Which domain name should I register?
If you are looking for a
domain name for a website, or if you want to invest in domain names, it
can be difficult to figure out what to register. There are so many
domain name extensions. What is a domain name extension? A domain
extension, or tld (top level domain), is the final part of a domain
name, the part that comes after the dot on the right. Examples of
common domain name extensions are .com, .net, .org, .info, and .biz.
These are also called gtlds (generic top level domains). So, for
example, with the domain name somename.com, somename is the name and
.com is the domain extension (tld).
There are also country code top level domain extensions (cctlds).
Some examples of these are .us (USA), .cn (China), .in (India), .de
(Germany), and .co.uk (UK). .TV (Tuvala) is also a country code
extension but it is often sold as a general tld.
The most common and well known tld is .com. .Com was the first
extension to be used extensively by businesses online. It is considered
by many to be the king of all tlds because of how recognizable it is,
the clout it's use offers and because it is the extension most likely
to be typed-in (people will actually type the .com domain name in their
browsers to go directly to the site even if they are not familiar with
an actual site that may be there - this is free traffic in a sense).
This can occur because people may assume all sites end in .com or that
.com somehow is part of any name or it can occur due to "bleed" from
other tlds - people see a name with some extension and when they go to
look for it or type it in, they put .com instead. For many, .com truly
is the internet.
.Net has generally seen less use than .com, but many still consider
it to be the second most valuable extension. Many isps do use it. .Org
is used by many non profits, various organizations and government
related sites. Considered by some to be the second or third most
valuable tld, in terms of recognition and resale price level. .Com,
.net and .org are the original general use internet tlds. They are
sometimes collectively referred to as CNO. They have been with us since
the mid/late 80's.
New tlds were released starting in late 2001 with .info. This was
soon followed by .biz. .Info, like the previously discussed tlds, is a
general use tld that can be registered by anyone without restrictions.
It is considered by many to hold great promise (in terms of it gaining
recognition with internet users), because of the concept that it
represents, information, which is a big part of the reason the internet
exists, as a medium to transmit and retrieve information. It has seen
some early success in terms of use and resales. A domain name resale is
a domain sale by a registrant usually for much more than the
registration fee.
.Biz was created with the goal of having an extension explicitly
for business. It has the restriction that it only be used for bona fide
business purposes. Some people are less enthusiastic about .biz,
feeling it is slangy, while others feel it will do well in time because
of its specific desigation as the business tld. It is seeing growing
use and even some good resales.
CCTLDS were recently made available at the second level with three
major countries - the USA, China and India (.us, .cn and .in). These
were all previously heavily restricted or only available at the third
level. Of these, .US does require us citizenship or a presence in the
us for registrants. Many feel these extensions will do very well in
time because of their indentification with the country they represent.
One cctld, .de, has been extremely successful, with registrations
rivaling .com and seeing some very high priced resales. Some feel these
other cctlds could also do well in time.
Which domain extension should you choose and register? Most would
recommend .com, and if it is avaliable in the name you want, .com
should be the tld you get. If the name that you want is not available
in .com, then you may want to consider the other extensions such as
.info, .biz or one of the cctlds. Some feel that other extensions in
time will develop .com-like recognition and be typed-in and be well
known as they are advertised by businesses that start to use them.
Others feel that this is unlikely to happen to any great extent due to
the strength of the .com brand. In any event, it is a good idea to
register the .com (if available) even if you want the new tld name (and
it is available) because some people may make a mistake and go to the
.com (as previously discussed). If you register the .com, you prevent
someone from registering it and profiting from this traffic.
As far as the actual name goes, it may be good idea to get a name
that describes your business in the shortest way. It ideally should
contain a keyword related to your business. This way it may be easier
for people to remember your site.
In addition to registering new domain names, you can also register
expired domains using a domain drop catching service or you may be able
to buy a domain name from a registrant through a domain name broker
service, if not directly.
Author:
Tom is a webmaster. Visit the expired domains guide for more information about domains and expired domains.
Terms:Articles may be reprinted provided content is not edited and links are kept live
Source: www.articledepot.co.uk
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