> > Download A Free Requirements Checklist
As business analysts, identifying the questions to ask during requirements elicitation is incredibly important. To help you ask better questions, we offer an absolutely free requirements checklist this is just one example from our Requirements Discovery Checklist Pack and youll learn what a requirements checklist looks like in the example of Supporting Customers.
Make It Brandable Not Generic
Creative, memorable domain names are always better than generic ones. After all, your domain name is how people will find, remember, and spread the word about your business on the internet. Its much better to have something that aligns with your brand instead of a domain name thats made up of a bunch of general keywords.
For example, can you tell the difference between cheapcarinsurance.com and affordableautoinsurance.com? Which one would you trust when it comes to buying insurance? Probably neither. Both sound a little spammy, and theyre terribly generic.
On the other hand, youll probably know where the domain names progressive.com or geico.com are going to point you to. Those companies have invested in their brands, and theyve used them in their domain names. You can trust that these sites are legitimate.
Even if you havent built up trust and loyalty yet, you can start by choosing a strong domain name that fits your brand.
Why Are Domain Names So Important
A domain name gives your business instant credibility and puts you in the same online marketplace as your largest competitors. It says that you mean business and helps online shoppers and customers see you as a forward-thinking company that is conveniently accessible online. It is the pathway for people to visit your website, learn more about your business, and purchase your products and services.
The right domain will build your brand by creating a strong image for your business, and it can mean the difference between establishing a vibrant online presence and getting lost in cyberspace. If you publish your site through an internet service provider , your web address could end up like ISP.com/SuperiorAutoRepair , as compared to SuperiorAutoRepair.com. See the difference? Your customers will, too.
Also, search engine optimization is critical to your business being found via search, so you need to consider if your chosen domain name is SEO-friendly and includes keywords that will help with your sites ranking.
Read more: Establishing your brand with off-page SEO
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Viral And Host Factors
Virus proteins
Multiple viral and host factors affect the pathogenesis of the virus. The S-protein, otherwise known as the spike protein, is the viral component that attaches to the host receptor via the ACE2 receptors. It includes two subunits: S1 and S2. S1 determines the virus-host range and cellular tropism via the receptor-binding domain. S2 mediates the membrane fusion of the virus to its potential cell host via the H1 and HR2, which are heptad repeat regions. Studies have shown that S1 domain induced IgG and IgA antibody levels at a much higher capacity. It is the focus spike proteins expression that are involved in many effective COVID-19 vaccines.
The M protein is the viral protein responsible for the transmembrane transport of nutrients. It is the cause of the bud release and the formation of the viral envelope. The N and E protein are accessory proteins that interfere with the hosts immune response.
Host factors
Human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 is the host factor that SARS-COV2 virus targets causing COVID-19. Theoretically, the usage of angiotensin receptor blockers and ACE inhibitors upregulating ACE2 expression might increase morbidity with COVID-19, though animal data suggest some potential protective effect of ARB however no clinical studies have proven susceptibility or outcomes. Until further data is available, guidelines and recommendations for hypertensive patients remain.
How Do I Set Up A Domain Name For My Business
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Your website domain name is a huge part of your online brand. Just like choosing your business name and the two are intrinsically linked you need a domain that reflects what your business is about and makes your website easy to find and promote. However, with over 300 million domains already registered, securing the one you want is not always straightforward.
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Find An Accredited Domain Registrar
The best way to get a domain name is by using a registrar accredited by The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names . This is a not-for-profit organization that regulates domain names. Domain sellers who are not accredited may offer unfair prices, and even trick business owners into domain name registration scams.
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Tips For Choosing A Business Domain Name
If youâve never started a business and had to come up with a business domain name before, you have a few unknowns ahead of you.
You might be tempted to dive right in and choose any domain name that comes to you first. But whether youâre registering a domain name for your brand-new business or launching an ecommerce platform for your business, choosing the right business domain name takes thought and consideration.
Thereâs a variety of different ways that your domain name affects how your business doesâfrom your brand authority to your presence in the search engines, online marketing efforts, and traffic to your website. Its the reason certain business domain names are worth millions of dollars.
Put simply, itâs an important step to making your business succeed.
Here are the 12 things to think through when choosing your business domain name.
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The Value Of Your Business Domain Name
The Internet has transformed the way small business owners get things done. The revolutionary changes in advertising, e-commerce, and instant communication have transformed business. Whatever business youre doing online, it starts with a domain nameyour unique online address. It identifies you and your business, attracts customers, and is the first impression visitors has of your business. With millions of websites competing for attention, pick a domain name with care.
What Do I Do Once I Have Bought My Domain Name
After buying a domain name, you can connect your domain name to a website to publish it to the world. When people type in your connected domain name, theyll see the website youve built. Of course, youll also need a server to host your website on.
First, make sure you write down your login information for your domain registrar of choice. This login information is important when it comes time to connect your domain to your website or renew your domain registration. You can always contact your registrar for help logging in to manage your domain, but its easier to store your login information somewhere safe. You can use a secure password manager if you want to store this information on your phone or computer, or you can simply write it down on a piece of paper and keep it somewhere safe.
When you use a website builder like Mailchimp, you can easily connect your domain name in just a few minutes. Youll also need to choose a web hosting provider, which essentially acts as a server to store the files that make your website work. You can purchase both your hosting package and your domain name separately and connect them to your website using a website builder. However, you also have the option of purchasing a domain name directly through Mailchimp when you build your website.
Bring your brand to life with your own website. Design from scratch, connect a domain, analyze traffic, and optimize for SEO.
Read Also: How To Request A Domain Transfer Godaddy
A Strategic Approach To Choosing The Perfect Domain Name
Your URL offers a chance to leave a good first impression. Thats why a strong domain name is essential for the success of your website. So, if youre ready to land that perfect domain name, remember these handy tips and click below to start your search today.
About the Author: Stefanus Hadi, Ph.D.
Stefanus Hadi, Ph.D., is Product Research Manager at DreamHost. He is responsible for directing and managing the companys partnerships with various domain registries, including those that control TLDs like .com, .online, .shop, .xyz, .club, .art, .io, .co, .me, and many others. In his free time, Stefanus enjoys outdoor activities, visits national parks regularly, and serves as a member of a Los Angeles high school support group. Connect with Stefanus on LinkedIn:
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Three Common Small Business Domain Mistakes To Avoid
1. Change your domain. The longer a domain is active, the more âauthorityâ it has with search engines. .
Once you decide on a domain, be prepared to stick with it. The longer a domain is active, the more legitimacy and authority it has. This can help with your ranking on search engines. It also allows clarity for everyone already familiar with your domain. The only exception is if you change branding in a major way. If you change the mission or name of your business, you may want a new domain to help give your business a fresh start.
2. Only use a subdomain . A subdomain is when your domain name shows as a prefix to another name, such as coffeeshop.squarespace.com. This is common in low-cost and free tiers of web hosts, which is why we recommend against it. Having a subdomain damages your authority and can make your website appear unprofessional.
3. Choose a very long domain name . A brief, memorable domain name is less necessary now than it was. These days, most users donât manually type in web addresses. That said, a shorter domain name is still more marketable and convenient. Ultimately, thereâs no advantage to having an overly-long domain name, so keep it succinct.
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Checklist: How To Pick The Right Domain Name
Your domain name is your identity on the web. Its extremely important to get it right. Dedicate time to ensuring you pick the best name for your business. For many startups, a company name is dictated based on whether a .com domain is available for it. This should be one of your first ports of call when deciding on a business name. Halt any branding processes until youve checked there is a domain available for it.
Here are some other considerations when selecting your domain name:
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Depending on the type of company you own, you could consider adding a bit more detail into your domain name to assist search engine optimisation and avoid any domain name clashes with other businesses.
Make it easy for customers to remember/type your domain name. Avoid any confusion by using the correct words rather than slang. For example, express instead of xpress.
The longer your domain, the harder it is to remember and the more opportunity for mistyping.
Immediately improve your SEO with a keyword-friendly domain name. Consider the type of keywords your customers will be using to find your business. Could you include them in your domain? For example:
- www.bike-repair.com
- www.experiencedays.co.uk
- www.daysoutwiththekids.co.uk
If your business is based in one specific area, consider using its location in your domain name to target local web traffic. For example:
- www.fistralbeachsurfschool.co.uk
- www.blushbeautyofmayfield.com
Keep It Short And Sweet
Years ago, packing domain names full of keywords or phrases increased search engine optimization , meaning they would be easier to find in a search engine. However, over time these websites became associated with low-quality content and poor security. Now, the more succinct a domain name is, the more successful it will be.
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What Does The Domain Name Represent
Domain names are much more than a simple technical shortcut. They serve as a memorable representation of the content that we can find on a certain website. A short, original and catchy domain name can make a big difference in its future success. So, lets get started!
When you go through the exploration for domain names, you should take your time. Make sure that your choice of a domain is perfect for what you want it to represent. Keep in mind that new domains are registered by the second. The competition is fierce, and this is exactly why you have to be creative if you want your business to be a success. The catchier your domain name the better chances for it to become popular quickly. Stick to something short that could be easily spelled and memorized by your potential customers.
How To Connect A Domain Name To Your Online Store
If youre considering buying a domain name for your ecommerce business, you might be looking for an ecommerce platform too. Luckily, some platforms allow you to kill two birds with one stone.
Take Ecwid by Lightspeed, for example. When you , you get a free ecommerce website with a built-in online store, also known as Instant Site. But thats not all! You also get a free domain for your Instant Site too. It will look like this:
, where 12345 is the ID of your store and .company.site is the Ecwid domain.
Of course, you want to change the default domain name so that it better represents your business and makes it easy for the customers to find your store. You can easily customize the domain name in your store settings. For example, you can choose to use your brand name instead of your store ID coolbrand.company.site. Heres how to do that.
An example of a free domain for an ecommerce website made by Ecwid by Lightspeed
If you dont want to have .company.site as your domain, you can easily give your Ecwid Instant Site a custom domain. However, to do that, youll have to buy a domain name from a registrar of your choice. Youll follow the same directions that we provided in the previous section of this article. Then you can connect your new domain name to your Ecwid store.
Use this guide to connect your domain to your Ecwid store in no time.
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Intellectual Property And Domain Names
Intellectual property is a term that encompasses several legal issues like trademark dilution, copyright claims and patent infringement, among other things. With regards to your domain and website, there are intellectual property considerations to understand before moving forward with your site.
The last thing you want to do is invest time, money and other resources into registering a domain and building a website that infringes on anothers legal rights.
Moreover, when building out your business, you must be diligent about protecting your own assets including your domain and website.
Editors note:This content should not be construed as legal advice. Always consult an attorney regarding your specific legal situation.
Does Your Choice Of Domain Affect Seo
Your choice of domain name does matter for search engine optimization , but probably not as much as you think.
Having target keywords in your domain name matters, but not nearly as much as it used to. Its much more important to have a high-quality website, and your website builder can help you with that. Dont worry too much about how the domain name will affect SEO, as there are many other ways to improve SEO.
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Understanding Domains And Trademarks
As you might imagine, many brands target their organization name as their domain name. For instance, GoDaddy uses GoDaddy.com, Pepsi uses Pepsi.com and McDonalds uses McDonalds.com.
The value of a branded domain cannot be overstated, but are brands awarded these domains under trademark laws? Are domain owners awarded any protection over their domain names?
The relationship between domain names and trademarks is important to understand before you purchase a domain and start building a website and business. There are risks to purchasing a domain name without researching trademarks first.
Domain availability doesnt protect from trademarks
Just because a domain name is available, doesnt mean there isnt a trademark protecting that brand name.
For instance, if you found a variation of GoDaddy that was available for registration, you could not purchase and operate a business on that domain because it would still be protected under trademark law.
Choosing a domain name requires more research than just availability you need to make sure that you are not walking into any legal conflict by picking a domain name that is protected by the United States Patent and Trademark Office .
When it comes to domains and trademarks, remember these basic considerations.
Related: Trademark vs. copyright Which one does your business need?
Protecting domain names with trademarks
Domain name and trademark case study: Nissan.com
Protecting yourself from trademark infringement
How To Check If The Domain Name Has Been Taken
Simply enter the domain you want into your browser search bar and see what comes up, or use a domain registrars search tool such as GoDaddy, Instant Domain Search or Name.com.
You can drill down further into types of domain lookup but sites like GoDaddy are the most useful as they offer a broker service, contacting the owner of the domain to see if theyd consider selling it:
You have three options if the domain you want is taken:
If youre not able to obtain the domain name, you have no option but to think of a new name.
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What Is A Business Domain And Why It Is So Important
Whenever we come across any kind of business website, we notice there such sections as general information, mission, aim and values, services, contact information, sometimes a blog and also fields of activity. In other words, we call them domains, that is, specific spheres for business-oriented solutions.
This approach is really efficient in IT companies working process, because the team works on certain solutions and has rich experience in this particular area. Clients rely on developers practical knowledge and skills that have been acquired while implementing such kinds of projects.
Now I would like to show how it works with regard to our 10 years experience. Our main domains are:
For each of these fields we provide solutions that help to manage, optimize, develop and implement innovative business solutions, as well as satisfy the needs of current clients and gain new ones.
Working in specific domains means that you are a competitive professional, your product has a higher value, you are aware of the newest trends and interact with experts who know everything about it.
So, find your domain and become an expert in it.