Consider Using Niche Keywords That Reflect Your Website
Our website mainly about web development or helping people to create a website. Hence we chose to add a name that reflects all of it website. Obviously website.com was no longer available, we simply chose WebsiteSetup.
Keywords can help to improve your SEO you need to tread carefully here! If you try to awkwardly stuff keywords into your domain, it comes across as generic .
If you choose to use keywords, put the keywords at the beginning of your domain. Thats where theyll be the most powerful for your ranking.
You can find keywords with tools like and Keywordtool.io.
Choose The Right Domain Extension
When picking the extension or TLD for your domain name, .com is still the best choice unless you have a reason to choose something else. Roughly 43% of all domains have a .com extension, making it what people expect to see the most.
While Google confirms that your choice of TLD will not impact rankings, it does affect consumer perception. Many people view other TLDs as less trustworthy.
That said, .net or .org extensions are not uncommon, so they can be good secondary options if you find the perfect name and the coveted .com isnt available.
But if you do decide to go with an extension other than a .com, make sure you take a look at what type of website is currently on the .com extension. Someone is bound to go there accidentally while looking for your brand. If the site holds fishy or offensive content, you might want to steer clear of that name altogether.
Finally, avoid those niche domain name extensions like .space, .club, .pizza, unless you really think theyll enhance your brand.
Institutional Memory Is Fragile
What made this situation particularly painful for my client is that
- the domain was purchased nearly 13 years ago for a 20 year period a challenging length of time for any organization to keep track of login information.
- In 20 years or even 5 years people change jobs they change names, they change software and computers, they retire, they die
- Even without any big changes, how many people can put their finger on an email message they got 5, 10, or 20 years ago?
- the email account used to purchase the domain was defunct , so a password-reset link from the registrars site wont work.
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Things You Absolutely Must Know Before You Register A Domain With Anyone
The following article was a piece we originally wrote for a marketing page we put up at DomainWarning.com but we found that a lot of our customers wanted us to keep a copy right here on the website because they were constantly referring their friends and colleagues to it.
Suffice it to say, easyDNS does not engage in any of the tactics described below, but they are widely used across the industry.
General Practice Tricks
1. “Transfer-out” fees
Buried in the fine print of a registrars Terms of Service will be a hidden fee authorizing them to charge your credit card a transfer-out fee if you move your domain to another registrar. Often times, this transfer-out fee is 2 or 3 times the cost of the original registration.
This practice violates the ICANN policy on domain transfers. In most cases if this happens to you a simple call to your credit card company will have the charge reversed, if you notice. Registrars who use this practice play the numbers game as many will not.
2. The fine print from hell
Most people actually reads the long, odious Terms of Service for anything they buy online. Some registrars bury truly chilling things in these terms like the aforementioned transfer-out fees and in one mind-boggling case a power-of-attorney.
At easyDNS, our Terms of Service are always in Plain English, and you don’t assign us the right to commit you to a mental institution by agreeing to them.
3. Pay-as-you-go
Whois Database Gotchas
5. Who owns your domain?
Costs For A Udrp Dispute Proceeding
Fees for the arbitration panel generally range between $1,500 to $4,500, depending on the number of panelists and domain names involved. These fees are in addition to any legal fees paid to the attorneys.
Legal fees will vary, depending not just on the time and effort put into the case, but also on the attorneys billable rates.
By way of example, Minc Law attorneys charge between $275 and $600 per hour, and our paralegals and law clerks bill $100 to $150 an hour.
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Technical Support Can Always Help
When the same technical support is there for you with your domain name and your web hosting, getting help can prove to be less of a hassle.
On the other hand, using two companies can complicate things. If youre trying to sort out a problem in how the two connect, there may be a lot of back-and-forths where one company can help with one aspect but they cant help with another.
Having everything in the same place means your hosting company has access to all pieces of your website so they can better assist you.
How To Choose A Domain Name And Stay Out Of Trouble
In theory, choosing a domain name is simple. If it is memorable, pronounceable, short, clever, easily spelled and suggests the nature of the commerce on your website, you’ve got yourself a winner. But even if your choice is brilliant from a marketing standpoint, it may not be so smart from a legal perspective.
If you choose a domain name that conflicts with any one of the millions of commercial names that already exist, you risk losing it. And if you’ve put money and sweat into marketing your website and then are forced to give the domain name up, your Web-based business is likely to suffer a damaging, if not fatal, blow.
The rules for understanding whether a legal conflict exists comes from trademark law. Here are the basics you need to understand:
- Names that identify the source of products or services in the marketplace are trademarks.
- Trademarks that are clever, memorable or suggestive are protected under federal and state law.
- Trademarks that are descriptive and have achieved distinction through sales and advertising can be protected under federal and state law.
- One trademark legally conflicts with another when the use of both trademarks is likely to confuse customers about the products or services, or their source.
- In case of a legal conflict with a later user, the first commercial user of a trademark owns it.
- If a legal conflict is found to exist, the later user will probably have to stop using the mark and may even have to pay the trademark owner damages.
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Check For Trademark Infringement
Both major and minor brands alike take issue with others using their trademarked names. Even if youve just made an innocent mistake, the legal hassle involved in a lawsuit and having to rearrange your web presence could be costly.
You can avoid these situations by using a trademark lookup tool before you finalize your choice.
Verify Ownership Of Your New Domain
Paying for your domain might seem like the last step in the process, but you also need to verify your ownership. This step lets you send email using the domain and keeps other people from using it without your permission.
If you purchase your domain through Mailchimp, this process is simple. Youll receive a verification email after you complete your purchase. Simply click on the Verify Domain button in the email and follow the instructions on the next page, and you can start using your domain to build your brand. Youll only ever have to complete this step once.
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How Do I Check The Availability Of A Domain Name
Because a domain name must be unique, it is only available to one user. The availability of a domain name can be determined by searching the website of an ICANN approved online registrar of domain names. The websites InterNIC and ICANN list the approved registrars.
If a domain name is unavailable, it is easy to determine the owner. A search on a site like www.whois.net will retrieve the contact information of the owner. In some cases, it may be impossible to locate the owner when the applicant provides false information to the registrant.
If the owner is a cybersquatter, a person that registers, traffics, or uses a domain name with the intent to sell it for profit, it may be possible to still acquire the domain name when it is registered in bad faith. There are two options: sue the squatter under the Anticybersquatter Consumer Protection Act or have the case arbitrated by ICANN. Arbitration is far less costly than suing the cybersquatter.
List Of Domain Name Registrars
There are numerous domain name registrars. Listed below are just a few, along with my comments, if I know anything about them.Note that the domain name industry is highly competitive, with prices wildly fluctuating throughout the year, every year, soit’s impossible to really mention accurate prices below unless I spend all my time updating this page. Please check their sitesfor the latest rates. Unless otherwise stated, I have listed everything in US dollars, although if you go to theregistrar’s site, you may see the prices in your local currency.
In addition, as mentioned earlier, a number ofcommercial web hostswill give you a free domain name if you are hosting with them, as will some of the registrars above.
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Why Get It Now
Every domain name is unique. There cant be two websites called Amazon.com on the Internet. As a general rule, unless theres been a strong breach of copyright, the first person to register a domain is the only person wholl be able to use it . This means that, if somebody else registers your name as a domain before you do, youll never be able to use it. You may be able to get the .net equivalent, or the .co.uk if youre British, or one of the many other types of domain, but the .com is the most potent.
So lets say that a Texas realtor called Joe McAuthor decides to buy joemcauthor.com, to build a website for sharing property information with his clients. This means that he may well have a stronger web presence than you will for your nameand hell certainly get all of the type-in traffic.
If you get your name now, and secure it, then whenever youre ready to launch your website, youll be in a strong position to start building your presence as the principal whatever-your-name-is on the net.
Domain Name Registration Is Not By Itself A Commercial Use Or Trademark Use
All of this is to say that domain name registration, by itself, does not hit any of the best practices listed above. Registering a domain name does not connect it to specific goods and services. It doesnt offer anything for sale or allow a customer to purchase your products.
The Trademark Manual of Examination Procedure states that:
When a mark appears in the computer browser area as part of the URL, Internet address, or domain name of the website that houses the web page, consumers generally do not recognize this as trademark use. Instead, this use merely identifies the Internet location of the website where business is conducted and goods or services are offered. See, e.g., In re Roberts, 87 USPQ2d 1474, 1479-80 In re Supply Guys, Inc., 86 USPQ2d 1488, 1493 In re Eilberg, 49 USPQ2d 1955, 1956 . Similarly, the use of the mark embedded in an e-mail address would be viewed as part of the website address where applicant may be contacted, rather than as a trademark.
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Someone Registered My Name As A Domain Name: What Are My Options
This page has been peer-reviewed, fact-checked, and edited by multiple qualified attorneys and legal professionals to ensure substantive accuracy and coverage. Our publication process is robust, following a 16-step content creation and review process.
Domain names can be a big deal, defining a brand or entire company. Yet someone can register your name as a domain name for as little as $8 to $15 on a first-come, first-served basis.
If someone registered you or your businesss name as a domain name, you have three primary options available to acquire the domain:
- Reach out to the cybersquatter or cyberpirate and try to informally resolve the domain name dispute,
- File a lawsuit based on cybersquatting laws to obtain the domain, or
- File a complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organization using the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy process.
Below, we examine each of these methods in greater detail and discuss the process of using them. We also address related issues that commonly arise in domain name disputes, such as allegations of trademark infringement.
Before tackling the above, the first step you must take is to confirm that a particular domain name has been registered.
What Issues Should I Keep In Mind When Choosing A Name For My Business
As you search for the perfect name for your business, keep these questions in mind:
- Is the business name you want available?
- Will your proposed business name get trademark protection?
- If you make a website for your business, is a similar domain name available?
- If you plan to start a limited partnership, LLC or corporation, have you complied with a few state rules for naming your business?
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An Intro To Registering A Business Name
Registering your business name means your state or local government puts it on a registry so no one else can use it. It can also make it easier for customers to find your business. Depending on the type of business structure, you may be able to add your business name to your application to register your business. In other cases, you need to register it separately.
There are four different ways to register your business name:
Hosting Vs Domain Registration
Before we dive into the pros and cons, lets consider for a moment the difference between purchasing web hosting and purchasing a domain name.
While you can get the two through the same company if you want to, you dont have to. Each one is a separate piece of data for your website.
When youre purchasing web hosting, youre renting a space on a server to store your websites files.
Your domain name is the address people use to access your website. However, a different domain registrar can always point your web address to the server your files are hosted on.
This allows you to buy your domain registration and your web hosting from different companies and still make the two work together.
Nuts and Bolts Media suggests thinking about your domain name like a phones SIM card. You can switch out the SIM card with a different one, and then the phone will work with a different phone number.
You can get your SIM and your phone from your phone company, or you can get a SIM from them and buy an unlocked phone elsewhere. Domain names and web hosting work the same way.
Now that we understand the difference, lets jump into the pros and cons of using the same provider for your domain name and web host.
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