What makes a good domain name

The number of online businesses has soared in recent years and it seems as if every good word or phrase for a name is already taken. Not so. With some insight and a lot of patience, it’s still possible to create a dynamic domain name for your internet business.

First, get away from the computer. Sit down with pencil and paper and write down all the adjectives you can think of that describes your business. Make a list of individual words as well as phrases. Try various combinations and see what works to describe your business. You’re not done yet. 

Second, look at tricks to boost domain name visibility for search engines and directories. Being near the top of the alphabet still has advantages. Create a name starting with A, B, or C. This technique works especially well with alphabetical order listings in directories. Sure, Google and Yahoo aren’t at the top of the alphabet but remember that these companies spent millions creating an identity. Most small start-ups don’t have that kind of cash.

Third, try to have your domain name in your url. For example, a fictitious business called My Handy Widgets can have a url of myhandywidgets.com or my-handy-widjets.com. Your website may have a better chance of appearing in the top search results if someone types words which appear in your url.

Forth, a usable domain name should be easy to spell. Although many people will use a mouse click to bookmark the site, some may still just type the name into their browsers.

Fifth, perform an exhaustive search to ensure the name isn’t already being used. Most web hosting companies offer a lookup service so you can check if the domain name is available. Recently, some web hosts have come under fire for placing a ‘hold’ on names searched for on their sites. A better way may be to simply type the url into your browser and see if anything comes up. If you get a ‘site not found’ message, chances are the name is available.

One last tip. Some website owners prefer to use their own name as a domain name, i.e., johndoe.com. That’s fine, but remember to respond promtly when your site name comes up for renewal and pay the required fees on time. Also, think about how long you’ll want to run an online business. Is your business venture long term? Short term? In any case, remember that once the
domain name expires due to non-renewal, it’s up for grabs. Someone else may acquire your name.  

In conclusion, there’s no such thing as a ‘sure fire’ domain name that guarantees success on the web. However, you can improve your chances of being found with the tips just described. 

What do you think makes a good domain name? Comment on this post and let me know.

Coming up in my next post . . . How to secure a domain name.

How to minimize website design and maintenance costs

For start-up small businesses, developing an online presence can be a major investment. Expenses include domain name registration, website hosting, design, and maintenance.

The first two items are relatively easy and inexpensive. Affordable online resources exist for registration and hosting. The price of web design and maintenance can vary quite a lot for a number of reasons as mentioned in the previous post.

Keep website design and maintenance costs low by including only essential content and graphics. Stay away from adding ‘fluff’ or ‘decoration’ to the site. Examples include an overabundance of pictures, textured page backgrounds, and ornamental page borders. From a design perspective, these things are unnecessary and detract from the usefulness of the site. If the content doesn’t reinforce the product or message, it doesn’t belong on the website.

Be aware that various types of website development may incur additional expense such as flash design, programming, proofreading, copywriting, and photo editing. Flash design includes animation and insertion of music or video. Web programming is needed to create e-mail and feedback forms, advanced flash animation, and login protected areas of a site. Proofreading typically means checking for spelling errors but may also include a check for correct grammar usage. Photo editing entails anything that alters the original picture such as cropping, changing colors or background, and adding or removing objects.

Once you and your designer have finalized website layout and content, changes in these areas will result in extra design work and hourly charges. Spend a lot of time thinking about what you want your website to do, then stick by that decision. If you need to make changes, try to make small ones. A major layout overhaul will cost you.

Keep website maintenance costs in check with regular monthly updates. Usually it’s easier and more efficient to make all updates at once than to make small changes over a period of days or weeks. Your designer can schedule your job in a timely manner and you won’t be hit with charges for a ‘rush job’.

Here’s a summary of the tips to reduce the price of web design and maintenance:

• include only essential content
• minimize or omit the use of flash
• write and proofread your own web page text
• use photos ‘as is’
• reduce, preferably eliminate, changes to layout or content
• implement all updates at one time
  

Your web designer will thank you and you’ll have an affordable website.

As a business website owner, what roadblocks do you encounter, financial or otherwise, when developing your website? Let me know.

Coming up in my next post  . . . What makes a good domain name?