Choosing a Domain Name

What is a domain name? Your domain name, or URL, is your “address” on the Internet, with your website being your “home”. Take your time in selecting a domain name, as it will be a reflection of your company and its offerings, as well as instrumental in directing people to your website. You may want to select your company name as your domain name, especially if your company name has good brand recognition. If this is the case, it’s often a good idea to buy different variations of your company name. For instance, three different domain names consisting of your company name, and ending in “.com”,”.net”, and “.org” Another tactic is to choose a domain name related to your company’s product or service, especially if you’ve used your product or service as a keyword in your advertising campaign. This is also a good way to capture the attention of people searching the Internet using your product or service as a search term, e.g. “ driveway repaving”. How do you know if the domain name you want is available? Go to a site that offers domain name look-up services, such as Whois.net. Simply type in your desired domain name to see if it’s available for purchase. Whatever you decide on for your domain name, it’s important to cross-promote it in all your marketing and advertising efforts. Make sure to include it on your business cards, letterhead, email signature (with a hyperlink to your website), as well as in any print or broadcast ads. Michelle Mizuno is the Vice President of Marketing at Complete Business Systems. Complete Business Systems provides a ready-to-go branding package for your company, including website, logo, business cards and letterhead. Additional services include postcard design, databases, press release and web content writing. For more information, visit www.completebizsystems.com, or call 800-479-9186 x 83