What are Domains?
Put simply, a domain name is that part of your Internet address which follows www.
Your domain is effectively an 'address' for your website, and is made up of your chosen name, (eg. "baloogi") and an extention (".com").
Domain names are registered via an accredited registration service, and cannot be issued to more than one person or business.
Choosing a Domain Name
You can choose any domain name you like for your site, so long as it hasn't already been registered by someone else. Your name should be no more than 26 characters long (not including the extention) and contain only letters, numbers and hyphens.
The closer your domain name to the actual name of your business or organisation, the more likely that your existing customers will find you. To more effectively attract new visitors, you may consider using a descriptive domain name, like windowwipers.com, for example.
Registering both your business name AND a descriptive name will attract as many people as possible to your site.
Consider possible mistakes that potential customers could make when typing in your web address. If mistakes are likely, consider simplifying the name, or perhaps registering multiple names so that even if a common mistake is made, the user will get to your site.
How Do I Know if a Domain is Available?
A quick way to check out your chosen name is to search for it using Google or Yahoo. If no other business has your name then BINGO! - you only have to choose your extention.
However, there's a high likelihood that your business or organisation's name is not globally unique, meaning that your domain name may need to be 'tweaked' slightly.
Use the Domain Availability Checker to find your chosen domain, and try making minor changes if you name is not available. One way is to add a hyphen between words, eg. window-wipers.com
Which extention should I use?
There are a variety of extentions available, and if you are hoping to attract new customers or visitors to your site, it's probably best to choose one that people are most used to using, eg. .com or .co.uk.
Depending on your budget, you may wish to register multiple extentions to protect your name, with all the names directed at one site.
In general, .com is recommended for commercial or personal sites, .net for companies involved with Internet infrastructure, and .org for non-profit organizations. For UK based businesses or organisations, .co.uk is a cheaper alternative.
