Domain Names and Registration Information

Here, you will find domain name and registration information to help you choose and register a domain for your website. There are a variety of names that you can choose for your domain, but there are also some strategies that can help you along the way. Scroll down to discover how to choose a suitable domain name for your online business!

Domain Name Information

A domain name is the unique part of a URL that's used to identify a website or other type of online resource. A domain name has two parts, a unique name and an extension:

A unique name identifies a web resource (like google or myfamouswebsite).
An extension is a pre-defined ending like .com, .net, .ort, .biz, and so on.

So, the two parts of a domain name would look like this once put together: google.com, wikipedia.org, myfamouswebsite.com, and so on.

Domain Name Registration Information

When you register a domain name, you are replacing your website's IP address with a more user-friendly name. You see, an IP address is the long, uninteresting number that servers use to identify your site. So, a domain name makes it easier for BOTH search engines and people to identify and remember your site.

If you think about it, this is the same process that all names take. That is, a name is used to identify something or someone and distinguish it/him/her from others. If there were no domain names on the internet, people would have to remember and type in an IP addresses to find a site - this would be like identifying everyone by their social security number instead of their name.

How To Choose A Quality Domain Name

The domain name that you choose is a crucial business aspect. You'll want to register a "suitable" domain name that's keyword rich, yet still simple for your visitors to remember (and tell others about). As for search engines, your domain should be keyword rich, state who you are and/or what you do.

Research potential Niches for your website.
Research Domain Names that are keyword rich
Use Google Keyword Tool, Wordtracker, Google Trends, and Microsoft Ad Labs to compare domain keywords
Register your domain name(s) at a trusted Registrar:
Bustaname.com | GoDaddy.com Review | Name.com Review
Setup your Hosting account

Your domain name is your .com or .net or .whatever to have. MyFamousWebsite.com is our domain name. Choose a brand name, a keyword rich domain name, or both.

Helpful Domain Name Information

Use descriptive keywords in your domain name, so that it is easy to type and remember.
Domain names can include a combination of letters, numbers and a hyphen (-).
Domain names are NOT case sensitive. Spaces and symbols (other than a hyphen) are not allowed.
Keep it as short as possible.
Avoid copyright infringement. Be sure you are not infringing anyone's copyright with your site's domain name. Visit copyright.gov and search before you buy.
The most well-known extionsion is .com, which means that most people type in .com when ending a URL.
Google seems to like keywords in a domain name, so a keyword rick domain name will help you rank higher in Google search results.

Domain Name Tools

Godaddy - Register your domains here, although there are other options like NameCheap, Register or just google it.
Domain Name Finder - BustaName - Very cool tool for finding domain name combo's you might not have thought of, props to the Toronto SEO for the tip.
Expiring Domains - Lots of places to choose from depending on how bad you want it.