Deciding on a new domain name is a bit like preparing for a job interview. First impressions count. Registering a name that conveys the spirit of your business is easy to remember and has the right extension can seem a little daunting. When the URL is emblazoned on your company stationary and painted on your fleet of vehicles, there’s no going back. Unlike in a job interview, you can’t buy time or think on your feet if your answer falls flat.

That’s why your web site URL has to give the right impression and secure that crucial second interview. That means encouraging visitors to log on and search the site. Get it wrong and your company name will be quickly filed in the rejected pile.

No matter how seasoned the web user or experienced the business person, the simple task of deciding on a domain name and registering the address can be a complicated decision making process.

1.                 Think Carefully About Your Brand Principles

Before deciding on a snappy name for your new web property, what do you want your site to say about your business? Are you going to offer information only, will it be an online catalogue, will you sell online or do you just want to encourage visitors to call your office? If you already have a company registered then it makes sense to register a domain name in the same name. If you are just setting up in business try and make sure your domain name matches your trading name.

Whatever you want your web site to do, make sure the name reflects this as best as possible. A name such as Google doesn’t say what they do, but because their search engine was very good at delivering relevant searches, word spread very quickly and now the world knows what Google is. In fact, it’s now a term in the dictionary “To Google”!

So, you can either go for something very obscure such as Yakabozi or choose a domain name that reflects your business. Research your competitors. Have they chosen their company name as their web address or do they have a generic URL? Is your company name effective as a web address or is it too long?

If your domain name is long then it can make sense to break the name up using hyphens. For example instead of using drummondleisureandentertainment.co.uk you could have

drummond-leisure-and-entertainment.co.uk which is easier on the eye.

You can get help when grappling with this issue by keying in your initial ideas as URL searches with your chosen registrar. As well as seeing what’s available, alternatives will be suggested to you, broadening your field of possibilities.

2.                 What kind of Domain Extension?

When you have the first part of the address sorted, you need to decide what kind of domain name extension you are going to go for. There are so many possibilities that there’s a danger of being overwhelmed by choice.

The main rule of thumb is if your business is just aimed at the UK market, then go for .co.uk. If your business is international and/or aimed at the USA as well as the UK then it would be worth going for .com and .co.uk. There are many other variations such as .net , .biz , .info , etc .

If your brand is important to your business then it would certainly be worth registering all the relevant domain extensions. There is nothing worse than someone else registering one of the others, perhaps the .com extension because you were only concentrating on the UK market. If at a later time you choose to target the US market you might want to use the .com and this could mean having to pay an inflated price to the original registrant.

It is not necessary to buy every domain extension but it is definitely a good way to go if you are keen to protect your brand.

3.                 Note Down Registrar Details and Renewal Dates

After registering the domain, the most important thing is to note down all pertinent information including contact details of the registrar, confirmation that your payment has been accepted, usernames, passwords and renewal dates.

Keeping the registrar details handy means you can check back for new services and offers and you’re more likely to notify the company of any new contact details. This is essential if you want to renew your domain when the original agreement runs out.  

Most domain name registration companies will send renewal reminders via email and so it is vital you keep your email up to date with the registrar. Notify them immediately if your email address changes. In most cases you can do this within your online account.

Remember, you are not buying the domain name outright forever. You really own a temporary licence on that name. You pay for the use of the domain name for a fixed period.  A .co.uk domain can be purchased for a maximum of 2 years and will be renewable every 2 years. Others such as .com , .net , .biz etc. can be purchased for up to 10 years at a time.

It’s very easy to forget to update the registrar with a new mobile number or your personal email address so get into the habit of checking your account details with the registrar every once in a while.

4.                 Email Services

Now that you have secured your domain names you are ready to get your online business up and running. To begin with you will need get your email address set up and then turn your thoughts to getting a website designed.

Most domain name registration services do not include full email. If you want email services with your domain name, an additional charge is likely. In most cases you will only get email forwarding. Even for straight forward POP3 email, expect only 1 or 2 email accounts as standard.

You should make sure you get at least 15-20 POP3 email accounts included free of charge with your domain name registration. Most web hosting companies do not offer free POP3 email accounts either because they offer domain name registration as an extra service.

5.                 Website Design and Hosting

To get your online business up and running you will need to have your website designed and hosted. Again the choices are vast and it can be a real minefield. Ask around as you’ll probably have friends, family or work colleagues with web design experiences to share and companies to recommend.

You can also check to see whether your domain name registration company offers hosting. In most cases, your web designer will include hosting for your website. If this is the case, you should always ask who they use for their web hosting. Check them out on the Internet to see whether you would be happy trusting them to look after your online business.

You have a few choices in how your website is designed. You could have a go yourself using the many different website building tools on offer. Again, most companies that offer domain names and hosting also offer a website builder. If you want a more professional looking website you will need to choose a website design business. A basic website which just displays information with between 5 and 10 pages will cost a few hundred pounds. For a more complex website with an e-commerce database for selling products online, expect to pay anything from a thousand pounds upwards. Like most things in life you do get what you pay for. As with any job you outsource, do a little background research and ask to see previous examples of work done for other clients.

This is just a quick 5 step guide to point you in the right direction. There are so many different options and to be happy in your choice, always make sure you take your time and check out any service provider thoroughly before committing. That way, you should avoid many of the pitfalls.

 For more information, visit www.freeparking.co.uk

About The Author
Dickie Armour is the General Manager of Fibranet Services Ltd., the European partner of Freeparking.co.uk. Freeparking is an ICANN Accredited Domain Name Registrar, managing over 300,000 domain names for customers in over 180 countries. Established over 7 years ago, the Freeparking.co.uk website - which pioneered self management of domains and DNS - is the fourth most popular .uk website in the world, according to Minirank.co.uk

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