What exactly is a domain name and why is it important? First of all, your domain name functions as the identifying resource of your website. Domain names are used by the Domain Name System (DNS) to help users navigate through the worldwide web and find your website easily. Each resource, as in every computer connected to the internet, has an IP address (Internet Protocol), like a specific address. However, these IP addresses are complicated and difficult to remember, so domain names are a better way for people to recall how and where to find your website.
The Domain Name System is hierarchical, meaning it comes in levels called sub-domains. For example, the .com or .net in a domain name is referred to as the top-level domain or the first-level. Codes that come after .com or .net which stand for countries, such as .uk for the United Kingdom still fall under this level. The actual “name” of the website, the words that come after ‘www’ are the second-level domains. These names are those that you can reserve or buy so that people can find and connect to your website. The third-level domains are generally for more specific addresses within the second-level domain.
One of the first steps in creating a website is domain name registration. This is to ensure that your domain name isn’t already in use by someone else, and for everyone to know that the name has been taken by you. This way, you have a unique, identifying address exclusively for your website. There are specific companies around the world that have the authority to grant and register your domain name. These are called domain registrars, and you will have to undergo due process if you want to get your domain name properly registered for public use. Domain registrars are responsible for helping you assess whether or not the domain name you want is available then looking for other possible names should your initial domain name be taken.
There are the bigger, more popular registrars that people regularly go to, such as GoDaddy. A lot of registrars merely offer new registrants a straight-up process but there are other, smaller domain registry companies that give their customers the option for add-on services such as web hosting, web design, live technical support and other similar packages upon registration. Straight-up registration is cheaper of course, for as low as $10 a year, but if you think you’ll need more assistance, you can go for a slightly higher registration rate that includes specialized services from the domain registrar. The thing to remember is to know your needs and have a working budget; if you think you don’t need any additional services, you can merely go for simple registration and get someone else to handle the other aspects of your website for you when the need arises. Or you can compute the cost of availing of a domain registrar’s services compared to hiring extra assistance in the long run. Whatever you decide, make sure to do a bit of background research first and compare domain registrar companies so that you can make an informed decision.
When it comes down to picking a new domain name there are 3 options you need to take in to account the chooses are:
- Pick you own company name for example www.creatingconcepts.co.uk this looks great but there are down sides on the SEO part
- option two is add a keyword in with your company name for example www.creatingconcepts-webdesign.co.uk this will help the search engine understand what your company is about
- The finial option would be go for a exact match if its available for you product www.webdesign.co.uk the chances are 99% of the types of domain have gone
The conclusion is the best options is buy one and two, this way you can put www.creatingconcepts.co.uk on all you documents and emails and redirect it to www.creatingconcepts-webdesign.co.uk this way you have your keyword and the nice looking domain.
