Roz designz: Article#3 | Do I have a choice?

Do I have a Choice?
[selecting the Best Domain name]

It will give you a web identity
People can easily remember your address and in turn guarantee more visitors to your site

Here are a few basics to think about:
What do the "Experts" say? They have said in the past that the only domains that count are the .com domains. This is now passe' since 2003 the new trend is extensions which are also called branding. Extensions that end in .com's are the most valuable, with .net next in line, and then .org. Some of the country domains are increasing in value quite rapidly. The table below gives the background on domains [branding or extensions] and a few examples to look through. Take your time and choose wisely. Think about the overall concept of your website.

"Creativity is allowing oneself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."
--John Jakes; The Dilbert Principle

Your domain can only consist of letters, numbers and hyphens. When using hyphens there is an acceptable and a non-acceptable way to use them in a domain.
- Acceptable: www.palm-tree-city.com [separating words is fine]
- Non-acceptable: www.-palmtreecity-.com [hyphens cannot begin
  or end the domain name]
Keep your domain name as short as possible. A general rule is 3 to 63 characters in length. The domain [palmtreecity.com] for example is 16 characters long; [NBLC.org] is 8 only characters.
Another proven rule to follow when planning your domain is to think about miss spelling. Your potential visitors will be sent to an error page and much or your traffic will be lost.
Using numbers in a domain are okay but can lead to confusion when typing in the domain. Making your domain name easy to remember is KEY.
With over 12 million domains on the web your first choice my not be available. Each domain is one-of-a-kind; this is why numbers or hyphens are incorporated into a domain.

Domain Extension	Domain Description	Example
.biz	Businesses - small companies	www.creativecurbing.biz
.com	Commercial entities and individuals	www.TheEmeraldEmpire.com
.net	Networks and network providers	www.classical.net
.org	Nonprofit and other organizations	www.nblc.org
.edu	Four-year colleges and universities	www.usf.edu
.gov	United States federal government agencies	www.nasa.gov
.mil	United States federal government military	www.defendamerica.mil
.us	Used for a variety of organizations and individuals, including K-12 education, libraries, and city and county governments	power.pasco.lib.fl.us

• Webopedia an alphabetical list of Countries and Their Domain Extensions

A mini history about Domains

Think.com in May of 1985 was the first .com registered. By October of 1991, the registrations grew to 165 .com, 22 .org, 20 .net, 285 .edu and 3 .us. The domains had expanded to include several branding (extensions) which to this date in include a large list of country codes. In 1995, the number of registered domains were up to 6,000 in existence and 2 years later reached 22,000. Now 18 years later (2003) there are over 12 million domains registered.

TIPS:

Make your Domain Name [web address] easier to read. Example: www.PalmTreeCity.com, capitalizing for emphasis will make it clearer to read. The same can be done with your email address. Example: Info@PalmTreeCity.com

This little icon will bring some attention to a website.
http://www.PalmTreeCity.com

• check out the Favorites Icon Maker

The icon will appear next to the domain name in the address bar of the browser. The favicon [icon] will not display unless you have a domain name.

"A man's dreams are an index to his greatness."
--Zadok Rabinwitz

Add this page to your favorites [displayed above]. With this option available on the page it makes it convenient to bookmark a page. What a little attention grabber in the favorites menu! It places the same icon next to the page bookmarked in the favorites menu of Internet Explorer.

Your Unique Web address

The Internet is increasing in size and information on a daily basis. Your unique identity [domain name] is up to you and your creativity. There are several tools on the web that can help you choose the BEST domain name. Try the link to DomainNotes.com below. The concept is in taking a few descriptive words [META TAGS-Article: Get Noticed on the Web] and these tools can bring results in deciding your best choice.

Keeping your domain name strong and clear to read will bring results. Remember no two-domain names can be exactly the same. Wishing you much success!