Essential Success Tips for Selecting And Registering Domain Names

Many people believe that selecting their domain name for their web site is a routine tasks and not very important. This is a big mistake as there are a number of very costly things that can and will go wrong if you are not aware of the important factors you need to take into account.

Answers to these important questions need to be found and fully understood before you can proceed with registering your domain name in confidence.

This important activity is often seen as routine technical / administrative tasks and insufficient attention is given to it. This is particularly the so with newbies who have little experience of the wider issues of internet marketing and the more technical side of the internet.

Register Your Site's Name

The site (domain) name you choose should meet as many of the following criteria as you can manage:

* Short as possible

* Avoid hyphens

* Contain keywords that describe your niche

* Preferably choose the dot com extension

Don't do this –

A much better choice is would be –

Not only is the second example easier to remember, the major search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN will generally give higher rankings to these sites. This means that your site has a greater chance of been found when someone is doing a search for one of your keywords.

There are many companies that specialize in registering domain names. I recommend that you use one of the well known services such as GoDaddy to register your domain name. The annual fee for this is usually less than $10. Before you can register your domain name you need check that the name is still available. Most sites provide easy search facilities to do this for you.

You need to be aware that your registration is for a fixed period (usually a year) and needs to be renewed before it expires. Failure to do this will enable someone else to register your name.

Tip #1:

I suggest that you register your domains for periods of at least two years, as this indicates to the search engines that you are committed long-term and not just out to make a quick buck.

Tip #2:

Also, if you have a number of domains, arrange for them to all expire at the same time. This makes them easy to manage and less likely to expire by mistake.