What’s In A (Domain) Name?Written by Sibyl McLendon
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You also run a risk if you choose a name that is too, let me say… mystical. You may know what you mean when you name your business Mystic Blue Nights, but how many other people will? Don’t choose a domain name that reads like a book. It is difficult for average person to remember long domain names. It may be descriptive to get lowcostdiabeticrecipesforalloccasions.com, but it is not going to be memorable, and you run risk of people misspelling it and not being able to find you. Watch out for use of dashes, too. People don’t expect them, so instead of visiting your site, Pickles-R-Us, they could wander to your competitor ‘pickelsrus’ instead. Trying to be clever and tweak a competitor’s name could backfire on you. If name that you really want is not available as a .com, go and look at .com site before you choose .net, or one of other extensions that are becoming available, such as .info and .tv. People think .com first, and if they are looking for you and put .com in by mistake, you sure don’t want them to end up at some porn or hate site. You are going to have to live with your choice of domain names for a long time. Take your time and choose wisely.
Sibyl McLendon is the owner of Spirit Web Design http://www.spirit-webdesign.net. She has been designing sites for 3 years. Visit Spirit Web Design for useful information on website marketing.
| | So, You Want Your Own Website? Is Free Or Paid Hosting Right For You?Written by Sibyl McLendon
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If you are starting a business, you really should consider paying for your hosting. Those banners at top of your free site, or constant ad pop-ups say to visitor that you do not have enough faith in your product to risk paying for a site! It may be unfair, but it is reality. How much you pay for your hosting has a lot to do with your budget. Most of free sites will allow you to upgrade to a banner-less site for a small amount of money each month. If you are thinking of going with another option, shop around carefully. Check to see how long any hosting business has been around. You are going to want to pick one with a proven track record. Do they have an 800 number for tech support? Sites that only offer email support are chancy. They might not respond for days, or at all. Any reputable hosting business will have a phone number clearly posted. Be sure and check out what country they are located in. You don’t want language problems if you need help. You also might seriously consider contacting them and asking them for email addresses of other clients. This is a good way to see if their other sites are satisfied with service. If they don’t want you to contact their other clients, beware! Also, I assure you that you do not have to pay a lot of money in order to get a good hosting site. There are many good options in $15 to $20 a month price range. Don’t be dazzled by a lot of options that you may not need. All it really takes is common sense to find just right hosting site for your needs. Good luck!
Sibyl McLendon is the owner of Spirit Web Design http://www.spirit-webdesign.net. She has been designing sites for 3 years. Visit Spirit Web Design for useful information on website marketing.
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