Tips on How to Buy a Domain Name
It’s really hard to find a good domain name these days because everything is taken so when you find one you better snatch it up fast, right? Well, yes you want to try to be speedy about it but in this haste you could be making a mistake.
Example: A few days ago, I was looking for a new domain name for my future girly blog. (A blog where women come together and, well, talk about girly stuff!) Anyways, after finally thinking of a title “A Chick’s Place” for the blog and matching it with the domain name (achicksplace.com), I quickly purchased it. Then, I went to type the url in after my purchase just to see what the page displayed. My reaction was complete shock when I was directed to a porn site! Why was I directed there? Because I left off the “a” in achicksplace.com. BAD NEWS! What if my mom was going to my site and left out the “a” by accident?…I can only imagine her face when she would see what’s coming next.
In a nutshell, you really should make sure that common variations of the domain name don’t lead to bad sites. It’s also a good rule of thumb to purchase a domain name that is so similiar that if someone typed it in slightly different, it would still lead to you.
Example: I own www.acowboyswife.com but some people tend to leave the “a” off so I also purchased www.cowboyswife.com. I was lucky it was available. I’m sure I have lost potential readers because that one little letter was left off.
Some simple rules to remember when purchasing 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.
You should also consider a few things before buying your domain name:
- Your company name if you have one.
- Products or services you will promote.
- Target audience. What kind of readers are you looking to gain.
- Are you planning to do heavy advertising and branding for your domain name or small-business marketing?
If you are looking at your domain name from an SEO perspective, you would want to use keywords.
Example: My gal Kate started a new blog recently called Blogging for the Money with the domain name of www.bloggingforthemoney.com. This is great because when someone does a search for “blogging for money”, this helps her chances of getting her blog seen faster.
If you are looking for a domain name for a personal blog, you want to consider your title. The earlier you show up in the alphabet scale, the earlier you’ll show up in listings and blogrolls.
Example: For my new girly site, (that’s not ready for promotion but you can have a peek) I wanted my title to match the domain name AND I wanted it to start with an “a”. Why? Because when you submit your site to directories, obviously “A” comes first making it seen before the others. Get it? So I chose “All Chick Stuff” as the title of my blog with the domain of www.allchickstuff.com.
As you can see, the title and domain match perfectly. The domain is short and simple, it starts with an “a”, and ends .com. It also targets women and what we like..’stuff’!
If you are buying domains but don’t plan on setting them up anytime soon, I recommend you use Godaddy. If you are looking for a reliable web host, I recommend Bluehost but you can see my top 10 and make your own choice.
I hope these tips help you in your domain name decision making. These are just a few simple hints to get your blog started off right and one step closer to having a better blog. Give yourself and your blog a good self assessment test what type of keywords will work for you if that is the direction you are after.
If you have any questions, just ask and I’ll do my best to answer them.
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You had to post this after I bought a domain! I tease because I love. This is a great post. I’m gonna stumble!
Leigh’s last blog post..New Blog!
That’s like when I went digging around for a new domain I prefer .coms and were usually seeing some .nets available but didn’t want and then blam the perfect name but it ended up being a comic book site. No porn here man. LOL As for you cowboyswife.com you can make it redirect to acowboyswife.com so they get there.
A domain name full of keywords is good, but a memorable name is better. I agree on your post on making domain names simple, short thus sticks well on people’s head.
Good tips that are logicially thought out but so many people sometimes don’t consider them when acquiring their domain names.
Stumbled
betshopboy’s last blog post..Super Sunday Tipoffs #1
Great tips. I recently did something similar when I purchased katyinlasvegas.com. Typically people spell my name incorrectly so I also own katieinlasvegas.com. :o)
By the way, great coupon code for Godaddy is Skinny3. It’s worked like a charm for me for months now and I’ve been purchasing at the lower price of $7.14 per .com.
Good luck with the new site!
Katy’s last blog post..Blogs Blogging About You
I used your advice! This morning I purchased thedollhouseblog.com and dollhouseblog.com!! I am so excited I could pee myself!
Leigh’s last blog post..Thursday Thirteen #1 (again)
Thanks for the tips. I found this article very helpful.
Christina’s last blog post..Photo Friday: A Challenge
I agree that good, catchy and short domain name is always better than using keywords but such names are become very hard to find, unless of course you want to pay substantial amount just for domain name.
Nice post. I believe there is value in domains with keywords in them.
valmg’s last blog post..Any small business owners out there?
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Lori, this was a 100% ROCK ON post! Such great advice, and I’m not just saying that because you called me your ‘gal’ and gave me a link.
When it comes to buying domain names, you made a point that I haven’t seen stressed sufficiently elsewhere:
Having a blog name beginning with “A” definitely puts someone ahead of the pack (except on sites like Electric Venom where I display 10 random, non-alphabetical links at a time).
There’s a second lesson to be learned from your entry, and it’s this: Never, ever, EVER give your blog a name that begins with “The”.
(And, after 5 years of blogging at this point, I’d also be thoroughly pleased to never see another blog name which includes “ramblings”, “thoughts”, “rants”, “musings” or “ideas”. But then again, I’m a bit… ‘venomous’… when it comes to creating and promoting a blog persona.)
Kate’s last blog post..WordPress Made Easy
Thank you Kate. That’s quite a compliment coming from you!
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