The Domain Name Game: A Beginners Guide to Domain Names

So what is a Domain Name?Domain Names are basically just cool, word-based shortcuts to websites. They make it possible to say to someone "Check out www.thefasterwebmaster.com" rather than telling them "Check out 1755.575.392378. Does that make sense? They basically allow you to assign word-nased shortcuts to numbered locations somewhere on the World-Wide Web. Every single Domain Name has a bunch of numbers behind it, making it actually work. Domain Names can cost as much as $35 bucks a year... but you can also get them for less than the cost of a large pizza. I like to get my Domain Names from GoDaddy. How do I get one?First, make sure your domain name has not been registered by someone else. GoDaddy will tell you if the Domain Name you like is available or not. If the Domain Name is taken, you will have to select another one. If it is unregistered, you can go ahead and register it. Then just select the number of years you want to pay for, and enter your contact information. There are four types of contacts: the registrant (owner), the technical contact, billing contact, and administrative contact. You may use the same information for all four, if you like... there should be an option that allows you to auto-fill them all out. Enter your billing information, and choose between a "private" or "public" registration. A private registration costs more, but will protect your identity and may cut down on the amount of SPAM you receive. That should be about it: the process should only take about ten minutes or so.

Before you pick your Domain Name and register it here are a few great tips:

- Check Related Domain Names.

Before you register your Domain Name make sure to open a web browser and check out Domain Names that are similar to yours. After all, these websites are where your potential traffic may end up! So check some of the Domain Names that are similar to yours in spelling, by adding dashes or changing a letter here or there. Check for common spelling mistakes.

If you have a business selling shoes, for example, and the Domain Name that you like is called toocomfortable.com... you want to make sure that there is not a competing offer (or nasty, questionable material) on 2comfortable.com, or tocomfortable.com. See what I mean?- Avoid Domain Names that are hard to spell. I would highly recommend that you go with something along the lines of www.mikescollectibles.com, rather than www.michaelscollectibles.com, Why? Because people notoriously misspell the word Michael. Is it 'eal'; is it 'ael'? No one really seems to know.

Say you invented a revolutionary accounting software. You don't want to register a Domain Name that has the word "receipt" in it. Why? Because in the 35 years I've been walking around on this earth, I don't think I've met a person yet that can spell the word receipt correctly the first time. You don't want to Register Domain Names that are hard to spell.

So there you have the inside scoop on Domain Names. I hope this makes sense and I hope you found it useful!