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Domain Names
Choosing a domain name for your product, business or brand is one of the most important decisions you’ll make online and something that your web design agency can only give you so much help with.
Put simply every website has an IP (Internet Protocol) number which acts like a telephone number for your website and means that it can be found on the world wide web, so if you type your IP address into a browser you’ll arrive at your website. Of course, a random set of numbers is tricky to remember and that’s why purchasing a domain name is essential, as the name you choose will be how your site is found by the general public.
If you are wondering how to choose a domain name this is something your company or organisation will need to think about. A domain name can be any combination of letters, numbers and characters you can think of, but probably the most important thing to take into account is that it needs to be memorable, so that the public will remember it when they are using the internet.
You could go for a simple lower case name (for example www.mycompany.com) or something more elaborate that doesn’t mention the name of your business at all but does mention what you do (for example www.wedesignwebsites.co.uk).
Don’t panic if the website domain name you choose isn’t available you can always choose a variation on it by using hyphens etc (for example change www.wedesignwebsites.com to www.we-design-websites.com). Don’t be afraid to have fun with your domain name. The more unusual the better and, of course, the more memorable!
A domain name usually ends in .com or .co.uk if it is a UK website, however other top level generic domains include .net, .org, .biz, and .info. while other UK top level domain names include org.uk, .me.uk.
These days you will find that many of the popular words and phrases, followed by .com or .co.uk have already been bought by other people, and this is where you web agency or web design company can help. Once you have come up with suggestions that you are happy with you can ask your web designer to check if they are available for you.
In terms of the ending you choose, if you want your business or products to be available to a wider audience choose .com or .net. This is useful if you have an international shopping site or want the whole of the world wide web to be able to search for and view your site.
For those whose business is UK-based and only have products or information applicable to the UK market then perhaps a .co.uk is more suitable.
Many charities and voluntary organisations choose .org.uk or org as their domain names.
Sites that give out information about a variety of subjects choose .info as part of their domain name.
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