Where Can I Buy a Domain Name?
Buying a domain name is not difficult. They can easily be bought online. If it is your first time purchasing a domain name, it will probably take you about 10 minutes in total to register and then make a purchase.
Domain names can have lots of different endings or suffixes e.g. .com, .co.uk, ,.com.uk etc. Namesco offers a great range of suffixes and a simple to use registration process. To look at the Namesco site click on the link.
Which Name?
You may want to choose the words which your customers will look for via search engines as your domain name.
This is because it is relatively easy to get to the top of the search engine listings with a domain name which matches the search which your customers carry out. So if you expect your customers to search for “mortgages online” then it can be easier to get to the top of the search engine results if you call your site www.mortgagesonline.com.
I have just done the search on Google and the top 10 results included:
Other factors to take into account when choosing a domain name are:
• If you are targeting returning customers, choose a domain name which is easy to recall
• Your domain name does not need to be the same as the name of your limited company
But My Name Has Gone!
It often happens that your first choice name has gone.
If this happens then consider buying a domain name with a different ending e.g. .co.uk instead of .com or perhaps .eu.
If this has happened then consider variations e.g. adding a hypen. www.mortgagesonline.com is a totally different site thanwww.mortgages-online.com. Or perhaps add something to the name. If your site is about computer games and you cannot get www.computergames.co.ukconsider adding “best” or “thebest” or “latest” to your domain name.
Namesco offer an advanced search facility which is very useful for identifying alternative names.
Other Tips
- Before you start trading under a particular business name, check that you will not be breaching regulations relating to trademarks. For further information go to www.patent.gov.uk. The online advice is generally clear but if you have specific questions, try their helpline. I have found the staff at the UK Patent Office to be consistently knowledgeable and helpful.
- To find out what your customers use to search for your products or services try using Wordtracker. It will tell you how many people search for a particular term and on specific search engines. Fascinating, really useful and ever so slightly addictive.
- I always register my domain names for the longest period possible so that I minimise the chances of me forgetting to re-register and losing my domain name. Obviously you need to put reminders relating to any registrations in your diary. Check out the costs of registration on Namesco.
