What Do I Do If The Website Name I Want Is Taken
If the domain name you want is already registered, you have a few options. First, check out the recommended, similar domain names in your search results to see if one of those works. You should also consider an available domain name with an extension other than .COM, such as .IO, .CLUB, or .ROCKS. There are hundreds of new TLDs to consider. If youre really set on securing your first choice of domain, find the current registrant using Whois Lookup and see if they are willing to sell it. Learn more
Make Sure Its Easy To Pronounce
As easily as your domain name rolls off the tips of your fingers, it should roll off the tip of your tongue.
This makes it easier for visitors to share your domain name by word-of-mouth and makes it easier for you to share your site with friends and potential customers.
You can test this the same way as with the spelling.
Write your domain name on a piece of paper and ask 10 people to pronounce it. If more than a few people struggle to pronounce it, you should simplify it.
Heres what to keep in mind: You want your domain name to be passed along easily by you and others. The only way for that to be possible is if its 1) easy to spell and 2) easy to pronounce.
What Is A Domain Name Registry
Domain name registries are organisations that manage a number of domains. In the UK, the registry managing the .uk TLD is Nominet UK. Similarly, the organisation managing .com generic domains is VeriSign. When you register a domain with OVHcloud, its name is linked to the data stored in one of the databases belonging to the registry concerned.
Registries are responsible for overseeing the distribution of domain names. If you would like to transfer yours from one hosting provider to another, the registry will facilitate the transfer, without forcing you to choose a different name. Each registry operates according to its own rules. Some are non-profit companies, like Nominet UK, while others are for-profit, like VeriSign. In all cases, registries hold the administrative data associated with the domains they manage. To do this, they create a zone file that contains the addresses of the server names. Above this organisation is ICANN, or âInternet Corporation for Assigned Domain Names and Numbers,â which is the California-based regulatory authority governing domain name registries.
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Look At Alternative Tlds
In most cases, if your domain name is taken, it means the .com is taken. Often, the other TLDs arent taken, so you could technically opt for one of those.
But wait! Dont rush off and buy whatever TLD you can find.
This is a complicated decision.
Here are some of the factors to keep in mind.
First,people trust .com URLs more than any other TLD.
The .com extension has a lot on its side. Its familiar, its been around for a while, and its been the gold standard of TLDs for years.
Second, many people think some TLDs are spammy. People tend to think of .com URLs as safe and other TLDs as unsafe or untrustworthy.
Obviously, thats not always the case, but some people will think that no matter what. They cant get their heads around the idea of a trustworthy site that doesnt end in .com.
Third, alternative TLDs have no SEO advantage. No TLD is inherently better than any other.
That information :
So what does this mean for you?
If you want to use a TLD thats not .com, you can do so without losing any SEO power.
However, your audience might not trust it.
It helps if the TLD is directly related to your business or niche. Twitch, a site that broadcasts users playing video games in real time, smartly uses the .tv TLD:
In the end, you have to consider how easy its going to be for your users to remember your URL and whether or not theyll trust a domain thats not a .com.
If Im Canadian Should I Choose A Ca Or Com Domain Name
As a Canadian, choosing between a .CA or .COM really depends on the nature of your business. In short if youre in Canada and you have a Canadian target market, choosing .CA is the ideal choice. However, if youre planning on offering your services abroad, then a .COM domain name is better for reaching an international audience.
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Check If Its Not Trademarked Or Already Used
Before you move forward with a specific domain name, check to see if the name is available on social media sites, as well as if there are any trademarks already registered to the name.
To build your brand, its ideal to have the same name across your domain and social networks. This builds familiarity and makes it easy for your visitors, fans, and customers to find you around the web.
Avoid legal issues you should stay away from names that already have trademarks.
How can you quickly check social networks and trademarks for your potential domain name?
Its quite easy with a tool like Knowem. Search your potential domain name itll show you if its available throughout over 25 popular social networks and if there are any trademarks already registered to the name.
If its taken, consider tweaking it so that you can create original social media profiles.
Why Should You Check
Making sure your company name is available right at the start could save you a lot of heartache, stress, and cash down the line.Not only are there legal implications to using a name already registered by someone else, but you will find that having a name similar or the same as another persons business name can be detrimental to your business.
For example, you are starting a business that creates and sells lights, you might choose the name De Lux Lighting playing on the latin meaning of the word Lux which is light. However, someone already has the name Deluxe Lights and they have already established web traffic and solid SEO. This means that when it comes to finding you online you are competing on Google against a well established website with a similar company name and domain. This will make it harder for you to rank on Google and you will likely end up losing business that could have come to you to them.
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Make Sure It Hasnt Been Taken
Theres nothing worse that could happen to the founder of a new venture than finding the perfect name and then realizing that its been already taken by the competition.
Before you settle for your business name, double-check that there isnt any other company with the same or almost identical name and that the domain for your name is still available.
The Domain Name Is Available What To Do Next
If the domain name hasnt been taken yet, then congratulations! The next step usually involves registering the domain name under a domain registrar or a web hosting platform. While both get the job done, there are a few differences in how they operate.
Domain registrars usually charge less because you are basically just getting the domain name to yourself and nothing else. Meanwhile, registering to a domain hosting platform usually gets you a free domain name but at a higher price because you are also paying for their hosting solutions on top of other services.
The price of a domain usually varies depending on several factors. The more popular domain extension like .com and .net are more expensive than lesser-used ones like .shop and .xyz. On average, a domain name can cost you anywhere between $1 to $20, depending on the keywords and the platform you used to purchase it.
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Be Proud Of Your Mission
Change Our World couldve chosen a number of names to hint at their technological innovation or the founder who started it.
Instead, they boldly positioned themselves as the currency that will change our world and solve its global issues.
Notice that theyve picked our world instead of the world, which is a more inclusive naming.
It makes you feel like you are a part of their mission and humanity as a whole, which creates an immediate emotional connection with their brand.
Check For The Trademark
Trademark infringement can carry a high cost for your business. If you choose a name and start trading under it before checking if the trademark is taken and you infringe on someone elses trademark you are liable to pay damages. They can sue you and force you to stop trading with that name.
This would likely be costly and if you had built up any form of brand recognition already it would mean starting to build your brand and business again from scratch.
You can check for trademark availability online with your local government site. For example in the US you would use the U.S. Patent and Trademark Offices trademark search tool to see if a similar name, or variations of it, is trademarked. In the UK you would check with Companies House, they have a search tool too.
If you find that the name you have chosen is taken, then you will have to head back to the drawing board and come up with a different name.
Also Check: Cost To Buy A Domain Name
How Do I Buy A Domain Name
Congrats! You found an available name and youre ready to make it yours. Simply add the domain name to your cart and start the checkout process. During checkout, youll make some decisions like how many years youd like to register it for, if youd like to add site hosting, email, advanced security, auto-renewals, and other features.
- DOMAIN NAMES
How Do I Check That A Domain Is Available Without Triggering A Grabber
A few days ago, I checked whether a domain was available by tying the name in the web browser. Also host returned not found 3
When I tried again today, some domain grabber had snatched it.
How can I check whether a domain is available without losing to some barely legal “service”?
- What registrar was it registered with? Just curious, the same thing happened to me before. KeithFeb 1 ’11 at 4:47
- 3For my own learning, how could a domain grabber know you typed in a domain in your browser that wasn’t registered and then grab it? How would you know this had happened, and wasn’t just a coincidence. Matthew LockFeb 1 ’11 at 5:00
- 1@Matthew, it’s not a coincidence. It’s called “domain name tasting” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_tasting. Companies form agreements with registrars to automatically register any domain accessed that is not already registered. The company has several days to decide if they want to keep the domain if not they can abandon it at no charge. According to the Wikipedia article, over 90% of domain name registrations at some registrars are “tastes”. Dour High ArchFeb 1 ’11 at 5:31
- Please check my suggestion out in the answers below
I use whois, nslookup and similar tools from the command line to check whether a domain is registered.
Assuming you have access to SSH or a terminal:
In your shell .rc file add:
alias checkdomain="' & & echo -e '\033[0 32mAvailable\033[0m' || echo -e '\033[0 31mNot available\033[0m') < < < "
checkdomain < domain>
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What Is A Domain Name What Is A Tld And What Is A Ccltd
A domain name is how users on the internet identify your website. As opposed to memorizing and entering your sites IP address, users use your domain name to locate and access your website.
A top-level domain refers to the domain or URL extension. TLDs with no registration restrictions such as a .com may also be referred to as gTLDs .
TLDs can be a streamlined way of communicating the purpose of your website. There are more than 2,000 different TLD options available some have broad applicability , while others have narrower uses cases and in some cases, use requirements or restrictions .
A country code Top-Level Domain is a domain extension reserved for specific countries or territories. ccTLDs always appear as two letter extensions, and are often used to indicate the region and language that will be displayed while using a site.
Examples of ccTLDs include .ca, .us, .uk .
Consider A New Domain Name
Theres a decent chance that even if you take all of these steps, the person that owns that domain now either wont want to sell, or will only accept a higher price than you can pay.
In that case, youre far from the first person to have to come up with an alternative to the first name you set your heart on. Consider different domain name extensionsif the .com is taken, the .net or .co may still be available. And brainstorm new domain name ideas. You may just come up with something you like even more than your original idea.
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How To Pick A Domain Name: 20+ Tips To Consider Before Getting A New One
Step 1 Your business purpose
Before even starting to consider domain names, you should first have a clear idea of the type of website or online business that you are planning to launch.
You can always change your mind down the road, but identifying your main purpose is an essential first step.
Ask yourself what you want people to do on your site. If you are launching a blog, do you want readers to subscribe or share content?
If you are setting up an online shop, do you want your visitors to buy your products or sign up for updates about new stock?
Knowing your goal will also help when it comes time for choosing keywords.
Step 2 Keywords
When coming up with a domain name that will work for your website, start by thinking about the keywords and key phrases that you would like people to use when they search for your site.
If possible, you should try and include one or two of them in your domain name as this can make it more likely that search engines such as Google will list your site first once someone enters these words.
Step 3 Price vs Benefit
Not everyone has the money to buy the perfect domain name, but dont just settle for something because you can afford it.
There are some great bargains out there for $10 to $15.
If you can afford it, go for the premium name but if this is out of your budget dont worry.
Think about the benefits that the domain name will bring and how much traffic it will drive.
Step 4 The meaning of numbers
Step 5 Personal names