Small Business Websites

Tips for Domain Name Registration

Written by Charles Mburugu for Gaebler Ventures

Domain name registration is a necessary first step in establishing and maintaining an online presence. A well selected domain name can be the key to your new site's success in various ways, the most important of these being additional search engine traffic.

Domain name registration is a simple process which can make the difference as to whether your site will be found, or will remain obscure.

A good domain name registration, especially for online businesses, is easily executed, but at the same time demands choices that will have an impact on the effectiveness of your site. So, the following are some things to keep in mind when conducting a domain name registration.

Consider the extension. It could be a .net, .org, .info, .com etc. Any of these will be crawled and indexed by search engines. However, you would be better off if you could get a .com for your preferred name. This extension is not only more common, but is also sounds more legitimate than other extensions.

Avoid registering your domain name with your web host. The reason for this is should you decide to leave your host, it's another process altogether to move your domain. Split them up and you will be glad you did.

Registering your domain name with a reputable company will cost you anything between $1 – 10, depending on the extension selected, and the duration you sign up for.

For domain name registration, perhaps the most crucial aspect is the choice of keywords to be used in your domain name. Make an effort to use the main phrase or keyword you would like to use to optimize the whole site, and try to create a domain name around it. The search engines usually favor keyword rich domain names.

Keep it as short as possible. A short name is more memorable than a long one. Avoid using the name of your company, unless it has the keywords in it. It is pointless to rank high for your name when no one is looking for it.

Make sure your domain name registration stays topically relevant. With search engines getting smarter and smarter, sites that show total relevance will have a higher ranking than catch all sites.

Finally, make sure you avoid other companies' copyrights and trademarks in your domain name. For instance, let's say you are an affiliate of Amazon.com. It would be tempting to use another version of that name for promoting your affiliate site. Don't do it! It will save you many legal headaches later.

Charles Mburugu writes for us from his home in Nairobi. He has a graduate degree in Business Management from Kenya Institute of Management. He is interested in writing about branding, CSR and intellectual property.