INTERNET INFORMATION AND ADVICE

CHOOSING AND REGISTERING A GOOD DOMAIN NAME

The importance of choosing a good domain name for your business is often overlooked. A good domain name is vital - in this article we'll explain why, help you make a good choice and tell you how to get one!

What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is a unique name that identifies an Internet site, also known as a 'web address'.
 
Domain names comprise either: a name and a classification code (eg kudosweb.com, rotary.org); a name and a country code (eg, fiat.fr, ferrari.it); or a name, a classification code, and a country code (eg tvnz.co.nz, bbc.co.uk).

Why Do I Need a Domain Name?
Every web site needs a domain name and there are many benefits to owning one.
 
Having your own domain name (eg www.kudosweb.com), as opposed to a name an ISP provides you (eg. www.ispname.co.nz/~kudosweb), portrays a more professional image of your business and allows you to use your domain name for one or more email addresses (eg hayley@kudosweb.com, simon@kudosweb.com).
 
Registering your own domain name will protect and enhance your brand and product or service and it will make your site easier to find and will be easier for customers to remember.
 
You can use your domain name as a key marketing tool for your business by having it on all of your traditional marketing material such as stationery, brochures, advertisements, signage, pens, calendars, clothing... and more: you can include it on your answer phone message; if you have a shop or sell products, on labels, carry bags and packaging; on tasteful car magnets or stickers!
 
What Makes a Good Domain Name?
Ideally your domain name should include your business name or brand and if possible a keyword representing your product or service. A combination of all of these elements is not always possible as most importantly your domain name should be short, simple, easy to remember and easy to spell.
 
Steer clear of using hyphens in your domain name as they often create confusion and are a mouthful to say (try it - say this aloud: 'www.my-domain-name.co.nz' - without the hyphens 'www.mydomainname.co.nz' is much better!). If your business name has a hyphen in it, you might want to register both domain names, with and without the hyphen. The domain name without the hyphen can just redirect to the other.
 
Also, if possible, stay away from homonyms and alternative spellings. Homonyms are two or more words that sound exactly the same, but are spelled differently (eg site and sight). If your business name uses alternative spelling you may need to register more than one name to avoid people not being able to find you, for example if the business is a cattery in Nelson and the name is 'Top Catz', you may need to register topcatz.co.nz and topcats.co.nz. Or opt for a name that uses a keyword describing the service such as cattery.co.nz or nelsoncattery.co.nz.
 
A domain name which uses a keyword can be beneficial in some search engines but is certainly not the most important factor when it comes to your site's search engine performance. However, a domain name which uses a keyword could be typed into a browser as a guess when someone is looking for something. For example, lets say someone was looking for a place to stay in Nelson - they might type in the web address 'nelsonmotel.co.nz', or 'nelsonaccommodation.co.nz'. If someone was looking for a place which they knew the name of they would type in the most obvious address, such as 'seaviewmotel.co.nz'.
 
Therefore, to cover all bases, in some cases it can be worthwhile registering more than one domain name - to represent your brand, to represent your product or service and/or to cover variations of your name. The cost is minimal so it is an option worth considering. Choose the most suitable one for promoting on your stationery etc.
 
.nz or .com?
A .nz domain name is for New Zealand business or organisations. It is advised that you choose a .nz domain if you want to be specifically identified as a New Zealand business or organisation. If your business caters to the local community, such as a restaurant, then it makes sense to get a .nz domain.
 
.com domain names are recognised mainly as US sites however, a .com domain can be useful if you are trying to market to an international audience. One advantage of a .com name is that most people outside of New Zealand are familiar with it, the .nz extension is less familiar to international web users.
 
To protect your brand you may like to consider registering both the .nz and .com version of your domain name.
 

How Do I Get a Domain Name?
Having decided on the domain name you'd like, you then need to check whether it is available or whether it has been registered already by someone else. (Most domain names are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, you may not always be able to register your first choice name.) You can check if a name is available yourself by using an on-line search facilities that provide details of domain name registrations in a matter of seconds, or contact us and we can do this for you.
 
How Much Does a Domain Name Cost?
Kudos web design charge NZ$50 to register a domain name and it can be done in just a couple of hours (during normal business hours).
 
All domain names also incur annual registration fees, our annual fee is NZ$40.
 
Once your domain name is registered it needs to be hosted to remain valid. If the domain name is attached to a web site its hosting is included in the cost of the hosting of the web site (Kudos web design charges from NZ$30 per month to host a web site).
 
If the domain name isn't being used a nominal monthly fee is sometimes charged to host (park) the domain name, although Kudos web design will do this for free.
 
More Information
For more information or if you would like to register a domain name please contact us.