Domain Names
Domain names are often overlooked in their importance by business owners and their website service providers.
Importance
Web domains have many significant characteristics which are all critical to build a successful website. We’re not going to list them all here, but there are 3 key areas- domains as a website address, domains for branding and domains for search engine rankings.
- Website Address: Domains are a web/internet address for your site or blog- a series of letters (and/or numbers) to form a word, phrase or brand name followed by a domain name extention, most commonly .com
- Website Name: Domains are the Name (and address) which users use to recall and return to your site- they have to be able to remember it.
- Domain Keywords: Domain name keywords are vital in giving websites an edge in optimizing for Search Engine Rankings
Web Address
Now, everyone knows that a domain is a web address, but the problem is that a lot of people don’t consider the second and third areas, which are the important ones.
Finding a Domain site your Site
All too often, when it comes to getting a domain for a website, site owners and their consultants will look for names which are available to register, after finding that all the “good ones” are already registered.
By definition, the resulting domain chosen will not be a good one.
Website owners will spend US$10,000 and more on developing their website, but end up using a terrible domain name because it is available for US$10. (In comparison, domain investors who appreciate the value of domain names, will happily pay up to US$100,000 for a single premium domain.)
The Value of Domain Names
The value of good domain names is something which web publishers must recognise at the outset of their project. The domain for your site is a vital asset in your company and can contribute greatly towards new customers and sales for your business.
Getting it right is of paramount importance as it is the virtual real estate which your website will be developed on.
Free Domain Names
Most deals for free domain names are normally attached to a package where you have to pay for something else. A common example is for web hosting companies to bundle free domains as part of a hosting plan.
The free website and free web hosting providers will provide you with a free URL or web address for your website but it will not be a free unique domain name of your choice such as ‘YourName.com’.
If you’re serious about your site, even if you’re using a free website service, we would recommend that you get a unique domain name for your website and email.