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How to Choose a Domain - Part 2
Choosing a Domain
By Sharon Housley
How To Choose A Domain Name - Part 2
Here are some other things to pay attention
to when selecting domain names...
1. Domain Extensions
Many webmasters wrestle not only with choosing the
best domain name, but also with the decision of what
domain extensions to select for their website. The following
is a general guide to what the most popular domain extensions
represent...
.com - commercial (by far, the most popular
domain extension)
.net - network host (often used by hosting companies)
.edu - educational institution
.org - organization
.info - informational sites
If your primary focus is in a local market,
you may find value in a local domain as well.
There are also country-specific domain
extensions, such as ".co.uk" for England and ".com.au"
for Australia. A country-specific domain might be valuable
to you if you have, for example, a Russian version of
your software. In that case, you might want to register
the ".ru" version of your chosen domain as well. Some
studies show that country-specific domains perform better
in that country's search engine results. In other words,
google.com.au will give preference to domains that contain
.au results.
2. Be Different
Distinguish yourself from competitors with a unique
and easy-to-remember domain name. Choose a domain that
is different. Select a domain that will not cause marketplace
confusion.
3. Keyword-Rich
Including keywords in a domain name is often helpful
in ranking well for those specific keywords or phrases.
If you find one available, definitely consider purchasing
a keyword-rich domain. Keyword domains are particularly
useful for content-based web sites.
4. Domain Name Spacing
There is a lot of talk about whether a hyphenated domain
(i.e. this-domain.com) is better than one that runs
the words together (i.e. thisdomain.com). While hyphenated
domains allow search engines to distinguish the keywords,
they also make it more difficult for customers to remember.
Do not struggle with the decision of which domain to
register, as both have their benefits -- just register
both if possible. Domains are relatively inexpensive
and worth the money.
5. Number Of Characters
Obviously, shorter domain names are better. Eight to
ten characters in a domain name is considered ideal,
but not always realistic. Choose a domain that is easy
to remember and not excessively long.
More Info on Choosing a Domain How
to Choose a Domain: Part 1
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds
and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for
RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com
audio recording and editing software.
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be greatly appreciated send an email to sharon@notepage.net
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