A domain name is the one that remains as the key to one’s identity in the internet network. Domain names are used to provide identity to various internet resources. It is just like a street address that can be identified by using the street name. In the case of  HYPERLINK “http://www.google.com” www.google.com, google.com is the domain name of the website. Domain names have the ability to perform various functions like enhancing a product, or a business, and improve the search engine ranking. Domain names should reflect the website content or the business functions offered by a company.

How to Choose The Domain Name

A domain name should be in such a way that it is easy for the users to remember and spell. A short domain name is preferred by most web owners because it is easily remembered by the visitors. Any domain name within the character range of 5 to 20 characters is considered apt for a website. However, it is important to check whether the domain name reflects the proper idea of the website.

Extension plays an important role in determining the popularity of a website. It is always wise to choose the “.com” extension because it is more popular than other extensions like “.biz”, “.net” and “.org”. However, if the desired name is not available in the specific extension, other extensions can also make a good deal of popularizing the website.

Brand names, or company names, can be used as domain names to popularize the brand. Moreover, product names can also be used if the website deals with a specific kind of products. If the site is a blogging website, domain name should reflect the main topic of the blog. Web crawlers crawl through domain names that have the exact keywords used for searching.

Hyphenated URLs can be used as domain names in case a specific domain name is not available. However, it is not a proven thing that hyphenated keywords can be tracked by the web crawlers. Some hyphenated keywords may create confusion for visitors and there is a possibility of getting lower ranks in the search engines.

Finally, it is important to register the domain name for a longer period of time so that it will not expire suddenly. Moreover, it is not a bad idea to register for similar domain extensions in addition to the one that is in use. Though it is not a mandatory process, it could help to protect the niche.