Registering Domain Names Tips and Tricks

So you need a domain name for your new website. Here are few tips for registering domain names, including choosing the best domain name, the different types of URL suffixes and most importantly, what to do if your chosen domain name has already been taken.

When registering domain names, you'll want to make sure the name you choose has the keyword phrase you're trying to target right in the name. Google, Yahoo and Microsoft's Bing give a lot of weight to that single seemingly small thing, so it's worth your while to make sure you include it within the domain name. Ultimately, what that will mean for you is higher search engine rankings and frankly, that's what it's all about.

There are many different domain suffixes you can choose from when registering domain names: com, net, org, biz, info, etc. I always go for a .com first thing because it's the first one people think of when typing in a domain. However, using .net works just as well as far as search engine rankings go, so if the .com is taken don't hesitate to snap up the .net version. Org is really meant for non-profit sites, though that doesn't stop anyone from registering domain names with the .org suffix. Personally, I avoid it as I'd rather be more generic in my domain names with .com or .net. As for the others, like biz and info, they don't seem to rank as well, so I avoid them.

What if the domain name you've had your heart set on is already taken? Simple: add dashes between the words. Website-beginner.com works just as well in the search engines as websitebeginner.com, so that's your first option. Then if that's taken, try the hyphenated version with the .net suffix. If the domain name you're targeting has more than two words, you can try a hyphen between all the words or just two until you find an available domain. Of course, the trade-off here is that you'll need to explain the URL when telling someone about it (you have to include those dashes as you say it) but if you're doing most of your linking and marketing online, it really doesn't matter.

I hope this short guide helps in your quest for registering domain names. Good luck finding that perfect URL for your website!

What is a Domain Name and Where to Register

A domain name is an alias for an IP address. Now what is an IP address? An IP address is a numeric code that signifies where to look through the Internet for content. An example of an IP address would be 22.226.141.25. Rather than typing in a long and easily forgotten IP address, a domain name helps you by typing an easily remembered name to access the same site.

For example, www.domainsatretail.com is a domain name that points to a specific IP address. People can remember a domain name such as www.domainsatretail.com much easier than they can a long numeric code.

Domain names are everywhere as many use it everyday. Think of search sites. Google and Yahoo both have corresponding domain names www.google.com and www.yahoo.com. If you have ever sent an email you have used a domain name. For example when sending an email to user@sympatico.ca, sympatico.ca is the domain name.

Now that we have a better understanding of domain names, we need to know which domain name to pick and where can we register it. The domain name chosen for a web site can be a very important decision of marketing your company on the Internet. Its quite easy to just say pick a catchy domain that everyone will remember to use and you are set. In most cases it is that simple and you are set on your way to register the domain. However, at times the domain name you want has already been taken. And then you must think of a secondary name that you wish to use that will be just as catchy as the first.

OK, now you have picked your domain name you want. What is next? You need to choose a registrar for you domain name registration. There are many registrars who sign up and are available for the year, but you get no service from them whatsoever. Here are two domain name registrars that I would recommend for completing your domain name registration.

1) Domains at Retail – registrar that registers domain names. We provide great service and have 24/7 customer support. .com domain names are normally on sale for $8.75 US / year, however they are currently being run on promotion for $7.95 US / year. Visit Domains at Retail at http://www.domainsatretail.com for Cheap domain registration and excellent customer service.

2) Domains at Cost – excellent registrar with very competitive prices. I use this registrar for my .ca domain name registrations and renewals. They offer an excellent price ($14.41 CDN per domain name registration) and I am always able to get someone on the phone and my questions answered. Please Visit Domains at Cost at http://www.domainsatcost.ca for .ca Domain Name Registrations!

Good Luck with your domain name registration process and your start to your online marketing!

Michael Kralj is owner of Emenki Web Solutions and Domains at Retail. Emenki Web Solutions are web site designers and programmers based in Hamilton, Ontario, providing businesses with an informative and strategic approach to establishing an online presence on the web.

Domain Registration

We seem to be living in a society monopolized by a phenomenon called the internet. So, to reach a wider audience and make your business known across the world, we need to select and register a domain name for our business.

Choosing a domain name is vital both for an individual or an organization. It is the first and foremost step to help people reach your site and improve your business prospects. It's an investment to build your brand awareness and spread the word about it.

In simple terms, domain names are the IP addresses that give information about websites on the net. Also known as the URL (universal research locator) or the address of your website, they provide information about various aspects of your business on the net. Having a web domain provides us with an online identity.

Before we can call any of the domain names as our own, we need to complete the registration process of domain. Domain name registration is becoming increasingly difficult these days. This is due to the fact that most of the top level domains have already been registered by existing websites. So, one finds it hard to get a good domain name for one's business.

An important thing to be kept in mind while going for domain registration is that domain names should be short and easy to remember. They should give information about your product or business. Have you ever wondered why you could easily remember names like Google, Yahoo or MySpace? Well, the answer lies in their short and sweet names. So, the rule of thumb while going for domain registration is not to use more than three words in a name.

Many a times, you may get allured by some web hosting companies offering free domain name registration. It's not a good idea. Never get your domain registration from your web host, even if it's for free. The reason is that you may, at some point of time, feel the need to change your web hosting company if you get across an interesting plan or simply to increase your web traffic by going to a dedicated server.

So, it's best to go for a reliable registrar for domain name registration of your business while going for a separate company for web hosting of your site. No doubt, you will need to shell out a few extra bucks for getting domain registration from a separate registrar, but this save you from future troubles.

Before going for the registration of domain, you must invest sufficient time to research prospective registrars by going through various terms. Do not become influenced by offers of discounted domain registrations or you may end up buying expired domains in the bargain.

How to Do Domain Registration at Yahoo

You can register your domain at Yahoo and all the information you need is provided on their site. The first thing however is to know what exactly a domain name is and, what type of registration from Yahoo is good for you. When you need to open a website, the first thing you need is an address and this address name is called a domain name. A domain name should be simple and represent what your business is about. It is a tool that will determine the development and popularity of your business. There are many details on how a name should be presented so that it can achieve its purpose for the business. One thing to keep in mind is that the name should contain letters, numbers and hyphens only.
When you have your domain, you need to register it and, domain registration at Yahoo will go an extra mile to make sure you keep your personal information private. The internet governing body requires that everyone who has a domain to give their contact information and usually the public can easily access this vital information. However, you do not have to worry about this when you come for a domain registration at Yahoo and this is because you can get a private domain registration at Yahoo and this is where your information will be safeguarded from the public. The registration works very easily and when you sign up, Melbourne IT the partner to Yahoo will list and update your information and point it to its offices.
This will enable the company to be aware when somebody searches for your information and on your behalf, they will screen the information for you. The company will forward the information of the people trying to contact you and you can choose who you want to reply to. Per month, a private domain registration at Yahoo will cost $0.99 making it very affordable and convenient. It is also very easy to sign up for it. However, domain names with the extension .US cannot be registered this way. This is because there are very many restrictions. When you sign up, you can get the private domain registration at Yahoo. Melbourne IT reserves the right to disclose your information in accordance to laws and regulations.
It is therefore very easy to get good domain registration at Yahoo and all you need is all the information that will guide you through the process. You will also get more information on how to start a good site and how to build it up. If you have any question on domains and registrations then you can get all the answers from Yahoo. Domain registration is very vital and you therefore need to take some time to make sure that all the aspects are well thought of and if protecting your personal information is of paramount importance, then you need to get the private domain registration. You will learn how to activate your domain registration and get to see some of the top questions that are usually asked

Domain Name Registration Period Does it Count

There is some common advice on the Internet that if you register your domain name for a longer period than the customary 1 year, for example a 2 year or even 5 year period, that it will give you an advantage in the Search Engines.
Is this really true?
The length of your registration has a minor effect upon the rankings. All that you really gain from registering for 5 or 10 years as opposed to 1 or 2 years is the added convenience of not having to register your domain name again.
In theory, if you register for a longer period of time, Google will place a higher value on your page through Trustrank. In theory, Trustrank is ranking indicator for your domain that takes both the age of the site as well as the length that it has been registered for, into consideration. This is all just conjecture though and there is no hard evidence that Google actually HAS a Trustrank algorithm. Even though there was research done by Yahoo on the concept of Trustrank, and Google has previously registered a trademark for the name, the two has nothing to do with each other and Google has even dropped the trademark.
Search engines therefore do not take the length of your registration period into account. The only age related factor in search engine ranking is the actual age of the site but even this could be due to the fact that due to the mere age of the site, the site has had more opportunity to collect links back to it and would therefore naturally perform better in the search engines due to that. Once again, the idea that links from well established sites count more than from new sites has nothing really to do with the actual age of the site where the link is coming from, but more with the reputation of the site itself.
After all, some link farms have been around forever, not so?
But do make sure that you re-register your domain name in time. There are groups of people that scan for soon to be expired domain names with the intention of buying them and exploiting their established business. Luckily most registrars have a grace period of about 45 days available that you can use to re-instate a domain that was deleted due to negligence or by mistake.
If you really want to stay ahead of the competition, you might consider registering or renewing your domain name for 100 years. Currently, Network Solutions (www.netsol.com) is the only registrar offering the 100 year option, which costs $999.00. GoDaddy (www.godaddy.com), currently offers to renew or register a domain name for 10 years, at a discount of $6.95 per year.
But all in all, the most important thing is to get a good quality name. Choose a name that is short, easy to remember, easy to say and easy to spell and use it to build your brand and identity on the web. Good domain names are not easy to get these days but with a little creativity you can still come up with a good name. After all, nobody knew what a 'Google' was in the days BG, Before Google!

How Do I Find an Inexpensive Domain Authority Registrar

When looking for a good domain authority one should first and for most consider the cost. How much is it going to cost me? There are many register companies out there who want your business and will offer many features to attract you to them to make a sale. And price is the number one selling point.

Here is a list of four companies on the internet I recommend and trust:

* Register.com
* Networksolutions.com
* Godaddy.com
* Smallbusiness.yahoo.com/domains/

The above 4 companies can secure your domain name and host it as well providing resources such as web development companies of all sizes and shapes and more. I currently use network solutions because I have been with them since 1995 and even though they are a little higher in price, I'm satisfied with there quality of service and support.

Always keep in mind three things, first are you trying to start a company and brand your product with your domain name? Second, keep in mind the SEO or search engine optimization aspect of picking a domain name, make sure know your competition and thirdly, make sure you take steps to secure your domain name for the life of your business.

Starting a small business is exciting and over whelming all at the same time, one key to success is picking out a domain name that fits your product brand but also has keywords to help with search engine placement. With out search engine placement driving traffic to your site can be expensive depending on what source you choose. I will save that for a later article on how to drive quality traffic to your new website with a limited budget.

You might be asking your self, what is a keyword? A keyword is the name of a product or service that you are trying to break your small business into. For example: if you sold vitamins the brand of the vitamin should be in your domain name. Search engines like to see keywords in the domain name to help target and focus search results and traffic. Several search engines use top level domain names for example: .us or .uk to determine whether you are in the United States of United Kingdom which can help local customers know your geographical location.

Domain name registers are always offering deals for new customers, just the other day I saw one that offered ten years for ten dollars. That is practically an unbeatable offer for anybody. The reason these companies offer such a good deal is the fact that 99% of the time once somebody registers a domain name with them they stay a customer for life. Before you jump on that great deal you find, keep in mind the renewal rates for renewing your new domain name. You might pay one dollar a year for the first 10 years of business but renewal could be as high as forty dollars per year once the 10 years are up.

Once you figure out a good domain name for your small business and pick a register company to hold and or host the domain name, you need to make sure at the time of purchase you check the auto renewal. One of the biggest mistakes companies do is register a domain name for one year and work hard to build the websites pages and promote it, then after the one year loose the registration because the person that setup the domain name forgot too enable the auto-renewal on his/her account. There are companies on the internet that make it their life to buy up expired domain names. If you loose the domain name, 99.9% of the time you will never be able to get that domain name back because somebody will buy it before you can secure it again.

Domain Names and Bulk Domain Registration

Are you sitting around wondering what domain name to register for your business? Having a website is essential for all businesses in this modern day and age. Websites are not just for online businesses. They are for brick and mortar businesses too. Many entrepreneurs are starting to discovery that many print and conventional methods of advertising doesn't yield good results anymore. That is because people (your customers) are spending more and more time on the Internet. Even senior citizens are learning how to use the Internet to source for products.

With that established firmly as a fact, the next step to take is to get an online presence immediately. As a business owner, you need to put your offers in front of your target prospects, and you need to do so using the Internet. The problem is, many traditional small business owners still don't know much about the setting up a website. Well, the first thing they need to know is this - registering a domain name.

A domain name for a website is like the brand name for your company. For brick and mortar stores, people have to remember where your store is in order to visit your store. On the Internet, all they need to do is to remember your URL. Therefore, it makes sense to register a domain name that is easy to remember. To come up with a suitable domain name, you need to be creative.

First, brainstorm for a list of possible domain names that you would like to register. Don't worry about availability at this point. You can always do a check later on. The goal here is to get some good ideas that you can work with. Here are some suggestions. You can choose keywords that your target visitors are likely to use. For instance, if you are selling pillows, you can choose a domain name like "pillowspecialist" as your domain name. Or you can choose something that is short and easy to remember.

Your domain name doesn't have to consist of words that make sense. Sometimes, words that sound weird are better choices because they are easier to remember (think Google and Yahoo). They are also more likely to be available when you go ahead with the registration.

Once you have a good list of domain names in hand, simply head on to a domain registrar to register for your domain names. You begin by making a search for the domain names on your list. If no one has registered for the domain, you can claim it immediately by registering for it. If a search comes up with negative results, just enter a new domain name to search engine. Some websites offer domain names suggestions as well. Browse through the suggestions to see if you are interested in them.

For better pricing, always register your domain names in bulk. For instance, if you have a few good ideas, don't just register for one domain name. Register for all the good names. Domain names are like real estate in the virtual world. You need to stake your claim on your assets. If possible, register for all top level domains (i.e. .com, .net, .org, and .info) so that others cannot use the same name as you.