MKT350 Project Document #2: Registering a Domain Name

So you want to have a domain name, eh?

Finding an available domain name is quite a tricky task, in spite of the fact that new TLDs (top level domains) are being rolled out, as well as "dot com" names that can now range up to 67 letters.

Never mind that, in most cases, you have little or no brand identity or awareness among your active and potential customers. You'll have to work on that after you find an available name.

The problems are several:

  • in the few short years of commercial use of the internet, consumers have become enamored of the ".com" extension, at the expense of others (.net and .org).
  • .net domains are now typically used by "network" providers, like ISPs. .org names are generally used by non-profits.
  • over 98% of the words in the English language have been registered (whether they are actually used is another story).
  • many domain names have been purchased by "cyber-squatters," who hope to be able to one day sell their domain name for a hefty profit.
  • many compound words have also been registered, attesting to the creativity people and companies have had to resort to.
  • many new words have been registered, further evidence of desperate creativity.
  • .gov domains are reserved for government entities; .edu domains are reserved primarily for four-year colleges and universities; .mil domains are reserved for branches of the military. Thus, these are off-limits for all commercial applications.
So, what's a person to do?

There are options, but they require either great creativity, or some risk. Given that web users are nearly automatic in their assumption that a domain name is a "dot com," you may have to toil for days trying to find something that's available, be willing to spend a lot of money for a previously-purchased domain, or be willing to try a different TLD.

Now that 67-letter domains are available, this does free up some more space for .com extensions. However, this may not always be a good idea. Imagine: "www.joesdeliandcoffeebarinamarillo.com" This is not only hard to remember but also has too many opportunities for typos.

"Joesofamraillo.com" would be a better choice. It is shorter and easier to remember (plus, it will fit on a business card!).

Other options include .net and .org, but these can be a kiss of death. Why have your company confused with non-profits or ISPs?

But help has been deleivered in the form of seven new TLDs, which are being rolled slowly early in the 21st century. They include:

  • .info
  • .name
  • .biz
  • .pro
  • .aero
  • .coop
  • .museum
These will certainly help relieve the congestion. But the registrants will then have the task of carefully educating their publics about their new domain extension, lest users automatically search for the "dot com" version. The task could be daunting.

Another alternative is to use one of the foreign country domains that are currently available to US customers. These are easy to detect because they use the two-letter country code. Among these are:

  • .ws
  • .tv
  • .cc
  • .bz
These, howver, are not a good choice. US web users are not accustomed to using two-letter domains. Furthermore, they are radically different from any of the other domains commonly seen in the US. Use these with grat caution!

Checking for domain name availability is fairly simple (albeit time-consuming). There are numerous sites (usually web hosting cmpanies) that offer free name-checkers, including:

Prepare to spend some time. Even though the name checkers are fast, finding a good name can be very frustrating. Be prepared to register it, though, fairly quickly, or else you may be scooped on it.

When you register, you will have to decide if you wish for your domain to be "parked" (i.e., you own it, but it is not active), or assigned to a web server. When using the name-registering services of a web host like AITcom or Hostway, you'll be able to have it made active fairly quickly on one of their servers (this is known as "propagation", and often takes 24-48 hours). If you register at NetworkSolutions, you will need to provide special information about your web host's servers so that they know how to direct web users to your site.

Good luck as you begin your name search!

 

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