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Domain Name The first thing you need to do when making a website is to get a domain name. Don't know what that is, why you need it or how to get one? This page explains all that and more.
A domain name is your address on the web. It's the information that people type in to find your website. It's what comes after the www. in www.domain-name.com The domain name for this site is 2makeawebsite.com A domain name can be any combination of letters and/or numbers up to 63 characters. The official domain name extensions are .com, .net, .org, .us, .info, .biz and .ws. There are also other extensions like .tv and .tk but don't waste your time with those. Stick with a recognized one. How to Choose a Good Domain Name Here is some information and tips to help you select the best domain name for you: Keep it short. The shorter, the better. It’s best to keep your domain name less than 15 characters if possible. A shorter name is easier for people to remember. Plus, it reduces the chances that a visitor will spell it wrong. For example, BuyThis.com has a lot less chance of being mistyped than isellthispleasebuyitfrommenow.com. Keep it sweet . The more memorable your domain name, the easier it is for people to remember. You can have the best site in the world, but if people can’t remember your domain name it will cut down on return visitors. It’s hard enough to get traffic on the web without “losing” visitors that want to come back but can’t find you. Keep it simple. Make sure the domain is easy for people to spell. Don't spell words strangely. People will type in the common spelling of your domain and your competition will get visitors who were looking for you. For example, MusicBlue.com is much better than MusiKBlu.comChoose a domain that reflects your business. Don’t just choose a random name. For example, if your sell horse supplies, you should choose a name that has the word “horse supplies” in it such as YourHorseSupplies.com. Or, your domain name should refer to horses in some way, like whoa.com. The former will help you in the search engines. The latter will be memorable. When in doubt, choose a .com. If you are debating between several different domain names, go with the .com. It’s what most people think of when they are typing in a domain name. It’s true the best names are gone, but you can still find a good .com if you look. Thousands of .coms expire and are released back in the market each month so there is always a steady supply of new domains coming into the market. Best Place to Get a Domain Name I get my domain names from Fast Easy Websites. I think they are great. I have almost 50 domains and they are all there. They only charge $11.95 for a domain name registration which is cheap and they are really reliable. They have people available 24 hours a day by phone and email and they have been helpful without any attitude when I've had a problem. Please note: It doesn't matter to me which place you go with for any of this stuff, but if this is your first site I recommend Fast Easy for everything since you can get everything you need there (domain name, website builder and/or hosting and site submission.) It's convenient and they are really good, reliable and cheap. Here's a price comparison so you can see how their prices compare to other places:
Whatever domain company you decide to go with will have a search box. Just type the domain name you want in the search box and it will tell you if the domain is available. If it is, just follow the steps and pay for it. If it isn't, search for another domain name. You can use their search tool to find variations of the domain name. It may take you a bit of time to find the one you want, but keep looking you will. Tip: To prevent an increase in the amount of spam you get - if your registrar offers a private registration option, choose it. It hides your name and email address from spammers who mine the domain registry database. Okay, now that you know all about domain names let's go to The Next Step: Making a Website --->
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