More small business owners are becoming aware of the importance of having a strong online presence and this year, a large number of them will take the leap. Are you a part of this group? You are on the right track. Here are some tips on domain name registration for your small business and most importantly how you can pick a good domain name for your business.
Look towards country specific extensions
If your business is targeted towards a particular geography, you will be best served registering a domain name that reflects it. Domain registrations with country specific extensions mean registering a .nz name for a business in New Zealand or a .com.au for a business in Australia. This is a great way to instantly convey your business focus and is equally great for your local SEO efforts. However, you will be required to show proof of registering the business name in some cases to be allowed to use such an extension.
Pick a name that is favourable with Business Directories
Business Directories online and offline list items alphabetically. When people go to these listings, they rarely look beyond the first 3 alphabets. The closer your business name is to these 3 alphabets, the better. This doesn’t apply to Search Engines but you need to cover all ends in your quest to establish an online presence.
“Short and simple” is always better
You don’t want people going off to your competition because they couldn’t spell your domain name accurately or even remember it in the first place. This is why during domain registrations, it is best to find domains that are 10 characters or less. “Short and simple” doesn’t mean “impossible to pronounce” though.
Convey what you do in your domain name
“Choosing a domain name that includes what you do, is a great foundation for your search engine placement” says Brendan at Umbrellar. If you run a car valeting service for example, a good domain name to register would be www.joesvaleting.com or www.carvaleting.nz depending on availability.
Register as many extensions as you can
The goal of any business is to succeed and grow beyond the owner’s expectations. However, with that growth come different challenges. One such challenge is the competition registering a similar domain name as your business to poach your customers. You can avoid this by registering other domain name options for your business. You can do this by snapping up the major extensions like .net, .biz, .com, etc.
Use a trusted domain registration company
Failing to get your domain registration done with a trusted registration company leaves you staring at potential hours of crisis management, lost business and lost man hours in future. Get it right the first time.
Keep all registration details safe
After a successful domain registration, you will most definitely get an email with your registration details, login credentials etc. from your registrar. Keep the entire content of this email safe. It could come in handy in a decade or two when your business can’t afford to lose its domain name.
Choose the right hosting company
A good domain name is only ever as useful as the web hosting company allows. A web hosting company that doesn’t allow fast access for your clients and is nowhere to be found during down times is detrimental for your business. This is why many people register domain names with their trusted webhost
Use professional email addresses
One of the benefits of registering your own domain and setting up a web hosting account is that you will no longer have to use public email extensions like @yahoo.com or @gmail.com. Your potential clients will look upon your business more favourably if you and your staff operate email addresses that end in @yourdomainname.com.
