Choosing a domain name can be one of the most difficult aspects of starting an online business. Deciding on a domain name for your web site is challenging, and with so many domain name extensions available it can be even more challenging. You can make it easier on yourself when making these decisions if you take note that in the online world the dot com domain name is still king. This is especially true for commerce sites.

What should you do if the domain name that you want to use has already been taken by someone else? One option is to do a search of the WHOIS database to find out who the current owner is and ask them if they would like to sell the domain name to you. The WHOIS database is like the telephone book "white pages" listings of domain names, It will list all the domain names that are currently owned, and the registrant's contact information. A quick look on any search engine should provide you with links to many different versions of the WHOIS database.

A second option would be to slightly your domain name choice. If you decide to try this, it is often advised to avoid the use of hyphens in your domain name. It is quite possible that some people may forget to include the hyphen when directly entering a domain name in a web browser address bar. Generally a domain name that can be written as a single word will make it easier for your website visitors to remember.

There are many different domain extensions available, and if you can't get the dot com domain name you might want to check for dot net names. Regional domain name extensions [like .co.uk and .ca, for example] are also a good choice and can help in branding your website.

In order to help as much as possible with search engine optimization many people believe that it is a good idea to choose a domain name that is directly related to your website content. PingPipe is here to answer your web hosting and domain name questions, contact us for more information.

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