Web business beginner series - Part 2: Choosing a domain name for your new Web site

  Choosing a domain name is generally one of the first few important decisions that you need to take when you embark on your Web business journey. An appropriate domain name can be a significant factor in the success of your Web business. Read Hasnain Zaheer's tips to choose and manage a domain name for your Web business.   Please note: This article is written in an Australian business context but has substantial global information.   A domain name is not only the identity of your web business but also its address. No wonder, great domain names are key factors in the success of many a Web site.

Domain name for an existing business

  If you have an existing business or brand and your Web site is being built as an extension to it, then the choice is simple – your domain name will be in a form similar to www.yourbusinessname.com.au (or www.yourbusinessname.com, www.yourbusinessname.co.uk or www.yourbusinessname.in depending on the country you are located in and the scope of your business).

 

You may optionally modify the domain name a little by adding online or any other word to denote that this is your business on the web (but ensure that that the resulting domain name remains protected as a trademark).   If you find that the name of your existing business is already taken by someone else, then one easy option is to politely request the current registrant to hand it over back to you. You may offer a premium. You can find the current registrant contact details by checking the whois information at Who is, allwhois.com or truewhois.com.   You may also consult your lawyer to take legal action but in that case you need to be ready to spend considerable time and money to win it back with ‘iffy‘ chances and is generally not a very quick or cheap task.   You may also choose to buy a domain name from a marketplace such as Sedo or Great Domains outright or in an auction.

Domain name for a new business

  If you are starting a new business, then you need to decide both:   Name that appears before .com.au or .com; and   Domain: a top level domain such as .com or a country level domain such as .com.au); 

Name

  When choosing a name, ensure that it is short, memorable and preferably identifies the type of business you are in. Ensure that your domain name is not too long or too complex. If the name can be spelled in different ways (such as American and British styles in spelling), then register all the variants and re-direct them to the main site.   You only have the universe of available names to choose a domain name. Make a list of names and run them through the whois database to check whether the name is available or not. You may check out www.whois.com, allwhois.com, truewhois.com to check availability of a name. Make a shortlist of available names and choose from among them.   Ensure that your domain name does not infringe the business name or company name of another business. It would be a very costly setback if you lose your domain name after you have developed a business and a brand around it.   It is popularly believed that generic domain names that have key words or phrases of their industry or vertical have good SEO prospects for those keywords i.e., their Web sites are better ranked by search engines for those keywords. For example, www.searchenginewatch.com is a portal for search engine information. A search for search engine information in Google places it at the top rank (as on 6 October 2009). Remember that having keywords in domain name is just one out of hundreds of factors that determine ranks of Web pages and domain name as a factor in search engine optimisation (SEO) is a separate topic in itself.

Domain

  1. The domain can be .com.au for Australian businesses. (You need to have a business name or company or trademark applied for or registered when you apply for an Australian domain such as .com.au) 2. You may also have a .com or .net or .biz TLD (top level domain) if it is available. 3. It is also possible to register multiple domain names and re-direct them to a single site. This helps when your users are unsure of your domain TLD. For example, if you have registered both .com and .com.au and have re-directed the first one to your main site, then you can advertise both domain names because a user can reach your site by typing any of the two domain names.  

Registering multiple domains

 

It is generally recommended to register domain names of your business across the important domains. For example, even if your Web site is located at www.yourbusinessname.com.au, you should register www.yourbusinessname.com, www.yourbusinessname.net and your www.yourbusinessname.net.au at the minimum. This precludes domain squatters from misusing your domain name, diluting your brand and reputation and diverting your prospective visitors. Secondly, even if your customers do not remember the correct domain, they are still re-directed to your site.

Local or global domain

  If your business is local, then www.yourbusinessname.com.au should be the domain name where the site is located. If you serve global customers, www.yourbusinessname.com would be preferable. Many customers get an indication of the geographical scope of your business from your domain name and the correct use of TLD (country level TLD like .com.au for local business and .com for global business) guides them well.   Examples: Social Text located at www.socialtext.com is a global business operated out of Australia whereas Alkemi serves Australian customers. Their domain names correctly indicate their scope.

Link your domain name strategy to your brand strategy

  Many export businesses would like to have a country domain such as .com.au to denote their location and benefit from the positive perceptions of the country. This is an entirely valid strategy. Decide on the basis on whether you’d like to be perceived as a local country business or a global business.

Price

  Web developers often offer to register the domain name for you. If you accept the offer, you may pay a huge premium for it. Check the market prices at any of the domain registrars such as Domain Central to get an idea of any premium you may be paying to a developer for doing a simple task of registering and maintaining a simple account.

Whose rights?

  You never own a domain name, only licence it for a given period. If you fail to renew it, another party can register it after the end of your term.   If someone else has registered your domain name, ensure that it is registered in your name with your contact information. The developer’s name should only be mentioned under Technical Contact of the domain, if at all.

Renew and maintain

  Monitor the renewal of all domain names in your portfolio. Generally, a domain needs to be renewed every year. Subscribe to an alert message from the registering authority but have your own reminder to renew your domain name.   Your domain names are part of your business IP. Account for them, maintain a list with renewal dates, and never lose your rights to them. Review them as part of your branding review and include them in your branding strategy.   Domain name is at the heart of your Web business. Ensure that: 1. You have an attractive and marketable domain name that is also legally clear. 2. It is protected and kept away from dispute by having a business name or company and trade name; and 3. Maintained by ensuring that it is listed in your name and regularly renewed.

Further reading and references:

  Check out Business Entry Point for business name and company issues. Read Staking your claim on the Web ). Australian Domain Name Administration has basic information on .au domain names Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is the administrator of global TLDs.

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Do you have any any other ideas that a business owner need to keep in mind while choosing a domain name? Write your ideas in comments and continue the discussion.

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Tags: domain name Australian domain name indian domain name in au domain premium domains choose domain name

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