Step 1: How to Choose and Register a Domain

Choosing a domain name for your website or blog can be a tough decision, particularly if you don’t already have a business name that you’re going to use. Chances are you’ve already had a think about what you want to call your website, but before you rush off and register a domain name, learn a thing or two about domain naming strategy.

There are two important aspects to consider when registering a domain name:

• Branding vs Keyword domains
• Geography

Let me explain…

Brand vs Keyword

What do I mean by Brand vs Keyword? For example: www.ipod.com vs www.mp3player.com.

iPod is a brand that has become synonymous with an easy to use personal MP3 player. Or as Apple says in their marketing: 1000 songs in your pocket. In the long term, the branded domain has much more value than the keyword domain. You can trademark a domain so no one else can use it and therefore it becomes unique to your business.

If you already have a business name you plan on developing into a brand, then I recommend using your brand name as your domain. Although your brand name may have nothing to do with what you sell (just like www.apple.com), in the long run, a unique solid brand name can be extremely valuable.

If you’re testing the waters, setting up a niche website, or are highly focused on one niche category of product, then try to register a keyword domain, for example: www.mp3players.com. Search engines love keyword rich domains which means you should be able to rank higher in search engines quicker.

Geography

You have the choice of registering a global style domain name or a local domain. Global domain names take the form of mybusinessname.com, (or .net or .org) while a local domain name is one that is unique to your country. These take the following naming convention:

• Canada: .ca
• Australia: .com.au
• UK: .co.uk
• New Zealand: .co.nz
• See Wikipedia for more

How do you decide which one to register? A simple rule of thumb: if your business trades locally, register a country level domain, if you trade globally, register a .com.

In other words, if you sell a physical product that you want to sell online and ship, then in most cases, go local. Go with a domain name relevant to your country or geographic area such as .co.uk.

If you sell a digital product such as an ebook or software, then you can sell your product globally, in which case, shoot for a .com, .net or .org. Please, don’t go for a .info – they aren’t worth the $2 it costs to register them.

Where to Register A Domain Name

For global domain names, these are the two domain registrars I recommend for .com, .net or .org:

• GoDaddy (I’ve always used Godaddy and highly recommend them)
• Namecheap

For country based domain names, find a local registrar who’s reasonably priced. Don’t use the most expensive or the cheapest – you get what you pay for. Just do a search for “your country domain registration” on Google.

Take Action Time!

Go and register your domain name. It’s the first essential step on the road to making your own website, and at about $10 it’s a cheap investment in your business.

Next step: Setup a Website Hosting Account.