Choosing a domain name is an incredibly important step when creating a new website - a common mistake is to put too little thought into it. It can be very challenging to find a good domain name, mainly because so many of the good ones seem to be taken. A domain name can make or break your business, it can be the difference between success and failure.
When you start thinking about domain names, you want to ask yourself what the purpose of the site will be. Do the research and find out what your customers are searching for, and try to include relevant keywords in your domain name if possible. Once you’ve chosen a domain name, be sure to take a step back and make sure the combination of words does not spell something unintentional. A friend of mine leads a women’s entrepreneur group and wanted to have a domain that included the words “women’s” and “exchange”, she very nearly purchased “womensexchange.com” which could have been disasterous due to the alternate meaning.
So how do you determine if a domain name is already taken? You need to use a domain searcher like Ajaxwhois.com, all you need to do is type in the domain you want and it will let you know what is available. If the “.com” version of the site is taken you can either A) Choose a different combination of words or B) Try a domain with a different extension like “.net”, “.ca”, “.org” … etc.
Domain names can include up to 127 characters. You can include the letters A-Z, numerical values 0-9, and hyphens - but the domain name cannot end with a hyphen.
Another alternative is to buy an existing domain by contacting the current owner, or you can deal with a “Domain Buy Agent”, they offer a service where they will contact the owner of an existing domain and make an offer on your behalf for purchase. Keep in mind that if you purchase an existing domain you also purchase it’s history and links, so if the previous owner was up to something shady you may run into problems.
If you’re creating a new domain name you will need to purchase the name through a domain registrar. The registrar business is very competitive, here are a few of the top rated companies for your convenience:
Note: It is not recommended to purchase hosting services from the same company where you purchased the domain name.
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