Top 10 reasons to register a domain name
| Category: Top 10 Tips | Date: 2002-05-22 |
1. Current URL is http://members.alo.com/you/
2. If you dont, someone else will
3. Current URL is http://yourname.smallstep.com/
4. Alternative site spelling
5. Get listed in Yahoo!
6. Secure your family name
7. Use your domain as a custom email address
8. Improve your search engine positioning
9. Protect your business namespace
10. Invest for the future
Current URL is http://members.alo.com/you/
Have you got a URL like http://www.members.alo.com/you/? Kind of long isnt it. Wouldnt http://www.yourname.com/ look a lot more impressive on your business card and more memorable too? Of course it would.
Using a service known as URL redirection, people can type a short domain name into their browser and arrive at your current web site! So you can advertise your short domain name everywhere without having to move your web site or web space. Brilliant!
And just how will you know if your ISP / web host supports this feature? Simple really, they all do. This technique works for every web host / web service provider / ISP on the planet, and is easy to set-up.
So if you currently have a site with AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo, Geocities, Tripod, FreeServers, Bizland, FreeMerchant, TalkCity etc. and you are fed up with your long URL, its time to get yourself a domain name.
If you dont, someone else will
Domain names are being registered at a ferocious rate. You might have thought of a great name today, but theres a good chance it will have gone tomorrow. Even company names arent safe. You might think your company dot com will not be reserved by anyone else, but can you be sure? Companies all round the globe are competing for the best domain names, dot coms in particular.
And reserving names for future use is no problem. All our names are parked, which means they are set up for current or future use, and there is no time limit on how long you can wait before developing a site using the name.
Current URL is http://yourname.smallstep.com/
This type of domain name is known as a sub-domain, host, or third level domain name. Looks ok right? Its got your name in the domain name itself, so what could the problem be? Well, its longer than it could be, and some people might believe that your company is a division of smallstep.com, but the main problem is that search engines punish these types of domains. Renowned search engine expert Sumantra Roy of 1stSearchRanking.com explains:
"The reason that search engines dont like the free sub-domains is that people spam the engines by using these sub-domains. In order to prevent this, the search engines often ignore these free sub-domains. For instance, until a few months ago, whenever someone submitted a sub-domain belonging to Hypermart, AltaVista used to give the infamous message saying that too many URLs had been submitted from that site and refused to accept it. Presently, when someone submits a Hypermart sub-domain, AltaVista says that the URL has been accepted. However, although it says that the site has been accepted, in reality, it doesnt spider the sub-domain."
So by using this type of domain name, you are effectively ruining your chances of getting good search engine placements. They dont mention that in the brochure do they?
Alternative site spelling
Do you run a business that sells internationally? If so, be very careful that people around the world spell your products the same wayyou do. The classic example is Jewelry (US) vs. Jewellery (UK).
"Its not worth the hassle of setting up a new web site using the other name" you say. If a new web site was required I would tend to agree with you, but its a lot easier than that these days. Just register a new name, and use URL forwarding to send customers to your current web site. Simple!
Get listed in Yahoo!
Ever wondered why your site isnt listed in Yahoo? Its not in their help files, but it is well known that Yahoo! no longer lists commercials sites that use sub-domains, such as http://yourname.smallstep.com, or sub-directories, such as http://www.smallstep.com/yourdir/. To have a realistic chance of getting listed in Yahoo!, you must use a proper domain name.
Secure your family name
If you have a reasonably common family name, chances are someone else will have already snapped up the dot com version, but perhaps the dot net or dot org version is available?
If so, snap it up immediately, and secure a place on the Internet for generations to come.
Use your domain as a custom email address
Wouldnt it be great if people could email you at name@yourname.com. Well they can. Its called email forwarding and allows people to send emails to your new domain name, and is included free with every domain registration at DomainGuideBook.com.
Improve your search engine positioning
There was a time when search engines paid no attention to sites domain names when deciding which ones to display first. But for many search engines, this is no longer the case. For instance, if your site is all about growing vegetables, using the name GrowingVegetables.com or Growing-Vegetables.com will help boost your sites rating in several search engines.
Protect your business namespace
If you already own the dot com version of a domain name, you should think seriously about completing the set, and registering the dot net and dot org versions as well. This is especially true if you are in business. If you dont get these names, a competitor will, and this could have serious implications.
Having two businesses on the web sharing the same domain name becomes very confusing for customers, because they just dont expect it. Microsoft.com and Microsoft.net are part of the same company, right? And if a competitor gets the dot Net version of your name, and can get a high search engine ranking, they could easily be benefiting from your good name to drive customers to their site.
Invest for the future
Speculating on domain names is a hobby which has hooked many people. As long as it does not involve cybersquatting i.e. registering names which infringe on the rights of current companies, it is a perfectly legal and legitimate activity. If you can find a good, short, unregistered name, go ahead and register it. Its only like to increase in value over the next few years.
About the author:
Lee Hodgson is founder and owner of DomainGuideBook.com (http://www.domainguidebook.com), a firm which specializes in helping small businesses choose and register the best domain names for their web sites.
To subscribe to the Domain Guide Book newsletter, "Your trusted source for domain names news", just send a blank email to DomainGuideBook-subscribe@listbot.com
lee@domainguidebook.com
http://domainguidebook.com
2. If you dont, someone else will
3. Current URL is http://yourname.smallstep.com/
4. Alternative site spelling
5. Get listed in Yahoo!
6. Secure your family name
7. Use your domain as a custom email address
8. Improve your search engine positioning
9. Protect your business namespace
10. Invest for the future
Current URL is http://members.alo.com/you/
Have you got a URL like http://www.members.alo.com/you/? Kind of long isnt it. Wouldnt http://www.yourname.com/ look a lot more impressive on your business card and more memorable too? Of course it would.
Using a service known as URL redirection, people can type a short domain name into their browser and arrive at your current web site! So you can advertise your short domain name everywhere without having to move your web site or web space. Brilliant!
And just how will you know if your ISP / web host supports this feature? Simple really, they all do. This technique works for every web host / web service provider / ISP on the planet, and is easy to set-up.
So if you currently have a site with AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo, Geocities, Tripod, FreeServers, Bizland, FreeMerchant, TalkCity etc. and you are fed up with your long URL, its time to get yourself a domain name.
If you dont, someone else will
Domain names are being registered at a ferocious rate. You might have thought of a great name today, but theres a good chance it will have gone tomorrow. Even company names arent safe. You might think your company dot com will not be reserved by anyone else, but can you be sure? Companies all round the globe are competing for the best domain names, dot coms in particular.
And reserving names for future use is no problem. All our names are parked, which means they are set up for current or future use, and there is no time limit on how long you can wait before developing a site using the name.
Current URL is http://yourname.smallstep.com/
This type of domain name is known as a sub-domain, host, or third level domain name. Looks ok right? Its got your name in the domain name itself, so what could the problem be? Well, its longer than it could be, and some people might believe that your company is a division of smallstep.com, but the main problem is that search engines punish these types of domains. Renowned search engine expert Sumantra Roy of 1stSearchRanking.com explains:
"The reason that search engines dont like the free sub-domains is that people spam the engines by using these sub-domains. In order to prevent this, the search engines often ignore these free sub-domains. For instance, until a few months ago, whenever someone submitted a sub-domain belonging to Hypermart, AltaVista used to give the infamous message saying that too many URLs had been submitted from that site and refused to accept it. Presently, when someone submits a Hypermart sub-domain, AltaVista says that the URL has been accepted. However, although it says that the site has been accepted, in reality, it doesnt spider the sub-domain."
So by using this type of domain name, you are effectively ruining your chances of getting good search engine placements. They dont mention that in the brochure do they?
Alternative site spelling
Do you run a business that sells internationally? If so, be very careful that people around the world spell your products the same wayyou do. The classic example is Jewelry (US) vs. Jewellery (UK).
"Its not worth the hassle of setting up a new web site using the other name" you say. If a new web site was required I would tend to agree with you, but its a lot easier than that these days. Just register a new name, and use URL forwarding to send customers to your current web site. Simple!
Get listed in Yahoo!
Ever wondered why your site isnt listed in Yahoo? Its not in their help files, but it is well known that Yahoo! no longer lists commercials sites that use sub-domains, such as http://yourname.smallstep.com, or sub-directories, such as http://www.smallstep.com/yourdir/. To have a realistic chance of getting listed in Yahoo!, you must use a proper domain name.
Secure your family name
If you have a reasonably common family name, chances are someone else will have already snapped up the dot com version, but perhaps the dot net or dot org version is available?
If so, snap it up immediately, and secure a place on the Internet for generations to come.
Use your domain as a custom email address
Wouldnt it be great if people could email you at name@yourname.com. Well they can. Its called email forwarding and allows people to send emails to your new domain name, and is included free with every domain registration at DomainGuideBook.com.
Improve your search engine positioning
There was a time when search engines paid no attention to sites domain names when deciding which ones to display first. But for many search engines, this is no longer the case. For instance, if your site is all about growing vegetables, using the name GrowingVegetables.com or Growing-Vegetables.com will help boost your sites rating in several search engines.
Protect your business namespace
If you already own the dot com version of a domain name, you should think seriously about completing the set, and registering the dot net and dot org versions as well. This is especially true if you are in business. If you dont get these names, a competitor will, and this could have serious implications.
Having two businesses on the web sharing the same domain name becomes very confusing for customers, because they just dont expect it. Microsoft.com and Microsoft.net are part of the same company, right? And if a competitor gets the dot Net version of your name, and can get a high search engine ranking, they could easily be benefiting from your good name to drive customers to their site.
Invest for the future
Speculating on domain names is a hobby which has hooked many people. As long as it does not involve cybersquatting i.e. registering names which infringe on the rights of current companies, it is a perfectly legal and legitimate activity. If you can find a good, short, unregistered name, go ahead and register it. Its only like to increase in value over the next few years.
About the author:
Lee Hodgson is founder and owner of DomainGuideBook.com (http://www.domainguidebook.com), a firm which specializes in helping small businesses choose and register the best domain names for their web sites.
To subscribe to the Domain Guide Book newsletter, "Your trusted source for domain names news", just send a blank email to DomainGuideBook-subscribe@listbot.com
lee@domainguidebook.com
http://domainguidebook.com
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