Tips for Finding a Good Domain Name

Whether you are looking to start a purely online business or you want to expand your current operations within the Internet marketplace, starting a Web site for your business can help you reach more potential clients and, therefore, increase your profit margins. However, when it comes to starting a Web site, the first thing you will have to do is choose a good domain name.
 
 
Selecting the right domain name for your online operations can make the difference of whether or not search engines and possible customers will ever see your Web site.
 
A domain name is a series of letters and/or words that represent your numerical IP address on the Internet, making it easier for people to remember your virtual location.

Internet Terms and Managing Organizations

Before you start searching for domain names, it's important to understand who regulates domain names so that you comprehend where to start looking for them, how to get one and what you need to do to keep it. Here is a basic outline of the Internet organizations that control domain names:
  • ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is the organization that is in charge of assigning and regulating all online domain names and IP addresses. While you likely won't deal directly with ICANN when searching for and registering a domain name, the domain name registrar with which you deal must be ICANN-accredited.

  • Domain Name Registrar refers to commercial organizations accredited by ICANN to sell and register domain names. While domain name registrars will likely let you search for available domain names for free, the cost of the domain name you choose will vary from registrar to registrar. Some registrars offer package deals that include the registration of your domain name with ICANN.

How to Find Available Domain Names

Here are step-by-step instructions on how to find out which domain names are currently available:
  1. Search "domain name registrars" in one of the major Internet search engines.

  2. Browse through a few of the results to find a candidate that is legitimate and has reasonable rates. Reading the About Us page is generally a good indicator of how credible a given registrar is.

  3. Once you have chosen a domain name registrar, use its associated search tool to find available domain names. Most registrars will let you search a variety of words, phrases and acronyms under different Internet suffixes (i.e., .com, .net, .org, etc).

  4. After you have found a suitable available domain name, proceed with the registrar's directions for purchase of that domain name.

Keep in mind that you may want to purchase variations of your chosen domain name to prevent your competitors from buying them and possibly taking away your business.

For example, if you are buying the domain name domainname.com, you may also want to buy the following variations:

  • domain-name.com
  • domainname.edu
  • domainname.net
  • domainname.org
  • domainame.com
  • domanname.com.
Because the variations for your chosen domain name can be endless, many registrars will highlight some of the most common misspellings, offering to sell those to you as well.

Tips for How to Choose a Good Domain Name

Now that you know how to go about finding available domain names, you will need to know what makes a domain name better or worse than other available options. For example, if you are looking for a domain name for your cat breeding business, how do you know which of the following options is best: catbreeding.com, cat-breeder.com or californiacatbreeder.com?
 
Here are some tips for what makes domain names better so that you can choose the best available domain name for your Web site:
  • Choose a domain name that represents your business:This means that if you are a car mechanic, opting for a domain name that includes the words "car mechanic," rather than just "car," will give Internet users a better chance of finding you online.

  • Pick a domain name that is memorable: Once users can find you online, you want to make sure they remember how to get back to your Web site. Picking a memorable domain name will help you market your Web site while also ensuring that you get some return business.

  • Think about how people would search for you online: One of the main ways that people will come across your Web site is by conducting Internet searches. By choosing a domain name that includes words people use to commonly search for your products and/or services, you can help get your Web site higher up in search engines, optimizing the number of users that will click on your page.
Other factors to consider as you are searching for available domain names is whether or not to use plurals, articles (i.e., the, an, a, etc.) and hyphens (i.e., domain-names.com). Recommendations on whether or not to include these features in your domain name vary from source to source.
 
However, because you can buy more than one domain name to be associated with your site, the best option is to choose a few of the most popular variations of your domain name and purchase them. That way, you can make sure that your customers will be able to find you, rather than your competitors, whether or not they mistype your domain name.
 
Resources
 
Heng, Christopher (n.d.). Tips on Choosing a Good Domain Name. Retrieved December 12, 2007, from theSiteWizard Web site: http://www.thesitewizard.com/archive/domainname.shtml.
 
ICANN (updated March 26, 2007). Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. Retrieved December 12, 2007, from the ICANN Web site: http://www.icann.org/faq/#WhatisICANN.