Registering a Domain Name
Want to get online but don’t know where to start? When creating a website the first thing to do is to choose and register a Domain Name. And, let's face it - it can be nerve wrecking.
But, don't worry. This guide will give you a bit more understanding about Domain Names PLUS some TIPS to help you find the perfect Domain.
What Is a Domain Name
This is the name that all your site visitors will enter in their browser to get to your site, e.g. mywebsite.com or mybusiness.com. It's your very own address on the Internet and it tells potential visitors who you are and what you do.
With this in mind, it's definitely important that you choose your Domain carefully - as you would with choosing a business name and logo design - as this too affects your branding.
If you want to learn more about Domain Names and how they work, you can jump to the related topics section at the bottom of this guide by clicking here.
Or, you can go ahead and follow the steps below to choose and register the Domain that best suits you and your business:
Steps to Register the Perfect Domain
- Choose Your Domain
- Make It Easy to Remember
- Get Specific
- Target Your Audience
- Protect your Domain Name
- Check Trademarks
- Reserve Your Domain
- Register Now
1. Choose Your Domain
Your Domain Name should be your business name, related services, or some other way of mentioning your business - like an acronym or anything symbolising your business. That's the key to successful branding and having people remember you. You can refer to the guide below for character requirements:
There are also a lot of online tools for brainstorming Domain Names. If you have no idea where to start, these tools will certainly help jumpstart your thoughts:
2. Make It Easy To Remember
While you do want to be witty, you also have to remember NOT to overdo it. Choose a Domain that's easy to remember. Keeping it simple is the key to a great Domain Name; so avoid long words, slang or technical terms. If you have a great site that people can't remember how to get to, then that doesn't help you at all.
3. Get Specific
Your Domain Name should be unique, since you want to stand out from the competition. Don't choose Domains that are exactly the same as another, but with a hyphen added in the middle or an s at the end. If someone tells their friends about your site, you want to be sure that they make it to the right one.
4. Target Your Audience
This is where you decide whether you want to go with a .com Domain, or something else. If you don't know yet, there are actually countless options to choose from. Knowing your target audience and sticking to the purpose of your website will definitely help narrow your search:
- Country Code Domains
If your business has a target market in a specific country, then this is a perfect option. We recommend that businesses of this type use country-specific Domains. For example: Australian businesses should register .AU or .COM.AU while United Kingdom businesses should register .CO.UK or .UK. It lets your customers know that they are dealing with a local person. - Local Domains
Make your Domain easier to find in local searches. If your business is meant for people in a small area, then this is perfect for you. Google considers both sides of the "dot" in your Domain, so make use of new cities including .MELBOURNE, .SYDNEY, .LONDON, .BERLIN, .NYC, .TOKYO, and more. These new Domains are great for local businesses and relatively new, so many valuable Domains are still available. - Generic and Global Domains
Don’t be limited to the most popular .COM Domain. New Domain extensions allow you to get a more meaningful name, since they're new and still have many more names available. There are new options for businesses like .PLUMBER, .LAWYER or .CLUB. You can make it personal with .GURU or more general with .WEBSITE, .XYZ or .TOP. It never hurts to get the .COM Domain as well, though, and add a 301 redirect to your main site.
5. Protect Your Domain Name
Many brands register multiple Domain Names to protect their trademarks – there are NO limits to the number of Domains you can have at Crazy Domains.
For example, Facebook has their main domain at facebook.com, but they have a great number of other domains, both to localise their products (like facebook.jp, for example) and to make sure that their users can find them even if they have made a mistake typing in the Domain (like facebok.com). They've also registered fb.com to make it easier for people to find them with just a few keystrokes.
6. Check Trademarks
Some Domains are restricted to countries or cities, while others depend on the business that's using them. Then, there are also trademarks. Before you decide which Domain you want to buy, make sure that it isn't trademarked. There are a lot of localised trademark search tools online, but here's a global tool that you use:
It’s also a good idea to check the spelling on your Domain Name and make sure it can’t be misunderstood. You don’t want your luxury pen website to be the new penisland.com.
7. Reserve Your Domain
You don't even need a website to register a Domain: anybody can have one. Hundreds of new Domains are registered every minute. If you have a good idea for a Domain Name, don’t wait to register it – or it could be gone by the time you try. Many webmasters Park Domains if they have a good idea for a website but don't want to commit to hosting it just yet.
8. Register Now
Registering a Domain Name at Crazy Domains is easy and approved quickly – so you can spend less time registering your website and more time being productive.
Click here now to Register Your Domain Name.
We've prepared all the relevant information that you need to better understand Domain Names and how they work. Refer to the guides below, or enter a keyword in the Search Box above to find other articles:
- How Do Domain Names Work
- What If I Misspelled My Domain Name When I Registered It
- Can I Change a Registered Domain Name
- What's Included with My Domain Name
- How to Find a Domain Name Owner
- What Do Registry, Registrar, and Registrant Mean
- What Is a TLD
- What Is a URL
- What Is a Domain Transfer
- What Is a Domain Name Backorder
- What Is Domain Privacy
- How Do I Manage My Domain Name
- How to Connect My Domain Name to My Hosting Provider
