Website Domain Names
Registering a Domain Name for Your Website

Hurry!! They're running out!
OK, so that sounds a little drastic, but it's the truth...the pool of domain names is shrinking daily so if you have a website in mind, snap up that domain name as soon as you can. Web domain registration is easy and quick, but not when the name you want is gone, gone gone.

Picking a name.
Search engines care about your website domain name. If you get a name with keywords in the name (notice mine? websitebeginner), it'll help your rank in the search engines. That's not to say that you have to. I have another site that has a totally nonsensical name, because that's the name of the company, and through heavy branding and marketing, it does just fine. All I'm saying is that it's way easier on your placement if your domain name has a keyword or two in it.

When looking for a name, consider alternatives with hyphens, so if they're all out of www.dogleashes.com, you might look for www.dog-leashes.com. Try out a few by using this domain finder...

Be aware though, when it comes to hyphens, that the less you need to explain to someone when giving your web address, the better. So if you used the last example, remember that you'll be saying "dog dash leashes .com".

Now, the different types of website domain names available: .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz, etc. I've bought a few .net domains, but generally, I prefer to stick to .com, simply because that's what most people will punch in. That's not to say that .net and .info and the rest aren't useful. They may be great because the name is more important to you than the suffix.

Speaking of all those different suffixes, web domain registration sites can be annoying, trying to upsell you all the other alternative suffixes for your domain name. Personally, I've never had a site which I thought was worth paying for all those other domain names, too. So if you're like me, just press the "no thanks, continue with my purchase" type button if they start inundating you with these add-ons.

Now get your domain name decided on this instant, ya hear? Hop on that web domain registration bandwagon before someone snags your fabulous idea!

Ready to put your site online? You'll need a Web Hosting Plan...