The purpose of this article is to discuss how to choose a domain name for your online business.

WHAT IS A DOMAIN NAME?

Before we talk about that, it’s important to know what is a domain name?

Let me explain . . .

Recently, I went to a lawyer to change my name for some administrative purposes. To my surprise, the lawyer told me that I can change my name to anything I want. And I can certainly change it again and again with just a small fee!

However, he told me with a serious expression that I cannot change my ID Number!

Though all of us have an ID Number and a name, we remember people by their names and not their ID Numbers. It’s just so much easier to remember my name, Roger Loh, rather than by a long string of numbers, don’t you think?

On the other hand, computers on the Internet communicate via Internet Protocol (IP) address. Each computer is identified by an IP address in this format:

eg. 192.168.100.1

Thus, strictly speaking, when you want to access a certain web site for information, you have to remember and type in the string of numbers that is the web site’s IP address!

Thank goodness someone came up with the concept of domain names. In short, the Internet now use a Domain Name System (DNS) that converts domain names to IP addresses.

eg rogerloh.com -> 192.168.100.1

(Note: this is just an example and not the real IP address)

Now, all you need to do to access my site is to type my web site address [www.rogerloh.com] and the DNS will convert that to the actual IP address so that you computer can find my site.

So, a domain name is the part that comes after the "@" in your email address, or after the "www" in your web site:

Eg. A person with an email address of someone@rogerloh.com has a domain name of rogerloh.com

Eg. A person with a web site address of www@rogerloh.com has a domain name of rogerloh.com

Each domain name is also UNIQUE. Thus, since I have registered my domain name ‘rogerloh.com’, you cannot register it even if your name is the same as mine.

HOW TO CHOOSE A DOMAIN NAME

Before you register your domain name, here are some pointers on how to choose a domain name:

1) Choose a name that is easy to remember

2) A short name is better than a long name. However, short 1-word names are already mostly taken up. That’s one of the reasons why you should go for other domains beside .COM (such as .NET .BIZ .INFO .WS)

3) Instead of 1-word names, you can create domain names by joining 2, 3 or even 4 words together (such as my domains, ‘ViralMLMLeads.ws’ & ‘ViralMLMLeads.com’.)

Note that the capitalization is to capture the attention of humans easily, especially when we advertise the domain name.

In other words, domain names are NON-case sensitive. You can type in viralmlmleads.ws or VIRALMLMLEADS.WS or ViralMLMLeads.ws.

4) Some gurus advocate the use of hyphens in domain names. (So, a domain name can be viral-mlm-leads.com)

However, it is not conclusive that the hyphenated domain name is superior to the non-hyphenated name in terms of search engine ranking.

In fact, some gurus advocate that we must NOT use hyphens. They argue that when you tell someone your domain name verbally, it can be misleading and confusing! It’s better to leave the hyphens out, especially when you do an audio recording or tele-seminar or advertise in the printed media.

5) The name should contain keywords that you are targeting for your online business. Keywords are search words or phrases that people typically type into their search engine when they look for information on the Internet.

Eg. Let’s say I provide a solution to generate leads for MLM through a funded sponsoring franchise. Thus, it makes sense for me to include the terms like ‘MLM’ and ‘leads’. That’s how I got my domain name ViralMLMLeads.com

6) Before you go about registering a domain name, make a list of names on paper first. You can start with at least 10 to 20 names by brainstorming. Then cross out those that you don’t want and prioritize those that you want. Next, attempt to register those you want according to your priority.

7) Think about how it would look on your business cards. Your domain name must be relevant to your business.

Eg. Do not choose a name associated with dog training if your online business deals solely in dog food

8) If you have a choice, secure a .COM domain name instead of any other extensions. Some people have tested that a .COM always rank higher on the search engines.

For further information, download your copy of FREE ebook on "How To Register A Domain Name And Build A Web Page Quickly And Easily!" from: http://www.rogerloh.com/20061105-domainweb.html If you are in a hurry to register a domain name, click the link =>http://domains.rogerloh.com

If you’re like everyone else who has a website, you want traffic, and lots of it at that! You know that there are millions of web surfers out there each and every day, and that there must be at least a few thousand daily that would be interested in what you have to offer. The only question that remains is how do you actually get those people who you know would be interested to come to your site?

If you’ve had your site up for any amount of time at all, and have been actively marketing it, then you have also probably submitted your site to every search engine you could find, placed a few ezine ads and maybe even flung up a few banners. If you have tried everything that you have heard and read about, and are still not satisfied with the traffic you are receiving, then maybe it is time to try something else entirely.

What if I told there was a legal, ethical and quite effective way to get traffic to your site that more than ninety-nine percent of the web population overlooks? Would you be interested in knowing what this technique is, and how it could help you get the traffic you need? Sure you would, let’s talk about it a bit further.

Right now is a great time for you to consider using expired domains to garner traffic for your site. Expired domains can be a terrific source for traffic that is otherwise going to waste. You may even find a related domain name which is also already listed in Yahoo, which would give an instant savings of the $200 Yahoo listing charge.

Think of it this way, for just the cost of a domain name, you could be the recipient of tons of traffic. Look at it this way, registering a domain name is now under $10, can you bring in hundreds of visitors daily for any better deal than that? I don’t think so! Did you know that every day a little over three million targeted visitors are hitting an expired domain? Wouldn’t you like to have a piece of that traffic? Then maybe you might want to consider putting expired traffic to work for you.

There are several reasons why webmasters let their site expire. Some simply get tired of the work involved while others just get too busy with their everyday life to maintain the site. There are a few who just get careless and let the domain expire, or are low on cash and just quit altogether. The thing about that though, is that even though the site is no longer active, the traffic just keeps on coming. This makes for some very desirable virtual real estate.

When you register an expired domain, you do need to research it to make sure it doesn’t have it’s traffic coming from sites you’d rather not be associated with, such as adult porn sites. If you’ve done your research and the traffic is acceptable, there are a couple things you can do with the new domain.

First, you could simply put up a redirect to send the traffic straight to your site. Or, you could sell the domain name for profit. Domains with heavy traffic coming in will make you a decent profit if you decide to sell instead of redirect.

Hopefully you’ve gained enough information from this article to satisfy yourself on whether expired domain name traffic is a tactic you’d like to use to get traffic to your site.

Sign up for a FREE 7 day mini-course where Stanley Tang reveals exactly how to get barrel loads of targeted traffic to your website at http://www.increasetargetedwebsitetraffic.com

When changing over to a new domain name, there are some precautions you should take before doing so. You must determine whether it’s important enough that you change domain names to possibly lose some established customers and efforts you’ve made to gain traffic to your website.

If you already have a number of visitors coming to your website, then please think really hard before getting a new domain name. Consider the risks. If you’re still sure this is the route you should take, then read the tips below for a smooth domain name transition.

What You Should Do Before Changing Your Domain Name

Below is a quick checklist of things to do before changing your domain name. Do these BEFORE you cancel your current domain name. Otherwise, you could lose valuable information or content on your website!

1. Create a thorough backup copy of your entire website.

This includes autoresponders you may have created in the email portion of your hosting control panel. Don’t make the same mistake I made when changing to a new host. I forgot about the email section completely. There were several emails and two autoresponders I used on a regular basis. These were, of course, deleted when my website’s hosting was shut down. I had to try and remember all the emails I had created and re-write my autoresponder messages! Imagine if I had 20 to 30 autoresponders or emails. What a nightmare that would be!

Check with your hosting company before changing domain names to see what is involved in backing up your site. If you have special programming features stored for your site, you’ll need to back up these as well.

2. Re-design your web pages with the new domain name inserted in all your links. Before switching to a new domain name, be sure your site is designed with its links all changed to the new domain name. When you upload the new domain name to the Web, the website should be fully functional under the new domain name.

Redirect to Keep Good Search Engine Rankings

Understandably, a brand new domain name will be subject to the "aging delay" at Google and other search engines. The aging delay for your new domain will happen because search engines will not recognize it as your "same old" website. They will assume it’s a brand new one because of the new domain name.

To help things move along faster, keep your old domain name for a while until your new one gets established. Only, do a "temporary redirect" on your old domain name. You can create this through your domain hosting control panel or by contacting your host if you’re not sure how. The search engines will recognize the website as your old one much quicker.

Once your new domain name starts getting indexed in the search engines, change the redirect to a permanent one for a while. A "permanent redirect" should be left at your old domain name until your new one has been established at the search engines and any other sites or directories that were linking to your old domain name.

Your goal is to hang on to the old domain name while waiting on the new domain name to get established. It’s well worth the effort, even if it costs you a little more each month for a while!

Changing a Large Company’s Domain Name

If you own a large company or corporation with many employees using your website, this process can be even more complicated. Your employees’ log-in information must be updated on the new domain name. Check with your hosting company and in-house programmers to find out what needs to be done.

Changing over to a new domain name is a pain, but sometimes needful. Decide if it’s right for you and use the tips above to simplify the process.

Written by Candice Pardue, editor of Web Design Weekly. Receive *FREE* web design tips and tutorials by email. Go here to subscribe to Web Design Weekly today and get free web and graphic design training to your email every week… http://www.webmastercourse.com/subscribe/

If you’re considering buying a domain name, don’t worry! Below are some very simple steps to take before, during, and after the process. It’s easier than you think to register a great domain name.

As the Internet grows, catchy domain names are becoming scarce. It can be difficult to find a domain name that best suits your company because so many other people in your field might be thinking of the same domain name. So, you must be creative and brainstorm a little while to decide on the right domain name for you.

Brainstorming to Choose a New Domain Name

Coming up with a great domain name can actually become a family event. You can spend quality time with your family while trying to brainstorm for the right domain name. Even the kids will enjoy trying to think of great names - they might even hit the jackpot and pick a winning domain name!

Write down these four things before getting started:

*Your company name.
*Your products or services.
*Who is your target audience?
*Are you planning to do heavy advertising and branding for your domain name or small-business marketing?

These four factors can help you come up with a great domain name. When you buy or register a domain name, you must consider these things before getting started because they will help determine how effective certain types of domain names will be.

Can’t I Just Use My Company Name?

You shouldn’t use your company name as a domain name unless your company is well-known to the general public, or you plan to make it well-known through heavy branding. The only other time you should use your company name is if the name is short and simple, and if it reflects the type of business you operate.

For example, if you own a company called "The Roland Brothers" and sell children’s toys, then the company name is not related to the product you sell. Visitors to your site will have a difficult time remembering this domain name. However, if your company name is "Tot Toys, Inc." you could easily secure the domain name "tot-toys.com" or something similar if that one is not available, and you’ll still have an effective domain name. This all depends on what you have to offer and how the company name relates.

Otherwise, follow these simple rules to buy a domain name:

*Keep it simple.
*Keep it short.
*Avoid excessive dashes or other symbols within your main domain name.
*Choose a ".com" domain name if possible if you plan to operate an online business. Or, choose ".org" for an organization, ".edu" for an educational site, and so on.

That’s all there is to it for brainstorming! As you’ll see in the next step, to buy a domain name is easy, choosing it is usually the hardest part!

How to Buy | Register the Domain Name after Choosing One

Once you have a great domain name in mind, you must go online to a "Web Hosting" site or "Domain Registrar" site to check for availability of that particular domain name. Most web hosts also offer domain registration, and will allow you to check availability for free. You can check as many domain names as you want at no charge. Some sites will even offer alternatives for your domain name if it is unavailable. So, visit your chosen host or registrar site and locate the "Register Domain Name" form. Type in the domain name you have chosen and select a suffix (.com, .org, .net, .edu, etc.).

Then, submit the domain name to check for availability. If the domain name is available, you can continue registering it right then and there or you might want to shop around for a cheaper price before registering your domain name.

Finding a Great Registrar and Web Host

If you choose to shop around before you buy or register a domain name, it’s best if you can find affordable hosting and domain name registration together with one company. However, it is not required that you host your domain name at the same place where you register it. It’s your choice.

Remember, domain name bills only come once a year, but many hosting companies charge monthly. By shopping around, you might even find a company offering a huge hosting discount if you pay by the year!

Be sure the company is reputable. Look for companies that are established on the Web. Ask around at discussion forums to see who everyone else is using and to get some feedback. It’s worth doing research because you will be with your web host and/or registrar for many years to come.

Once your domain name is registered, you can secure hosting for it. You will probably be required to wait up to 48 hours for your domain name and hosting to be set up. Once set up, you can start loading your web pages at your new domain name. And…. you’re in business!

It’s really easy to buy a great domain name, but the whole process can be confusing for beginners. Use the tips above to register a great domain name today!

Written by Candice Pardue, editor of Web Design Weekly. Receive *FREE* web design tips and tutorials by email. Go here to subscribe to Web Design Weekly today and get free web and graphic design training to your email every week… http://www.webmastercourse.com/subscribe/

Are you a domainer? What’s a domainer - a person who makes his or her living from buying and selling domain names or are you just interested in this fascinating field? If you are you probably know about domain parking, and are probably actively involved right now and if you are you may be losing hundreds if not thousands of dollars every year. Wether you are a seasoned domain parker or complete newbie, either way you could be losing money as we speak, this is your money and it is money you should not be losing out on, but I’m going to show you 1 (one) simple method to put more money in your pocket than you had yesterday.

How because you have probably parked your domains at one of the large domain parking hosts. These companies take a cut of the revenue from the ads they serve on your parked domains. This would be ok if it were not for one thing, they do not drive traffic to your site. All they do is give you access to a simple template which may have some smarts behind it but basically you are the brains behind your business, you sought out and bought the domain, you drive traffic to that domain and the big boys are taking a cut out of your ad revenue. I call this the Great Domain Rip-off. Wouldn’t you prefer to take all of the money from the ad revenue, after all it is your domain?

Well you can and it is so simple. You will need a hosting account, but you would more than likely have that already if you are actively working in the domain business anyway. You then just create some very simple HTML templates and put in your own adsense, adbrite or clickbank links and you have an instant money making machine. You need to apply similar design and ad layout as the big boys, as they have done the research and know what gets clicked where and how often.

If you do not have basic (as that is all it will take) HTML skills you can hire a freelancer for minimal cost at elance or guru.com and for a one off payment you will have a template you own for life to do with as you please and park as many domains with that template as you wish. For a one off fee there are new companies that will give you access to their templates and hosting and you get to keep 100% of the ad revenue but they do all the work, you just drive traffic to your domains as you always have.

Either way you need to avoid the Great Domain parking Rip-off now and stop losing your hard earned money.

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Author: Jason O’Leary
For more information on domaining and domain parking visit:
www.sellingwebsitesrevealed.com
"news and product reviews"
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There is an entire industry that does nothing except buy and resell expired domain names, and most of their inventory comes from grabbing the expired domain names of businesses just like yours.

Knowing these ten items below could save you hours of time & aggravation, and save your businesses hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

These are, in my opinion, the ten things you absolutely must know about your company domain name…

Domain registrar company name – This is the company that your domain was purchased from. The registrars website is the only place you can update or renew any domain information – look this up at http://www.betterwhois.com and type in your domain name, then a confirmation code you’ll be provided. Instantly, you’ll be given the name of your registrar.

Domain registrar username and password – Wherever your domain was registered, there is a user name and password required make any changes. This username and password is crucial for you to know.

After determining the registrar, visit their website and attempt to log in. If you don’t know the login and account name, you’re going to have to contact them, either by phone or by email.

Domain registrant – Normally, the business owner is the registrant. But, whoever possesses the registrar username and password is effectively in control of the domain.

The registrant is the legal owner, but many companies find out too late that they’re not the registrants of their own domain names! Often, it is an ex-employee, or the web hosting or design company they hired to create the website.

This leaves the site owner out in the cold if they ever want to make hosting or design changes. Your initial search at http://www.betterwhois.com will also show this information below the name of the registrAR.

Domain registrant contact information – The contact information of the registrant MUST be kept current at the website of the registrar. If you register a domain name and then change your email address or ISP, you will never be notified that your domain name is expiring, and you will lose your domain name.

Verify the registrant contact information at the registrar’s website. This is how most domain names are lost. When the expiration date comes up, the registrar attempts to notify the registrant. If there’s no response, then you lose it.

Domain Expiration Date – For obvious reasons, you should be well aware of when your domain name is set to expire. There are vultures perched on every tree branch waiting to pounce on your expired domain name, then try to sell it back to the rightful owner at 20, 50, or even 100 or 1000 times the actual cost.

Domain “Locked Status” – New domain name registrations are “locked” by default at the registrar. This means no changes can take place without an email notification getting sent to the registrar. If you’ve had your domain for a couple of years, your registrar may not have your domain name locked. Check this at your registrant website.

Your Web host - It’s hard to believe, but many businesses faced with the loss of a key employee don’t even know who is hosting their website. To determine your webhost, do the following”

1. Use http://www.betterwhois.com to determine your “Name Server” settings

2. Visit DNS Stuff and use the search box under “DNS Lookup”, (selecting “NS” from the dropdown box) to search for one of your Name Server settings. Just type in the domain name, without the first prefix, which is usually NS.

3. This should give you the name of the domain that owns your name servers. In many cases it will match, but in some cases, it will be another domain name.

4. After you have the Name Server owners domain name, just visit that site to get their contact information.

FTP Username and password of your domain – Not only is it important to know the company that’s hosting your domain, but you should also know their phone number, email, and their website. However, to make any changes to your website, you need to know your FTP address, your FTP user name, and your FTP password.

This information is to be guarded closely, and should always be changed after any key employee or subcontractor leaves your employment.

Domain control panel access - This is provided by your web host for convenience, and it’s where you would add or remove any email addresses, mailing lists, FTP users, or subdomains to your current domain.

Complete control of everything in your website starts here, and the username and password for the control panel should also be held close, and distributed only on a “need to know” basis.

Website Visitor Statistics - Only the most antiquated web hosts don’t offer free comprehensive reporting on your site visitors. Amazingly, many business owners aren’t even aware that they exist, or have no idea of the wealth of knowledge that they hold. Contact your webhost, and find out where and how you access your site statistics and give them a look.

Some Definitions:

Domain name - This is your url or your “address” on the web. www.domainname.com

Registrant - This is the legal owner of any domain name. Contrary to popular belief, this can is not always the business owner or company that is using the domain name

Registrar - This is an online service for registering domain names. There are dozens, perhaps even hundreds of registrars to choose from, and prices range from $7 to $30 per year, per domain name.

How devastated would you be if you lost your domain name and all of your company email addresses? Not a month goes by that I don’t encounter yet another business that got caught with their pants down… Don’t you be next!

Find out the answers to these ten items, fill them out on a worksheet, and keep it safe for future reference. You never know when you’ll need it.

Scott Hendison is an internet consultant that specializes in search engine optimization and internet marketing. He has written over 100 articles that are available on his website. He has also developed a tutorial area for beginning search engine optimization, at ‘SEO101‘

If you want to have your own domain name, then you will need a domain name registration service. Having this makes the process easier to finish.

A domain name registration service is important for first timers since they are not yet familiar with all the twist and turns of the registration process. Without using this service, it will be hard for them in dealing problems that they might encounter.

Using your business name is advised by many domain name registration service so that it will be easier to find a unique name. It’s hard to use an original one since all domain names have been already used. You can use your business name but it’s better to think deeply when selecting your domain name.

Choose a domain name that is easy to remember and fitting. Avoid adding numbers to it to prevent the users from being confused. Only use domain names which are related to your business name for it to be easily remembered.

Choosing a domain name registration service is like getting married. You’ll stick with it forever if you have no plans of changing it. Therefore, a cautionary note is important when deciding for a domain name. Be wise in choosing so that it will last until the end of time.

People that will use your site will soon come to find your site through the domain name. If you have a distinguishing domain name, visitors will find it easier to remember and they will often visit your site. Once visited again and again, it’ll be stuck in their heads and visit it all the time…CONTINUE

Article Taken From http://DomainNameRegistrationGuide.useful-tips.com

Written by Jed Baguio
Orginal Article Location:
Insider’s Guide On How To Pick The Best Domain Name Registration Service

Today, domain names are no known as the web addresses. Profitable companies have made their domain names the brand and name of their company. You can get your own domain name by getting domain registration information so that you will know the important tips on how to get the best domain names.

Web site owners use their company name for their domain names so that it can be easily remembered by the users and to keep them coming to the sites frequently. They will also come up with a unique domain name easily.

Choosing the domain name is very essential in domain registration information which can be use for the rest of the site. Consider domain names important like the names of your own product and company name. Company and brand names are original so it will surely make the domain name available for use too.

Important domain registration information that you can use to put the whole planning process of your domain name are discussed here.

Choose between branding and the keywords in picking the best domain name. This probably difficult process to determine but you need to know that this should be your first step since everything will follow to it. Changing names is not advisable so that your frequent visitors will not get confused. Some instance are that they will be directed to your new site and this may or may not bring a favorable cause to your site since some visitors may not want to be pointed to other site. Others are too lazy while some may not understand what to do. Having a standard domain name which you will use throughout the years or as long as your site exists is the best solution you should do…CONTINUE

Article Taken From http://DomainNameRegistrationGuide.useful-tips.com

Written by Jed Baguio
Orginal Article Location:
Domain Name Registration Information That You Should Check

The Internet has brought many advantages; one of these is having your own domain name. With the great number of domain name registration companies online, all website owners have to do is to choose the company that will meet their needs.

Although there are advantages brought by registering for domain names, there are also some disadvantages it gives. One is the thought of giving out all of your information. Since domain name registration needs all personal data for validity purposes, many worry about what they will be giving out.

It is diagnosed for your personal information become available online since there are scammers and spammers who will be using your data for their own selfish desires and gain. Some domain name registration companies are very careful with the website owner’s information but some are just reckless in keeping them.

To keep away from possible dangers that domain name registration process can give, it is advised to all applicants to take extra care to things they give out.

What can you do to protect yourself?

Since giving out false data will not work, it is better to take it from those who have been there and done it. There are two things you can do to protect yourself from those who might try to get hold of your info. The following are as follows:

Substitute registration

After registering your domain name to a certain company, you will be under a binding agreement to abide with the rules being set by the registrar. Therefore, supplying them with the things they need…CONTINUE

Article Taken From http://DomainNameRegistrationGuide.useful-tips.com

Written by Jed Baguio
Orginal Article Location:
How To Protect Your Identity When Doing Domain Name Registration

If you able to find a domain name registration reviewer that will give you the best advice, then you are on your way to having a suitable domain name which will work well with your sites and you’ll be able to retain and protect your chosen domain name.

According to many domain registration reviews, there are ways you need to remember to lessen the risk hackers taking control of your domain name that will lead to your loss. Below are some of them:

Be sure to maintain control of your domain name.

You should know that your chosen domain name registration company can make changes in your domain name info. This can be made possible especially if you are not making any attempt in making necessary changes.

See to it that the ones appearing in your domain name contacts are the information you supplied to the registrar. If you see that some of the changes are not made by you, then you can contact them to correct your data.

Have a not-so-easily-deciphered password.

Although a lot of domain name registrars have password protected capabilities, there are still many hackers that are already wise to these things. Some can even guess your password in just a few clicks away.

That’s why it is best advised not to use ordinary passwords. Try these with a complex combination of letters, numbers or even symbols. You can go for passwords that do not form legible words. Use passwords that will give hackers a very hard time breaking…CONTINUE

Article Taken From http://DomainNameRegistrationGuide.useful-tips.com

Written by Jed Baguio
Orginal Article Location:
Domain Name Registraion Reviews That You Should Be Reading