You can’t have a website without a domain name so one of the first jobs will be to locate a suitable name. The domain name that you select could be with you for a long time and changing domain names can have some serious implications. With that in mind, it is worth taking some time to select a memorable domain that represents your business ethos.
1.1. The Anatomy of a Domain Name
Generally, a domain name is broken into three main parts which are logically split from right to left. We can disect www.bowlerhatsolutions.co.uk as follows:
.co.uk - this is the domain extension
bowlerhatsolutions - this is the label or domain itself and is a sub division of .co.uk
www - this is an additional label and is a sub division of bowlerhatsolutions.co.uk
1.2. Choosing a Domain Extension
The first thing to consider is the domain extension (.co.uk, .com).
SEO Starter Guide for UK Business Web Sites
Lets have a quick look at the domain name extensions available and what theactually stand for. This will provide you with the knowledge to select the domain extension most relevant for your business. The below list is not exhaustive but covers the usual suspects.
• .eu - domain extension for the European Union
• .co.uk - commercial UK
• .com - commercial, usually USA but also used for worldwide commerce
• .me - domain name extension for country of Montenegro, also used for individuals
• .mobi - for use with mobile devices and services
• .info - for purely informational sites and resources
• .biz - for business use
• .uk.com - commercial UK
• .net - generic extension, used for worldwide sites
• .uk.net - generic, UK
• .org.uk - uk organisations
• .me.uk - uk individuals
• .org - organisations
• .tel - intended for use as a global contacts directory
• .name - used for individuals and named services
So, as you can see, there are a few options. Generally speaking, if you are to be running a business, in the UK then .co.uk is the one to go for. You can back this up with .com as well but it is not necessary to do so. The uk.com, .biz and .eu are also used but if possible you are well advised to stick with the .co.uk or .com as they are the most commonly recognised of all domain extensions for UK businesses.
1.3. Choosing Your Domain Name
Right, so you have decided upon a domain extension (or a shortlist) and are ready to start looking for your domain name. This is where it can get a little tricky as so many of the obvious domain name choices have already been snaffled up. Ideally, your domain name should be the same as your website name. So, for Bowler Hat Solutions we use www.bowlerhatsolutions.co.uk. This is really just a common sense factor as people will learn to know your business name and will either search or type that into a search engine when looking for you. If you are an existing business, then people already know you and your brand so this is doubly important. Once you have decided on some options for your domain name you need to visit a domain registrar and search for the domain.
If your desired name is taken and you are an existing business then it is not the end of the world. You can ensure that your site still comes up for searches for your business name easily enough so go for a short or simple abbreviation.
This is easier for new businesses as you can take the naming of your business into account when looking up available domain names and make sure the two are well aligned.
There are no hard and fast rules, if your business name is Teds Interesting Tape Solutions then the abbreviation maybe a little misleading (and likely taken) - use your common sense, find something that is easy to read from a business card, easy to type and can be passed on by word of mouth with a low probability of error (avoidhyphens).
1.4. Registering a Domain Name
Once you have found an available domain name, you need to register it right away and fill in all the relevant details. The big deal here is to make sure you are using a reputable domain name registrar, reason being is that you need to be the registered owner and many of the underhanded companies will take ownership themselves so they can overcharge you once you have a successful website tied to that domain.
A good registrar will also provide a control panel with a series of tools you can use including email forwarding, a temporary holding page and the ability to make all of the changes to where the domain name points when you get your site up and running.
The actual process itself is easy enough, you provide your business details and the period of time for which you want to register the domain name and make payment. It is important to note you never really own the domain name, you just have the right to use it for the given period of time and first refusal to re-register the domain name at the end of the given period.
If you have any questions or would like some help choosing and registering a domain name then please drop me an email and I will get straight back to you:
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