Important Tips on Finding & Buying Domain Names

Finding a good domain name for your business can be full of pitfalls for the unwary. We are writing this article to help you avoid making the critical mistakes we see being made every day.

Without exception, the mistakes that can cripple your business can easily be prevented.

First Things First

If you are starting a new business, the very first thing you should do is find and buy a good domain name for your business.  Do this before you spend money with a lawyer, create a logo or buy business cards.

Ideally, your domain name will be the same as your business name. For example, Joe's Auto Repair & JoesAutoRepair.com.  This sounds great but because every domain name must be unique and because tens of millions have already been registered, it is virtually impossible to find simple domain names like this any more.

If you start looking for a domain name after you have registerd a business name and purchased your stationery, you are going to be very disappointed when you try to find a domain name that works well for your business.

How to Find a New Domain Name for your Website

WARNING! Never look for domain names by searching the web or typing domain names into your browser's location window. Why not?  Because there are software programs that will immediately register any available domain names you find.

We frequently hear customers tell us they found a domain name that is available only to see that it was registered by someoneelse the same day.

To search for domain names, you should use a WhoIs or Domain Name lookup program.  Whois.net - http://www.whois.net/ - is a good site to use. You can also search at any of the domain names registrars like GoDaddy, Network Solutions, Cheap Names, etc.

How to Buy a Domain Name

You can buy domain names yourself at any of the Domain Name Registrars or you can have your web developer do it for you.  If you have someone else make the purchase for you, make sure your are the Registered Owner.  Never pay for a domain name that you do not offically own. 

We frequently get calls from website owners asking us for help in recovering their domain name.  They have always made the mistake of letting someone else register as the Owner.

They may have had their website and email addresses for years thinking every thing was fine.  Then something happens that brings the ugly truth to light and they find they don't own the domain name and can't get control of it or their website or their email.

Sometimes there are legal remedies but sometimes there are not.  Do it right the first time and save yourself a lot of unnecessary grief and expense.

What Makes a Good Domain Name?

Short is best.  If your company is name Consolidated Insurance and Employee Benefits, Inc., don't think that adding ".com" onto the end makes for a good domain name. ConIns.com or ConsIns.com would be a better alternatives.

".com" is best. Most people think of business websites as ending in .com.  Before jumping to another extension such as .biz or .us, etc., we strongly recommend exhausting your creativity searching for a domain name ending in ".com".

What about other TLDs?  A TLD is a Top Level Domain such as .com, .biz, .net, etc.  If you can't find a ".com" that works for your business, you can use any other TLD but perhaps the next choice would be ".biz", followed by ".us".

What About Hyphens?  Use hyphens only as a very last resort. People tend not think of domain names as a single, unhyphenated word.

What About Buying Existing Domain Names?

There are literally millions of expired domain names that can be bought, usually by auction. Also, there are millions more domain names that have been registered by entrepreneurs for the purpose of re-selling them at a profit.

We believe it is much better to buy a really good domain name than trying to make do with an inferior one.  Over the course of several years in your business, the value of a good domain name will repay the price you paid many times over.  The old expression "Penny wise and pound foolish" is just as true today as ever.