Webmaster Papers








Whats in a Domain Name?


You've decided to start up your own website. You've weighed all of your options, and have come to the conclusion that you want to purchase web space for your site. Good job; you're one step closer to having your name on the world wide web.

You've looked at different hosting companies, comparing all of the plans and packages they have to offer, and have chosen the perfect one for you. You've filled in all of the important information pertaining to you and your site, and have come to the screen where you're asked to come up with a domain name for your site.

Now what? What are you supposed to put in the box? Do you choose a .com or .net? .org, .biz, .info--what are you supposed to do? So you decide to move on and choose that later. Maybe one will sound better with the domain name you're about to choose.

What next? If your website's titled "My Super-Duper-Brand-Spanking-New Site", are you going to have a domain name like "mysuperduperbrandspankingnewsite.com"? No. That would be ridiculous to type and even harder to remember. You want something that is catchy and easy to remember. Something that'll stand out, but is still relevant to the content of your site.

You decide that "superduper.com" would be perfect for your site. But lo and behold, it's already been taken. Now what do you do? You spent hours deciding that "superduper.com" was the best domain name for you. It just doesn't have that same zing to it when you say "superduper.net" or .info. So now what are you supposed to do? Try adding a hyphen in between the words to see if the name's taken that way. It's a little harder to type because the hyphen's a little awkward when one's typing in a URL quickly, but it'll do the trick if you really want certain words.

So now you've come to the conclusion that "super-duper.com" is the perfect domain name for your site and buy it. Congratulations, and welcome to the world wide web, "super-duper.com"!

Alisha Annas is an 18-year-old student at California State University, Fresno. She's currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Music Education. She's used computers since she was two years old and has been designing her own websites since the age of ten. She likes music, reading, writing, and surfing the web.

RELATED ARTICLES


Domain Name Forwarding and Search Engines
You own a single site, but several domains - perhaps you wanted to make sure that even if your customers misspelled your domain name they'd get to your site, or perhaps you'd like to have a specific domain name direct to a page deep within your site - whatever the case, there are some important considerations surrounding multiple domain names routing to a single site and search engine submission.
What is a Domain Name and Why Would I Want One?
In this article we will cover the basics of what a domain name is, how they work and why you need to have at least one. I am going to try and avoid complicated computer terms and stick to explanations that should be easily understood by someone without a computer science degree.
Choosing Your Domain Name ? Internet Marketing
This is actually an important key to your business and sometimes its success. I will explain why through-out this article.
How to Choose the Right Domain Name for Your Company
As the editor of DomainNameWire.com, I'm frequently e-mailed by people asking for domain name advice. Specifically, what should they look for when registering a domain name for their company? This may be basic for some of you, but I hope some of my readers gain value from this.
How To Boost Affiliate Profits Using Secret Domain Tricks
Want to increase your affiliate link click-through rates and profits?
Know How DNS Works
Domain name Servers (DNS) are an important but invisible part of the internet, and form one of the largest databases on it. Each machine on an internet is assigned a unique address, called an IP address, which is 32 bit number and is expressed as 4 octets. The method user to represent these IP addresses is known as dotted decimal Notation". A typical address looks like this: 199.249.150.4
How to Win Expired Domains
Every day thousands of expired domain names come back onto the market. This is due to the owner not extending their registration. The reason for non registration of domains can be for a simple a reason that the owner forgot of no longer has any interest of funds to continue with the registration of their domain.
Domain Name Registration - Key Tips
Domain name registration is a necessary, easy, and strategically important first step in establishing an online presence, whether for business or otherwise. A well-chosen domain name registration can set you up for success with your new site in so many ways, the most prominent of these being increased search engine traffic. Here's some vital elements to consider when executing your domain name registration.
ICANN Registrar: jp-Domains for Anybody
Cologne, October 10 2004. ICANN Registrar Secura announces today, that the company is now accepting the registration of jp-domains from companies and individuals outside of Japan.
Expired Domains Explained
It is annoying to find that you have a great idea for a site but when you start searching for a domain name to match you find every possible combination has been registered. Don't worry all is not lost there are still the expired domains to check.
10 Things to Ponder when Picking Your .com
1. Proper names VS Common Names. First of all there are two different kinds of names, proper names (unique words, person, place), or common names (things like cars or cheese.) The types of names that will have good lasting effect on the internet are proper names. Think of some of the biggest sites on the internet, such as yahoo or google, why are they the most popular search engines in the world and not searchengine.com? Simple, the average consumer will group names of things with there .com names. If the names are too similar they get lost in the mix. That is why no one names there car dealership cars. Sure cars are what they sell, but image the conversation, Frank asks "what dealership did you buy your car from?" Jim replies "cars" as you can image it would get really confusing. A lot of dealerships use proper names such as XYZ Motors. That is why a lot of sites such as cars.com aren't doing as well as say vehix.com.
Before You Register a Domain Name for Your New Online Business...
Recently I made a mistake that may cost a great deal of traffic to my new web site.
Detagged Domains
What is a DETAGGED domain name? We get asked this question regularly.
Domain Squatting Explained
The one thing that annoys me most about the topic of domain names is when trying to find a domain name for a new site only to find most of the names I come up with are already taken. Even more annoying is that these names are not being used for a site that relates to the domain name.
Cheap and Easy Domain Name Registration
Just like any business, your identity is very important. On the World Wide Web, your domain name is your identity. Of course, you can opt for a subdomain name that comes with many free web hosting like http://yourdomain.netfirms.com. But if you are serious about being successful on the Internet, you have to get your own domain name, like http://www.yourdomain.com. Top 10 reasons to have your own domain name Please note that all domain names listed in italic are ficticious: It is cheap and easy to get your own domain name (less than $15/year in most cases) You own the name (as long as you pay the annual fee) You are not dependent on one web hosting company to let you use a subdomain, or worse, a subdirectory Your web site promotion effort does not go to waste if you change your web hosting company (because the domain name remains the same regardless of what host you use) The domain name can be optimized to your business, like www.best-used-cars.com Your web site is more professional The domain name is easier to remember. For instance, www.best-used-cars.com rather than www.geocities.com/web/public/business/auto/best-used-cars/ It is much easier to sell a web site with its own domain name A good domain name can be an asset It is cheap and easy to get your own domain name (this one is worth repeating) How to register for a domain name Please note that all domain names listed in italic are ficticious: Think of appropriate name for that suit the theme of your web site. For instance, an online dating service may find domain name like www.loveconnection.com, more desirable than say www.best-used-cars.com Search for domain name availability. Every domain name registrar will provide you with a search tool; although some search tools are better than other. You will have to do a lot of searches because a lot of domain name that you wish to have is probably already owned by someone else (very common). As you come across available domain names that you like, jot them down. Keep searching until you have about 3-5 different domain names to choose from. Choose a domain name and register it at a domain name ICANN Accredited registrar. Other factors to consider Initially, you will want the .com version of your domain name. If your internet business takes off, you may want to consider registering other first-level domains (i.e., .net) of your domain name and perhaps even similar domain names to prevent mistaken identity Use domain name registrar that will register the domain under your name under all contacts information (perhaps with the exception of technical contact). It should be clear that you own the domain name. Use domain name registrar that provide good online account support. Use automatic domain name renewal if you are planning to own the domain name long-term
How Can You Choose the Best Domain Name?
It's all in the Name
Domain Names
Domain names are relatively straightforward! Or at least that's the theory!!
How Do I Get My Domain Name Appraised?
What's your domain name worth?
Get Your Own Domain Name Or Die Online
Would you buy from someone with an "@yahoo.com" e-mail address? I wouldn't. And the clients I've had the most trouble with use yahoo addresses or other free addresses. I understand that you don't want your regular e-mail address in ads that your run on free ad sites to prevent spam, but lets use some common sense here.
Free eBook: Business Domain Names
Since every website needs a name, Dr. Steve Baba has written a free ebook that will help you obtain a brandable, memorable domain name at a reasonable cost, which will contribute to your brand equity and profits. The ebook, downloadable from Seemly.com, explains how to select and buy an elite domain name. You will be able to obtain a better name than your competitors have.