Website Domain Names

The Domain Name
When an Internet user types a domain name into a website browser a request is sent out to the local Internet Service Provider (ISP) asking where it can find that website. The ISP checks with the relevant master domain name server for the country then the server points the user to the location of the website. Now to speed these domain name queries up, whenever the local ISP makes a query on a domain name it will store the result for a period of time so that it doesn’t have to ask again. This is a process called caching. Every now and then the ISP will update their stored cache with the information stored on the master domain name server. This period of time can range between a few minutes and 48 hours. Whenever you want to update the information that is stored about your domain name on the master domain name server, because of caching, it can take up to 48 hours for every ISP around the world to update their records. This is a process called ‘propagation’.

Own your domain name
When planning a website it is important to remember that a proper Domain name is essential for a serious Website. These days, sub-domains and free hosting Domain names are just not taken seriously and many of the search engines will not even index pages on them, let alone give their pages a good ranking. Do not use the ‘free’ domain names that are offered by some websites.  You can register a Domain name for as little as .99 cents to as much as $35.00 per year(shop around for the best deal). You should think carefully about the name as this can be crucially important to the success of your site. For example, if your site is about web design then consider 'keyword friendly' names like 'bestwebdesign.com'.  This will give your site a flying start with the search engines because it will enable them to focus on the relevance of the content of the site from the outset. A secondary advantage of having your own Domain name is that both your Website and Email addresses become transportable. This means that you can change your ISP or your Web Hosting provider as often as you like with little disruption to your Website or email accounts.

Choosing a Domain Name
If your target market or your future target market is an international one, a domain name ending in ‘.com’ should be your first choice. Unfortunately, a ‘.com’ domain name is difficult to find these days. There are now over 24 million ‘.com’ names registered so the chances of finding the name you want will be difficult. Other international alternatives to a domain ending in ‘.com’ is a domain name ending in ‘.net’ or ‘.biz’. These domain names are not as good as a domain name ending in ‘.com’ but can be used successfully with careful marketing and branding. If your target market is local or predominately local then a domain name ending in ‘.co.us’ should be your first choice. If your audience know you as a United States company they will expect you to have a ‘.co.us’ domain.If your target market is a combination of both international and United States users you should consider using both.