What’s in a name, once asked someone? A lot we’d say, especially if it’s your domain name.  Your domain name is a critical part of your address on the web, which people use to find and get to your web site. It is a part of the URL that shows your web pages. For example, in www.greatcopy.com, greatcopy.com is the domain name.

Basics of a domain name

As we said earlier, a domain name is what people use to find your website. So, give its creation some careful thought and register it. You can combine numerals and letters (upto 63 characters) to create your own domain name and use a suitable extension. The most often used extensions are:

.com – for commercial businesses

.gov – for government agencies

.edu – for educational institutes

.org – for organisations (usually non-profit)

.net – for network organisations

There are no rules binding you to the use of a particular suffix. However, it may be safe to use one based on the classification given. If you are a commercial business, .com and .in (located in India) are the best for you to use. Apart from this, consider the following while selecting your domain name:

Connect it with your business. If you have a fancy name that gives users no clue about your business or area of work, it may be difficult for people to identify with it.  (For example,  ‘cakesnbakes.com’ tells you are a bakery and probably not a hardware store.) Though this is certainly not a hard-and-fast rule. Many companies have novel names that do not reveal the nature of their work. But in this case, the trick is to use the company name in the domain name or better still, the service you offer.

Make it easy. Some people may know your actual domain name, while others may be typing in random guesses to locate you online. So, keep the name and spelling simple. It is trickier for people to visit your web page if you spell it as ‘wtrsupply’ than as ‘watersupply’.

Check for competition. Are there similar names? Do your homework before you set your heart on a particular name. Someone else may have already taken it. Do an Internet search or get a registrar (domain name company) to help you verify. You may find that another company or organisation has the same name but different extension (a netexpert.com, whereas you want to register netexpert.in). Best would be to drop that name and find another. After all, you don’t want to drive more traffic to your competitors’ site.

After registering, cross-check to ensure you own the domain name. There are many instances of companies paying for their domain registration, but without owning them as the domains are registered in the service provider’s name. This gives a service provider access to and control over your website. So ensure, you or a reliable person from your tech team owns the website.