Domain Name Selection Tips

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Before you can build your website, you'll need a domain name, so this is a great place to start when building your website.

Keep the following tips in mind when selecting a new domain name:

1. Try to choose a domain name that describes your business. This will help in promoting your site.

2. Your domain name can be 2-63 characters long (not including the extension), and contain  the characters a-z, 0-9 and '-' (dash). Domain names cannot begin or end with '-' (dash).

3. If your first choice is unavailable, try using synonyms, rearranging the order of the words, adding hyphens, or using abbreviations to come up with an alternative.

4. It is best to keep your domain name short and simple. The shorter it is, the easier it will be to remember. While most of the short and simple .com domains are already taken, you usually have the option to purchase a domain with a different extension.

Here are definitions for some of the extensions you can choose from:

.com represents the word "commercial," and it is an unrestricted global domain name extension. Many businesses prefer a .com domain name because it is a highly recognized symbol for having a business presence on the Internet. But, the number of available .com domain names is shrinking as more and more businesses go online.

.net represents the word "network," and is an unrestricted global domain name extension most commonly used by Internet service providers, Web-hosting companies, or other businesses that are directly involved in the infrastructure of the Internet. Additionally, some businesses choose domain names with a .net extension for their intranet web sites.

.org represents the word "organization," and is an unrestricted global domain name extension that is primarily used for non-commercial sites. However, many commercial entities register the .org extensions corresponding to their .com domain names in order to protect their brands.

.biz is a restricted-use global domain name extension used for business web sites. As a relatively new type of domain, .biz offers a company the opportunity to get the domain name it really wants and enhance its presence on the Web with a domain name that means business.

.info is an unrestricted domain name extension that creates an opportunity to reach a worldwide audience with information about your business and ideas. .info is growing in popularity, but still has many great names available.

.us is a restricted-use country code that may be used by any individual or organization with residence in the US or its territories, including foreign organizations that do business in the US.

What about .TV and .WS?
Although they may be marketed as such, .TV does not mean tele-vision and .WS does not mean web-site or world-site. .TV is the country code extension for Tuvalu and .WS is for Samoa. Tuvalu is small island country located in the Western Pacific Ocean with a population of approximately 11,000 that gained independence from the UK in 1978. Samoa, also in the Pacific, gained independence from New Zealand in 1962 and has a population of around 180,000.
Other similar domain extensions include .FM (Federated States of Micronesia) which masquerades as the TLD (top level domain) for radio stations, and .CC (Cocos Islands).