Choosing a domain name

Do you have a domain name yet? The domain name is the thing that's called xyz.com.au – where xyz is the name of your company or something that relates to it. Generally, your web site address will have a prefix of "www." followed by your domain name. Also, your email addresses will usually be your username followed by "@", then your domain name.

Your domain name should meet at least some of these rules:

• Relates to your company. Perhaps it's your company name or an abbreviation thereof. You might also have a domain name for a major product or service that you sell – for instance: websitesRus.com.au might be a good domain name for a company that develops web sites!
• Is short and concise. Don't choose a domain name that is too long – it's just going to be too hard for your visitors to type into their browser. For instance: www.TheABCNetworkingCompany.com might directly relate to the actual company name, but it's going to be a problem for users to key into their computer. It's also going to be difficult to fit that onto your letterheads and business cards!
• Is not verbally ambiguous. Now what does that mean? Well, if you were to tell someone your email address or web site address, or you were to advertise on radio (IE. verbal communication), then would the prospect be able to go home, jump on their computer, and get the address right? A simple example: WebsitesRus could be misconstrued as WebsitesAreUs. You want to make your domain name as simple, short and unambiguous as possible.
• Make sure it's not already taken. You'll need to use a domain registration company to make sure your chosen domain name is not yet taken by someone else. Try one of these for starters : www.domainregistration.com.au, www.melbourneit.com.au, www.domain.netregistry.com.au, domainnames.conexim.com.au. There are many, many more, just use the Google search engine and try a search using keywords such as "domain registry australia".
• Use that same domain registration company's web page to register your chosen domain name. For ".com.au" domain names, you may need to provide some information that proves your domain name is related to your company. You'll be able to pay for your domain name registration online too. You usually register your domain name for 1 or 2 years at a time, then renew it after that time as you need. Be sure to shop around for the best price – they do vary somewhat. You'll also find that Australian domain names (with the ".au" on the end) are more expensive than the more generic counterparts (ending in just ".com"), but usually worth it to help identify your company as Australian.

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