Domain Name Blogger

If you want to have a great online business, at some point you are going to have to register a completely unique domain name. While a sub-domain or a sub folder to work in is a good way to start your business because of the cheap prices, at the same time when your business gets to a certain size switching over to the domain name is the only way to go.

Registration of domain names is a big thing in the life of a business, mostly because so much of the success or failure of an online business can be related back to the domain name that it has. Domain names are a first impression that allows you to look professional and knowledgeable and at the same time domain names are also keywords that can be used effectively if you understand the mechanics behind them.

When it comes to registration, there are two main ways that you can register a domain name. The first one is to register it through the same company that you will be purchasing web hosting from, essentially getting them to register the domain name for you. The second way is to register it yourself or through a different company, creating two different pathways for your registration and web hosting respectively. When considering which of these pathways is the proper one for you, consider both the security and the convenience that each one offers.

Security

If you register your domain name through a particular company, then all of the good points and bad points of the company have the potential to affect your domain name registration speed, effectiveness and protection. If you register your domain name through the same company that you purchase your web hosting from and a problem occurs with that company, then you will likely run into some problems rescuing your domain name if you want to change web hosting companies. Separating the companies for domain name registration and web hosting therefore provides you with the most overall security in case something bad happens along one of those two avenues. If that does happen, you will at least have the other one left.

Convenience

On the other hand, registering your domain name with a different company is a big hassle and most of the time it ends up not being worth the extra effort you put into it. If you select a good web host it is not really necessary, but security is still important and that is why some people choose to register their domain name through a different company than the one they purchase their hosting from. Ultimately, the choice is yours.

For a novice, the terms domain names and domain name registration can be a bit of a confusing subject. But, in reality, it is quite easy a process, as will be certified by those who had done it, provided you understand the meanings of the various terms involved in the domain registration and hosting process. This article tries to educate the readers regarding what domain name registration is all about, as well as the process of doing it.

The first step in domain names registration is to find a suitable domain name for your website. Since there are already millions of websites in the cyberspace, in most likelihood, almost all direct English words/terms would be taken for naming various domains. This is where one has to be at his/her inventive best. Use your imagination to coin a few domain names, and search online if it is available and create a shortlist for your site. Searchen Networks is one portal where you could search for the availability of domain names.

Once decided on the domain name you want for your web site, the next step is to register it and lock it so that no one else could use it or claim it. Having done this much, now look for a suitable web hosting service provider to host your website. Search the web for popular and proven web hosting service providers, with reasonably priced hosting plans. Shortlist a couple of them, and request a price chart for the services you want for your site. Then choose the one hosting provider which offers a cheaper but better deal.

Another aspect to note while choosing a web hosting provider is the software support their servers offer. For example, for PHP websites, it can be hosted on PHP supported servers only and not simply any platform. Unfortunately, not all web hosting providers may offer PHP support. The same theory applies for database as well. The bottom line: choose a compatible hosting plan, software/technical support wise and price wise.

Finally, if you want a private domain name registration, you could get that done by paying little more money. The plus of private domain registration is that other than the registrar, nobody else in the public domain could access your, the site owner’s, details.

To sum it up, domain name registration is quite a straight forward process provided one knows what to do and how. Most hosting companies will have a technical support team to aid the site owners, and if there is any ambiguity anywhere, one could contact them for clarifications. Hopefully, the above text also helps one to get a gist of the matter in a lucid way. For more info on web hosting and domain name registration, see the web.

As a domainer, I’ve become quite the multi-tasker. I use a few forums to browse the industry and see what’s in the marketplace. The forums I mostly visit are DigitalPoint, DNForum, and NamePros. Going from one site to another often enough can drive anyone crazy, so I have been working on a new tool mostly for myself, but it’s something you find refreshing.

It’s name? DNMarket, and it’s location is http://www.DNWatch.biz. I know, I hate .biz domains too, but some sites are just there to be helpful and who really cares what they are called right?

DNMarket will allow you to see what is happening in the market place forums (which happen to mostly be the only ones I really use much) in real time. Or in reality, every 15 minuets. Each quarter hour, the site will feed in the most result threads generated on sites like DigitalPoint, NamePros, and DNForum which pretty much eliminate the need of visiting all three sites unless you see something that sparks your interest. If you do see something your looking to grab, clicking  on the thread will bring you there in a new window so you don’t loose your spot.

I have found the site quite helpful in my wanderings and use the site every day. I just added DigitalPoint to the mix and may add my own domain forum when sales and posting picks up there. For now, I want it to be as full of deals as possible.

If you find the site helpful, bookmark it and check it daily – I do.

There are millions of websites on the internet, and this number is growing each and day, so it is only natural to search out a particular term or keyword on the web with the aid of a search engine. For online businesses, an owner wants their website to be displayed at the top of search results desperately for visibility and traffic which is crucial for online success. Brain storming by webmasters regarding what to do to make this happen often leads to what we now call search engine optimization or SEO. 

Search engine optimization or SEO is a method of reverse engineering search engine indexing patterns and designing a website accordingly so that it’ll be more search engine friendly. Even though SEO is not 100% successful, despite search engines periodically changing their searching algorithms, it has been able to strike a decent success percentage rate, making it an indispensable technique for most online businesses and other site owners. In the next few paragraphs, we’ll see in brief what all goes behind the method of SEO.  

SEO includes optimizing different factors such as the website design, keyword density, keyword location, contents, Meta tags, total number of pages etc alongside avoiding certain mistakes called that could adversely affect page rankings. 

To begin with, keyword density must be in the range of 5-7%. Since search engines list websites in search results based on the keyword provided for search, it is important that website contents be built around a few keywords which reflect the main theme of the site. However, to have keyword density in excess of 10% can be counterproductive for search engine spiders consider it as deliberate spamming meant to mislead its indexing process.

Page rankings also weigh a lot on the contents of the title and Meta tags. It is the contents of the title tags that are sometimes picked by the search engines to display alongside the URL in the search results. Ideally, the contents of the title tag must be a short description of around 80 words, about the contents of the website. The same applies for Meta tags as well for its contents are also used by spiders to put it alongside the URL in search results.

Regarding keywords, other SEO tips include having the most keyword concentration at the top of the webpage than the lower half, stuffing keywords in links, and occasional text formatting in bold or higher fonts to catch the eye of search engine spiders.

The most common mistake committed by web designers is the use of high quality graphic headers or flash media. While it may look pleasing to the eyes, search engine spiders don’t consider these flashy graphics as something to make sence out of. They do not have eyes and can not see it, so if it takes up a lot of code or area on the page, your keyword density can greatly decrease. The top part of the webpage must be preferably left for contents rich in keywords and limited images. The same principle applies to graphic navigation menus as well. Another common SEO mistake is the use of scripts for site navigation. Remember, search engines can’t read or execute scripts. Finally, avoid attempts to dupe search engine spiders such as by including hidden texts. While it may appear to work in the shorter run, it could spell the end to everything if the search engine finds out what you’re doing. Avoiding redirects is also an important factor.

A domain name or “virtual domain” is a web address composed of a unique word or group of words, name, abbreviation, and acronym or number. It can be just about anything that would have meaning. A domain name always ends in an extension like “dot com”, “dot net” or “dot org” and there are many other extensions including dot biz and dot info most notably.

There is great flexibility in the way a domain name can be directed to a web address. The Internet Service Provider (ISP) is in charge of this. Domain names will direct to the home page of your web site, meaning anytime a web surfer punches in the domain name web address or URL in their web browser, the web home page will come up. But you can also have multiple domain names directing to the same home page. A webmaster can make any web page redirect to any other web page. Most domain names are permanent and you gain more flexibility than you lose. The permanence of a domain name web address is extremely important. It helps your web site to develop a following that only increases in most cases. Since you’ll keep the domain name for life, fans of your web site will not get lost.

The purpose of a domain name is to make an impact from the moment someone first sees it and every time they see it again. It is a creative and significant mental process required to think up a good domain name. It helps to be good with words. It also helps to know how the Internet works.

Buying a domain name is just like buying real estate. There’s a limited supply of choice domain names and a frenzied demand. But you still have the opportunity to register your unique domain name. If you register domain name, its value may very well increase. But you will not want to sell it unless you no longer need it.

Getting a domain name is a relatively simple matter. Typically it is often done with the help of your Internet Service Provider (ISP). It is either directly or indirectly, a “domain registrar” is where domains are registered per year. The average web designer has nothing to do with your registering a domain name and they do not offer this service. 

Here’s a 7 point checklist to make sure to choose the right home to register domain names. Make sure to ensure that your domain name is in the hands of a reliable, reputable and professional company. You need to consider before buying a domain name how long they’ve been in business, that you control every aspect of your domain, and check if there are any hidden charges if you want to transfer a domain Also check if you get any free email accounts and how many, make sure you can use their SMTP servers for sending email, and always make sure you retain control of your domain names. 

Here are some being uses by the generic top-level domain (gTLD): 

dot info stands for information
dot com stands for Commercial
dot net stands for Network
dot org stands for Organization
dot us stands for United States
dot biz stands for Business
dot edu stands for post-secondary educational establishments 

Your domain name is your identity, your address and your work descriptor, all rolled into one. A domain name will be an easy to remember location to find you as well as have something to say about the nature of your work. 

For medium-to-large businesses, it may also register the most common variations of your main domain name. This will enable visitors to still reach your Web site even when they type a letter wrong, or hyphenate your domain name when searching. 

In ask for verification that the domain name is registered to you and not to your registration service provider. And some registrars will register a domain name as belonging to them, which can create problems when you want to switch to another service provider, or want to transfer the domain name.

Here are some ideas were you can get your own domain names:

1) Combine Keyword with Popular Web Site Suffix

There are several hundred suffixes that are popular across a spectrum of Web sites with two word domain names - here are just a few:

*Auctions
*Bid
*Biz
*Central
*Deal
*Exchange
*Find
*Guide
*Index
*Market
*News
*Search
*Secure
*Submit
*Watch
*Web
*World
*Universe 

2) Combine Keyword with Popular Web Site Prefix

This method is identical in principle to  except that you are looking for popular prefixes rather than suffixes.

Here are a few popular Web site prefixes:

4*
Cheap*
Click*
Free*
Go*
Instant*
My*
Search*
Secure*
World* 

3) Benefit-Based Names

These is one of the most creative and know ways of producing new domain names, and a great source of new dot coms for any inventive person. The idea behind a benefit-based name is to express some benefit to the customer in the domain name itself.

4) Put Two Short Keywords Together

One of the more risky ways of producing new names, but its fun, creative, and also has the potential for big rewards. They combine two short, powerful words (or partial words) to create a new name. The name has to be branded, but that actually increases its value rather than reducing it. If you can come up with a couple of good, short keywords that fit nicely together, you might have a real hot name on your hands. Learn more about domain names in our Domain Name Forum!

Here are some ideas were you can get your own domain names:

1) The Future

It stands to reason that new technologies require new domain names. The further away the technology is from commercial application, the better chance you have of finding unregistered names for it. You’ll be facing a lot of competition though, especially from industry insiders.

2) Dictionaries

The usable English language words have now been registered. There are many salable foreign language words still up for grabs, not to mention longer English language words. The Spanish language in particular is attractive and it is the second most widely used language on the Web, but has many fewer domain names registered. Specialized dictionaries are another good source of names. They don’t just contain single words, but subject- related terms as well. Try scanning a dictionary of business terms, marketing terms, real estate terms, even tax or banking terms.

3) Generic Terms

A generic term is simply a term that represents a particular subject or industry, without referring to individual brands. Web users are getting increasingly domain name. Instead of locate a Web site for their topic with search engines, they are guessing at Web site names by typing a generic name straight into their browser. The generic domain names makes very valuable, because once a Web site owner has the name pointing to their site, there’s no other expenses involved in attracting.

4) Buzzwords / Hot Topics

Sometimes subjects that have been dormant for ages get picked up by the media and become white-hot topics of debate.

5) Prefix - popular words with single-letter abbreviations

This is a simple way of generating new names. Just find popular words, phrases, and prefix them with any of the following abbreviations:

‘i’ - Internet, Interactive, Instant, I
‘e’ - Electronic
‘u’ - You
‘v’ - Virtual

The most valuable names are normally ‘e’-prefixed, but it just depends on the word you are trying to prefix.

A domain name is a Web address. It is also very similar to an address forwarding service. A domain name is the address people type into their browser to get to a Web site. The domain name points to the “real” address of the server that contains your Web site content. The “real” address is called the IP address and is a series of numbers. The IP address then points to the location on the server where your Web site files are located. Domain names are used instead of IP addresses because most people find it much easier. 

A domain name is the same as an IP address (which represents a physical point on the Internet). A domain name points to your IP address which is the location of your Web site files on a server. That allows users all across the Internet to view your Web pages. The domain name is letters and numbers that make sense to humans, while the IP address is a series of numbers. 

By having a domain name as your web address indicates the establishment of your online identity. The most important decision you can make since it is generally the most forward representation you will display to curious web surfers. Some people hear about or see a good domain name, which alone can be enough to make them want to look up your web site. Having a business card without a domain name web address puts you at a disadvantage since your competitor is likely to have one.

Establish a web site under someone else’s domain and just have some pages on their web site. Unless there are good reasons to be under someone else’s, your web address will be seen as merely a part of the larger web site. But it is almost always temporary. When you have your own domain name, web surfers know you will be there forever or for as long as your web site shall exist. A domain name is also easier to remember. 

Domain name consists of a top-level and a second-level domain. A top-level domain (TLD) name like “com” is a part of the domain name that generally reflects the type or purpose of the organization or entity. The part of the domain name located to the left of the dot (“.”) - “your domain” in this case - is called the second-level domain (SLD) name. The second-level domain name being the “readable” part of the address - refers to the organization or entity behind the Internet address. Second-level domains must be registered through an Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers (ICANN) accredited registrar.

Here are some tips on buying a domain name:
Make the domain name as specific and unique as possible.

Try and relate it as closely as you can to your core business, but it should be easy for people to remember. The domain name should include a keyword for your business or Web site as a part of the name itself. 

Choose your domain name.
When you choose a domain name make it short. Try and keep the spelling simple and straight forward. The single word domains are best, though two and even three-word combinations will also work provided that they can easily be remembered. Also try and register your domain as “dot com” and not “dot net, dot biz” or some other URL suffix. More people still associate most businesses with dot com. 

Select a domain name service provider or registrar.
When you have chosen a domain name for yourself, you need to visit the InterNIC Web site and choose a domain name service provider or registrar. 

Check for availability
In choosing the company which you will register your domain name, you will get on with the task of figuring out if the name you have selected is available. The homepage of the service provider you choose will be the one to provide a search box where you can type in the name you want. This search will determine if the domain name is available or not. The name you chose is not available the search results will usually offer some alternatives that are close to your original choice. 

Register
Once you have found a domain name that is available, you will fill out the Registration form and contact information as required. Provide real information for the registration details and you may be contacted for verification of ownership of the domain name.