Design
Custom Design - choosing a domain name
please read through the information below:
• Choosing a domain name
• Planning your website
• Organising & gathering information
• Making your website more effective
• What hosting Package
Choosing a domain name
You may not be aware of this, but the domain name is one of the most important features of any website! A good domain name is memorable and snappy, so that when a customer happens across it during the course of their day, they’ll be able to recall it later. But even if your company name is very short and simple, you’ll probably still find a wide range of choices open to you. So you need to make sure you’ve considered all the options before starting to promote your site.
To purchase a domain and hosting package, click here.
If your company name is available, buy it! Your website is a vital part of your brand. Customers looking for your company’s site will usually start by entering your company name followed by ‘.com’ or ‘.co.uk’.
If you haven’t got a very distinctive brand, or your brand doesn’t include a description of your product or service, you can use an easy-to-remember phrase. Companies with big marketing budgets can get away with this more easily than those without them. www.monster.com and www.elephant.com are good examples.
Consider using a number or letter at the beginning or end of your domain name. www.A1kitchens.co.uk will get itself in at the beginning of Yellow Pages, and will also result in higher ratings from search engines than a site that doesn’t include the word ‘kitchens’.
Incorporating a short description of what you do can help get you recognized by search engines. KenJones.co.uk is less likely to pick up additional traffic than KenJonesPlumbers.co.uk. But be wary of long names and hyphens. There’s nothing more frustrating for customers than having to remember the exact spelling and punctuation of your site’s address.
Choose an appropriate domain extension. For businesses based in the UK, a ‘.co.uk’ address is a good start. Alternatively, ‘.com’ often has broader appeal. ’.net’ and ‘.info’ can work, but should be used only as last resorts. Be wary of using another countries’ domain extensions (e.g. ‘.de’, which is the Germany extension), as this can give the impression that you are based somewhere else, and that can work against you.
Purchasing multiple domain names which all redirect to your main site can help bring in people who are searching for your services – so, for example, www.officesupplies.com can forward customers to www.officesupply365.co.uk. It’s also not a bad idea to ‘ring–fence’ your brand. If your brand is ‘madmusic.co.uk’, there are benefits in also purchasing ‘madmusic.com’ - particularly if you are trading internationally.