In the parting scene of Hamlet’s father’s ghost to Hamlet, the last words he said were, “Remember me…remember me…remember me.”
How will you be remembered?
If you are a website owner who is thinking about changing your domain name or a new business owner considering a domain name, we wrote this post for you.
First, we will look at the different types of domain names. In the beginning, there were only a few domain types available such as: .com, .net, and .org. Now, there are multiple options available for registration including:
- .tv
- .jobs
- .mobi
- .nom
These are known as “domain suffixes” and many new ones are coming out all of the time. Many reflect the country of origin such as .cn for China, .no for Norway, and .de for Germany, while others attempt to capture the type of business or organization that they represent.
Which should you choose?
Before deciding the type of domain name and suffix that you should use, consider the type of business or entity that you have first.
Are you a business? It is still considered the best choice to use a .com suffix if you are a business. This is because .com is automatically synonymous with a business entity in the minds of consumers and you will also usually rank higher in Google than other suffixes.
If you are an organization or non-profit, you may want to consider using a .org suffix. When searchers see the .org suffix, they understand that you are an organization but not necessarily for profit. This distinguishes you from businesses which have as their primary focus to make sales and bring in revenue.
Charity organizations may also register under .org suffix domains because they are an organization, not a business. But it should be clear on your website that you are raising money for charities and the specific charities that you are focused on.
Costs of Domain Names
The cost of domain registration will vary depending upon which hosting company you go through but the cost of registration for a year is around $20. The various hosting companies run special deals at times to include your domain registration as a part of your fee for hosting. This can sometimes save you money on both your hosting solution and domain registration.
Keep in mind, however; that domain registration can be done independently of any web hosting company, and you may move your domain to any web server that you want to.
GoDaddy.com is one of the most popular sites where you can register a domain name. They have some domain names available for very low prices. So if you are someone who wants to start a domain name reseller program and make money selling domains, this might be an idea for you. They also just have a good price point on registering your domain for your website as well.
Some of the specials currently being offered by GoDaddy.com include:
.com registration for 2.99 per year
.biz registration for 7.99 per year
.online registration for 2.99
.co for 2.99
.net for 11.99
All of these specials on GoDaddy are for the first year only. After the first year, you will pay from $14.99-$29.99, depending on the type of domain and other features you opt for.
You may also create a website on the GoDaddy server, but you need to decide which hosting company you want to go with before purchasing a domain through GoDaddy. If you don’t, your domain name may be stuck on GoDaddy’s server for up to sixty days or more while you have it transferred.
Other hosting companies you can get a domain with include:
Web.com, Webs.com, eHost.com, Fatcow.com, and many others.
Other Considerations in Choosing a Domain
Aside from the technical issues of where to host your domain, how much to pay, and how to decide on a suffix, you should spend most of your time in choosing a domain on your site name. The name you choose for your website and domain is like your logo. It will follow you throughout your business history online and becomes a part of everything you do online.
Make Your Business Name Consistent with your Domain Name
It is suggested that you make your website name the same as your business name. This way, there will not be any question what your business name is and will avoid confusion between your official business name and website name.
Some other suggestions for choosing a domain include:
- Make it easy to remember– Most successful companies have a name that is easy to remember. They also tend to be one-word names such as “Apple,” “Google,” “Microsoft,” and “Target.” You don’t have to try to put your whole business philosophy or persona within your name. Just use a one-word name and domain that encapsulates some of what you are about. Steve Jobs named his company, “Apple” because he told his then business partner, Steve Wozniak, that it symbolized the original forbidden fruit in the “Garden of Eden.” He went on to say that it is something that people just had to have for knowledge and to improve their lives. While the Apple company may not deliver all of that every time, they certainly come close to providing technology that people do feel they have to have, for a status symbol, if nothing else.
- Keep it short– If you keep your domain name to something short, it will be easier to remember. One rule of thumb is to make it anything that you can yell at someone from across a parking lot that they will not have to get out a pen and pad to take down. “ToysRUs.com,” “Apple.com,” and “Target.com,” are all examples of short names that work.
- Make it simple– Just like you need to keep your domain name and business name short, you should also keep it simple. Don’t put in strange characters or other things that may make it harder to use or remember. This will complicate things, and some people will lose your URL or go to the wrong site. If you cause people frustration when looking for your site, you may find them going elsewhere.
- Make it fun– It helps to make your domain name fun and gamify it a bit too. If you can do something unique such as “ToysRUs.com,” that is a part of your brand, it will make it more memorable and fun for users.
When choosing your domain, make it reflect your brand, your logo, and your purpose. Don’t make it too long or complicated. It will confuse people. Don’t use special characters, numbers, or other things that can keep people from finding your site.
In short, make it simple but memorable.
The key to success online is partly in your name. Make sure your domain name, brand name, and logo are consistent so that when people do find you online, they’ll know it’s you!
To learn more about how to choose a great domain name for yourself, brand or business, be sure to contact our support team at WebDesignTeam.com. Not only can we provide you with year of expertise on the best domain name for your site, we can also help design a customized website to fit all of your needs.
We look forward to hearing from you soon!