one that would become useful in getting the word out about your business. It’s your online Marketing Tool. Think about an online brochure.

So prepare your credit card or, if you already have a PayPal account, that’s even better. You are going to buy two essential resources: a domain name, and a hosting account.

Let’s start.

Step 1: Play With Words — Brainstorm Your Awesome Domain Name

Simply stated, a domain name is the name of your website. People will type this name ( yourcompany.com ) into the address bar of a browser to be able to access your website.

The following pointers will help you:

  • Make sure the name is easy to remember.
  • Make sure it is easy to pronounce.
  • As much as possible limit the name to a combination of 3 words, maximum.
  • Try to get the .com domain.

The domain name must be available. You can check the availability using this tool.

So play around until you can come up with the good domain name for your website.

(See also: How To Name Your Business.)

Step 2: Buy A Domain Name

You buy a domain name from a company called domain registrar. I’m recommending the following companies:

  • NameCheap.com — Don’t be deceived by the name. We normally associate cheap with mediocre service. Not this company. Their support has been very excellent, I’ve stick with them for a couple of years now.
  • GoDaddy.com — This is perhaps the most popular domain name registrar around. Some people love them, some hate them. Personally, I think I am in the middle of this love-hate affair with GoDaddy. One thing to note is that, when you buy, expect a lot of upsell offers from them.

GoDaddy Deals

Check out the link below for promo GoDaddy is currently running:

Go Daddy Deal of the Week: Get 20% off your order! Offer expires 7/17/12

Step 3: Get A Web Hosting Account

This is the company that will keep the files, scripts and databases necessary for you to serve the contents of your website. Essentially, they store (or host) your files, text, images, videos and other related resources.

There are a lot of hosting companies out there. And I’ve tried a number of them. The one which I’m recommending highly for starters is the company named FatCow for one reason: Simplicity.

You don’t have to choose from a variety of hosting plans, because they offer only one simple web hosting. But for most purposes, this one plan is already more than enough. With Fatcow, you get unlimited everything – well, almost. Just consider:

  • Unlimited Web Space
  • Unlimited Bandwith
  • Unlimited MySQL Databases
  • Unlimited Ad-on Domains

Well, go check their latest offer of unlimited stuff by clicking here.

Note: Though getting a web hosting account with FatCow already comes with a free domain name, I don’t recommend that you do it. Remember what they say in Mutual Fund investment? Right, spread your eggs in different baskets. Suffice it to say, that the same advice applies here, too.

Step 4: Point The Domain Name to Your Hosting Account

Take note that your domain registrar and your web hosting company are two different companies. Their computer servers don’t know each other, too. For your website to be properly setup and become visible to the world, you must tell the domain registrar that your web server is located someplace else.

Technically, you do this by changing the Name Server settings from your domain name control panel so that it points to the name servers provided by your hosting company.

Luckily this one is easy to do.

Step 5: Install WordPress

Trust me, setting up WordPress from Fatcow is as easy as clicking a mouse. It should just take 5 minutes, maximum to get your WordPress based up and running.

Watch this video to know what I mean.

Easy WordPress Installation with FatCow

In conclusion

Easy, right? If you are serious about having your own website for fun, profit or whatever, you should at least try doing what I’ve just shown you.

Again here are the companies I’m recommending:

  • Fatcow — The affordable web hosting company that’s perfect for your starter website.
  • Namecheap — The also provide FREE Whois Guard protection, which you have to pay from other domain registrars.
  • GoDaddy — For Premium domains. They run promos every now and then.

I’ve actually done business with all of these companies so I can attest to their respective credibility.

And in case you run into some problems following the steps outlined above, feel free to contact me. I’ll be glad to extend a helping hand.

Update: NegosyoBuilder.com is now offering a web hosting and domain registration for locally based businesses in the Philippines. Get an Unlimited Shared Webhosting Account for as little as USD 5 per month. Contact us for details.