The domain name is the first point of your website that people see before they even click through to your url. When your site shows up in the search engines or as a link on another site, your domain name will tell people what the site is about.
If your domain name is completely irrelevant to your site topic, then people are less likely to visit. In addition, if your domain name is very long or looks ’spammy,’ then the first impression is that your site is not very professional.
How to Find Good Domain Names
Choosing a good domain name is not difficult. Finding an available domain that you like can be tough; but if you search hard enough and take in all possibilities as far as where you can buy a domain, you will get lucky eventually.
You are not limited to buying domains from domain registrars. While it can be fun finding available domains and registering them, it can be even more exciting finding old, established domains which are for sale.
Where to Register Domain Names
There are many places where you can register domain names, including:
GoDaddyNamecheapeNomName.comMonikerDynadotYahoo!MyDomainDotsterRegister.com
The above registrars are all ICANN accredited and provide .com, .net, .org, .info and many other extensions for registration.
Where to Buy Used Domain Names
If you want to buy domain names that are old, has page rank or would just rather not register a new domain, then you can search domain auctions and for sale websites.
Many forums have people selling domain names including forums like Digital Point, Sitepoint, DN Forum and Namepros. You will find many cheap domain names there, just do your due diligence to avoid being scammed. Research the history of the domain names before buying, and never spend more than $1000 on a domain name without paying through Escrow for safety reasons.
Alternatively, you can visit the domain name aftermarket from GoDaddy at tdnam.com. This site has tens of thousands of used domains for sale from $5 up to the six-figure mark. There are both auctions and buy it now listings there.
Other auction sites include Pool.com, Afternic, Sedo and SnapNames. You should become more familiar with domain terminology and market trends before buying domain names at auction, as the price can easily become out of hand.
Which Domain Extension Is Best?
In just about all cases, .com should be the domain name extension that you aim to acquire. There are a few exceptions to this, namely .org for non-profit organizations, .tv for sites focused on television, and international extensions for sites based in certain countries.
Regardless of which alternative extension you choose, aim to also own the .com version so that you protect your brand against copycats or competitors. .Com always has, and will probably always be, the most popular and well-known domain name extension.
Whichever method you choose to buy domain names, make sure they match your websites, are short and memorable, and will attract users to click through to your websites.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Domain Names: What You Need to Know About Domain Names
What Everybody Ought to Know About info Domains
A .info domain is a generic TLD , which stands for top level domain. The .info extension stands for .information and they were developed to be used for information websites. The domain is used for many purposes since there is no restriction on its use like .edu and .gov TLD. The .info domain was part of the ICANN release of new domains in 2000. It was meant to be an alternative option to the traditional domains, like the .com, .org, and .net, which were becoming over crowded.
The .info TLD has a reputation of being used by black hat SEOs to generate spam sites. This does not mean all .info domain websites are spam, but many spammers use .info domains due to their low cost. They’re able to buy hundreds or thousands of domains at a fraction of the cost of .com domains. Since spammers work high volume for success, .info domains a strong option.
The domain has been highly successful. The .info TLD has millions of registrations. One great benefit of the .info domain is that it is usually cheaper than a .com domain. During the early summer of 2008, Godaddy provided a sale where .info domains were sold for 99 cents.
Recently the 99 cent .info domain sale at Godaddy changed the domain landscape. Spammers purchased thousands of domains during the sale and Google was flooded with .info spam sites. Although Google does not admit to treating various .tld differently, Internet marketers started to see an effect on Google’s treatment of .info domains. Google seemed to raise the bar a little for .info. Many .info domains were having a hard time with indexing and rankings. Google seemed to be treating these domains differently in an attempt to slow down spammers.
This change has be seen by those running .info BANS sites. BANS is a store script called Build A Niche Store and can be used to promote the eBay affiliate program. Many Internet marketers have had a difficult time getting their .info BANS to index and rank. The change seems to be in response to the hundreds of BANS sites flooding SERPS using .info domains. Those who ran their .info domains as thin affiliate sites were having the most problems.
The .info domain is a solid option for anyone wanting to create an informative site or who needs a cheap domain. The domain does have a spam reputation, so extra effort will need to be made to prove the site is legit. As long as your .info is not spam, it will see the same level of success as a website on any other top level domain.