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Your Success Lies in Picking a Good Domain Name! What’s in a name for a website?
On the value of names, Shakespeare wrote, “What is in a name? A rose will smell by whatever name it is called.” This may be true in the offline world. But in the cyber-world, where over 200 million people visit the World Wide Web every day from every region on Earth in search of information, clarification, product or service they require, A NAME IS EVERYTHING for a website.
The object of creating a website and publishing it on the internet is to have it viewed by the audience whom it is intended for. The design, color, decorations, contents, gimmicks, sound and pictures will only be viewed by visitors if they actually visit the website. The only way visitors will be able to find your website among the hundreds of thousands of websites out there is only by a name.
Once logging onto the Internet, visitors will type the name of a website in the search bar in order to go there. If they don’t know the exact name of a website, they typically will search for it in the different search engine categories. Browsing through these lists of the categories or search results, the visitor clicks on the name of the site.
Therefore it follows that the name of your website is the central method with which visitors will discover you on the internet.
What is a good name?
We know that a name is important – however, what’s a good name? The fundamental rule of Internet marketing is to somehow attract a visitor to your site. Therefore, the name that you select should have some characteristics that tell about the purpose of your website.
- First, the name should be apt. It should clearly convey what the website is intended to do. For example, a website that sells eye glasses should be specifically named with the word “designersunglasses”, not just “glasses”.
- Second, the name should be short and sweet. The shorter it is, the easier it can be remembered. Long names can lead to easy typos – avoid them.
- Third, the name should be very descriptive of what the website contains – it should portray the service, product, or information offered on the site.
The name of a website that is able to adhere to all of the above guidelines is a good name. Beyond those basics, the name should be imaginative, innovative and unique. This is what makes the difference between just a good name, and an excellent name.
The name of a website that is able to adhere to all of the above guidelines is a good name. Beyond those basics, the name should be imaginative, innovative and unique. This is what makes the difference between just a good name, and an excellent name.
What is a good domain and how do you select it?
A domain is basically the classification of a website. It is the origin, country, and provides a distinct claim as to where it belongs within the entire World Wide Web network. Simply, a website domain is the suffix attached to the name of the site that is selected by the Webmaster. Originally, all websites on the internet had the same “dot com” suffix. Some examples were www.yahoo.com or www.google.com. Then, once the number of websites grew exponentially, this growth required further classification and expansion of the websites, using the attached suffix, or domain, that is at the end. Some examples of these include org, ws, us, net, edu, etc…
Each website that is published and promoted on the Internet first needs authentication or approval through registration with domain controlling authorities. The registration process has a number of legal implications – websites must be original and can not duplicate existing websites. This is why a domain registration is necessary, and it provides a way to prevent the duplication of website names on the internet.
When selecting a domain, the domain name should not only represent the website, but it should be easy for the people who will be promoting it. An improper domain name can cause a great deal of confusion, and eventually it can defeat the purpose of the site itself.
The easiest place to start is to search for a name using the domain of .com, which is the extension that most sites on in the Internet usually have.
If this option is not feasible because your desired site name isn’t available, then an analysis should be done to relate the domain name to that of the name that you’ve selected. In other words, if your site offers specific information to viewers, and its purpose is primarily to provide information, then classifying it in the domain of “.info” would be appropriate. Other extensions include .net for a large majority of websites, which is the next best option to .com. Some organizations will select .org for uniqueness and because it typically represents organizations, most often those which are non-profit. If your website targets the audience of a particular country, or if you wish to be identified to a specific country on the Net, then the country domain can be used, such as .co.uk (United Kingdom), starhub.sg (Singapore), or friendship.com.au (Australia). Every country in the world has its own extension.
In summary, what is most important in selecting a good domain is:
(a) The name of the site should be short, apt, descriptive, easy to spell and easy to remember.
(b) The name should be identified with an extension that suits the content of the site.
(c) The name should represent the purpose and intent of the website.
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