These days, you really can’t start a small business without getting on the Web, but it’s also never been harder to score a snappy URL.
There’s reason to worry about a shortage of marketable domain names. To date, more than 70 million domain names have been purchased, and most - if not all - dictionary-word domain names (i.e. house.com, furniture.com) have already been taken.
But that doesn’t mean business owners should give up the search for a domain that is easy to remember and could boost traffic.
1. Consider boutique extensions such as dot net, dot md and dot tv. But keep in mind that type-in traffic is generally low for any extensions besides dot com. In addition, “you wouldn’t want to get a dot net where a competitor owns the dot com,” Collins advised.
2. Try creative alternatives, add prefixes, or look for basic synonyms. For example, Mermaid Pool Co. might try Mymermaidpool.com. It always helps, however, to keep the domain relatively short and sweet. “We hate to see someone spend a lot of money on a name that’s difficult to remember,” Collins said.
3. Make an offer. If your desired name is already in use, you can inquire directly with the owner about buying it. With Whois.net, you can find the e-mail address of the person or company that owns the domain name you want. Then, you can make them an offer via e-mail.
4. Find names on the secondary market. Business owners can search for domains that have recently expired through sites such as snapnames.com or purchase a pre-owned domain name through a broker. Discounters like GoDaddy.com and 1and1.com offer brokerage services, as do Afternic and Register.com.
Many people believe that the value of domain names - much like real estate - will keep rising. A great domain name is a lot like a waterfront home. It will always be worth more because of the desirable location.
Photo by fugue .
Jason Clegg on August 7th, 2006 at 8:59 pm
It does seem that, these days, every new business idea almost begins with checking for an available domain. Another idea: use hyphenated site names (www.new-website.com). Word has it that Google and other engines disregard the hyphens when considering keywords.
Dane on August 8th, 2006 at 5:56 am
Good point. Google has long treated hyphens as spaces in domain names.